AEGON Scottish Equitable has extended its bereavement support service, provided by independent care advisory service RED ARC, by making it available to all group life schemes on its book from 21 May 2007.

The service is designed to provide emotional and practical help to bereaved employees, as well as supporting HR and line managers in handling these sensitive situations.

The RED ARC bereavement support service is now available to any employer who has a group life scheme with AEGON Scottish Equitable and provides support for the following:

• bereaved employees
• the family of any employee who has a terminal illness or dies
• HR and line managers, helping them manage difficult situations

When an employee or family member calls RED ARC, they are allocated their own personal nurse adviser, who will provide support for as long as the bereaved party needs it and this can be extended to counselling and complementary therapy.

The recent Swiss RE report on new and in-force group death
benefit, income protection and critical illness business has highlighted the fact that group death benefit arrangements, including the capitalised value of death in service pensions, now represent close to 40% of all life cover held in the UK.  This endorses the value of AEGON Scottish Equitable’s bereavement service.

Simon Bailey, Head of Marketing for Employee Benefits at AEGON Scottish Equitable, said:

“It is clear that there is a growing demand from employers for ways to assist employees’ wellbeing and insurers have responded by offering employee assistance programmes (EAPs) and other add on services.  However, the service RED ARC offers goes well beyond this because it is included within the cost of the policy, it also provides support to HR and line managers, as well as employees and their families.

“We have responded to advisers’ feedback in extending this service to all group life schemes and we are keen to make employees’ families aware that the grieving process can take time and that the RED ARC service is there if and when they need it.”

Richard Thomas, Managing Director, RED ARC, says:

“We work exclusively with AEGON Scottish Equitable in the group risk market.
They share our vision that people need more than just money at difficult times in their lives and they actively promote uptake of our services, especially at point of claim. They're the only insurer to fully recognise the benefit of support services for group products - first with critical illness and later group life. And with these changes, I believe they offer by far the most comprehensive bereavement support available with any group life package.”

-Ends-

Notes to Editors

• AEGON has assets under administration of £45.2 billion and employs around 4,000 staff. AEGON is part of the AEGON Group, which is one of the world’s largest listed insurers and has assets around Euro 359bn (£250 billion).
• RED ARC Assured Ltd is an independent care advisory service, established in 1997. Its services are managed through a team of highly experienced nurses, working to strict standards of patient confidentiality. A key role for the RED ARC nurses is to commission specialist nurse home visits or programmes of therapy or counselling.

For further information

Jonathan Atkins
Head of Media
T. 0207 200 2502 | M. 07740 897373
jonathan.atkins@aegon.co.uk