Zurich has unveiled a free and confidential support service for its protection customers and their immediate families, available throughout the lifetime of their policies.

The ‘Zurich Support Service’ includes a freephone helpline available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It is staffed by a team of independent experts who can offer assistance with work, personal or family related matters, which includes access to short-term counselling.

As well as professional consultations and counselling, the service provides information, resources and referrals to further services available in customers’ local areas covering a wide range of issues including:

• Daily Living – consumer rights, debt and money management, for example, managing the family bills
• Life Events – Marriage and cohabitation, separation and divorce, moving home, bereavement and loss
• Personal – emotional well-being, managing stress, anxiety and depression, disability and illness, personal development and computerised cognitive behavioural therapy
• Work – work/life balance, workplace pressure, bullying and harassment

Peter Hamilton, head of retail propositions, said: “While a protection policy can offer financial security for those affected by illness or bereavement, we often forget the emotional challenges we all face in dealing with life’s everyday difficulties.

“We have designed this service with our customers in mind, so that we can help them through difficult times. This is a real added value benefit and we hope our customers will make full use of it.”

Emma Thomson, life office relationship director, LifeSEARCH, added: “It’s great to see Zurich adding value to its proposition by introducing a Support Service.

“This helpline will advise and support customers through difficult times and shows Zurich is investing in looking after its policy holders throughout the life of a policy which should help them attract and keep more customers. Ancillary benefits such as this are really valuable.”