Aviva has announced that it will now offer its Back-Up service to its individual and small group private health insurance customers.

Back-Up is one of the firm’s new specialist case management initiatives which improves the speed of recovery and the rate of its customers being able to return to work.

Customers would also be referred to the Back-Up service rather than having to wait to see their GP.

Mark Sharpe, Clinical Development Manager at Aviva's UK Health business, said: "Musculoskeletal conditions are one of the top causes of private health insurance claims, yet they have traditionally been treated with a broad brush "6-10 sessions of physiotherapy" approach which gives little consideration to the customer's exact circumstances. Our Back-Up service bucks this trend.

“Evidence now shows that tailoring treatment plans to the individual's personal needs, has a far better out-come for all parties - the individual recovers quicker, employers benefit from reduced sickness absence costs and our medical insurance claims costs, and therefore future premium increases, are controlled.

“We are extremely proud of our Back-Up service which has already delivered numerous benefits for our customers. The feedback we've received is absolutely fantastic and we're delighted more of our customers can now benefit from this highly valued service."