UK Health Insurance Awards – London

I attended the 2010 Health Insurance Awards Dinner in London last night. You could be excused for imagining that 800 intermediaries, financial advisers and health insurance executives in one place would have the makings of a dull evening, but actually this glamorous black tie event is always a great party. It is one of the few nights of the year when I get to bed about the same time as the sun is coming up and I’m pleased to say that last night (or this morning) was no exception!

I was privileged to be on the judging panel this year and it is an honour that each of us took very seriously. We read through all the short listed entries prior to spending a day locked together in earnest discussions before choosing winners for 15 intermediary awards. Just for the record – this was an entirely democratic process, and each winner was selected by consensus based on the merit of their submission and the quality of their case study. The link below lists the winners.

http://www.hi-mag.com/healthinsurance/resource.do?id=his:winners

There was one intermediary organisation that won four awards and were highly commended for three others. Why? Because they produced well written, interesting entries which demonstrated that a) they had read the rules for submission (standard practice you would think, but some entries did not meet the criteria) b) they really listened to their clients’ requirements, analysed the issues and provided workable and cost effective solutions and c) they cared about the outcome!

Pretty basic advice for anyone planning to win awards, win new clients and keep the clients they already have.

One more point that I found very encouraging about the evening. Despite the doom and gloom surrounding the Government spending review plans announced two days ago – there was a very upbeat mood in the room. This may have been directly related to the size of the bar bills, but the fact that providers sponsored tables and can afford to pay those bar bills suggests that the health insurance and group protection industry will continue to be a significant economic force in this country, working alongside the NHS for the good of individuals and businesses alike.