TAL has partnered with virtual healthcare provider Teladoc Health to offer extra mental health support.

Mental Health Assist will now be available for eligible TAL customers on claims with a mental health condition.

Leading psychologists and psychiatrists can conduct a review of the customer’s mental health via video conferencing and provide detailed treatment plans. It was formerly offered to a select group with insurance through superannuation.

TAL GM Health Services Priya Chagan says the program fast-tracks access to a team of multidisciplinary mental health experts tailored to the customer’s situation, a vital resource as Australia has only 13 psychiatrists and 88 psychologists per 100,000 people.

“Access to mental health support in Australia is stretched,” Dr Chagan said. “The number of psychiatrists available for Australia’s population is low compared to other developed countries and this can lead to long waiting times for expert care, which can have an adverse impact on a person’s recovery journey.”

Through Mental Health Assist, eligible TAL customers will be able to access the mental health care they need in only nine days, with a tailored team of experts to support them and their recovery journey.

TAL head of Mental Health Glenn Baird says Teladoc Health designed the service for the Australian life insurance market and it has been delivering “outstanding outcomes” for the past two years.

“It has had some great success in improving patient mental health outcomes, seeing up to a 68% improvement in depression symptoms within three months and improved work attendance and productivity for patients who return to work,” Mr Baird said.

“This program will enable us to continue to improve outcomes for TAL customers experiencing mental health conditions.”

Mental Health Assist has won awards from the Australasian Life Underwriting and Claims Association, the Financial Services Council and Canstar.