Legal & General has added RedArc support services to all new intermediary-sold critical illness policies.

The support, which will be known as the Legal & General Nurse Support Service, will enable policyholders to benefit from practical advice and emotional support delivered by a team of qualified nurses, when patients are diagnosed with a serious physical illness.

It will also extend to support for mental health conditions, trauma and bereavement as well as eldercare and carer support for the policyholder and their close family members.

An initial three-year contract has been agreed between the two parties and RedArc anticipates that around half of cases will be cancer referrals, 10% for cardiac and a similar proportion for mental health support and stroke. The support will be activated at the point of claim or at other times during the life of the policy.

Christine Husbands, managing director of RedArc, said: “When an individual receives the diagnosis of a serious illness, changes in family and working life are inevitable and this can take its toll on partners and children as well as the patient themselves. Having a medically trained expert on hand can be hugely valuable in becoming accustomed to the new norm from both a practical and emotional point of view.

“It’s also important that this support is made available over the long term because many people who are diagnosed with a physical condition often find they also develop mental health issues too but this is not usually evident immediately.”

To promote the product, Legal & General has created new videos and product animations to help advisers understand how the new service will benefit policyholders.

Emma Davies, propositions development manager at L&G, added: “We acknowledge that the financial safety net provided by protection insurance is hugely beneficial but that it needs to be enhanced with additional services in order to ensure the welfare and wellbeing of our customers at the point of diagnosis and during other difficult times.

“We selected RedArc because we were well aware of the company’s track record in delivering this type of customer support and we believe them to be an ideal fit with the way we want to offer critical illness insurance to our customers in the future.

“We’ve chosen to offer policyholders an extremely comprehensive package from RedArc because we know that when someone is diagnosed they will not only be concerned about themselves but also about other dependent family members too.”