This article is created in partnership with Usay Compare, the leading UK private health insurance comparison site. Read the complete article here.
Why Private Mental Health Cover?
Top UK insurers like Bupa, AXA, and Aviva offer private mental health insurance that helps you skip long NHS waiting lists and access specialist assistance quickly. Accessing help sooner will stop mental issues from worsening and provide reassurance that professional care is available.
With private cover, you get faster appointments with GPs, psychiatrists, and counsellors compared with NHS services, where waiting times for talking treatments can be over a month. More and more people in the UK are turning to private insurance to have quick, easy access to first-rate mental health treatment.
Main Advantages of Private Mental Health Cover
- Rapid Access to Treatment: Private insurance means that you can see doctors in a timely manner, including GPs and therapists, so you get the help whenever you need it.
- Convenience and Flexibility: Choose your own therapists and psychiatrists in your local area, so it is easy to fit appointments into your schedule without long travel or delays.
- Long-term Treatment Options: As opposed to the NHS, where treatments like Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) are limited to a few sessions, private insurance covers broader or longer-duration treatment according to your needs.
- Specialist and Inpatient Care: Private insurance involves access to specialist treatments that may not be available on the NHS and access to inpatient or day-patient mental health treatment in private hospitals with advanced facilities.
How Do Top Insurers Cover Mental Health?
AXA
AXA offers mental health cover as an add-on, including day-patient and inpatient psychiatric treatment. Their cover includes:
- Psychiatric treatment and hospital stay
- Diagnostic testing and prescribed medication
- Treatment in AXA’s network of hospitals and day-patient units
- No annual limits on specialist psychiatric charges
- 24/7 advice with their Health at Hand service—pharmacists, counsellors, and nurses over the phone
Aviva
Aviva offers voluntary mental health cover for day-patient and inpatient care for acute psychiatric illness, including nursing and accommodation for 28 days’ duration. They also provide:
- Digital GP app with 24/7 video consultations (five per policy year)
- Stress Counselling helpline for confidential support from trained counsellors
Bupa
Bupa’s By You policy includes mental health cover as standard and insures more mental health conditions than any other provider (except dementia, learning, behavioural, and developmental conditions). Features include:
- 24/7 mental health support via their Digital GP app
- Expert mental health advice and nurse access
- Specialist referrals without requiring a prior GP consultation*
Why Is Mental Health Cover so Important?
Mental health influences the way we think, feel, and function with others, and is central to our overall health. Investing in mental health services is as essential as physical health—whether you’re feeling problems now or wish to be ready for potential future issues.
1 in 4 adults in England have a mental health problem every year, according to charity MIND. Anxiety and depression are prevalent, and professional care specific to your circumstances is crucial.
Considering Mental Health Cover?
If you’re considering private health insurance with mental health cover for yourself or your company, we can help. We work with the top UK insurers to determine the right cover for your specific needs.