Bupa becomes first health insurer to be Plain Numbers certified

Bupa has achieved Plain Numbers certification on key customer communications, a first for a health insurer.

Bupa has achieved Plain Numbers certification on key customer communications, a first for a health insurer. Certification means a document has been assessed by Plain Numbers and has reached a high standard of clarity in the way numbers are communicated to customers.   

More than half of working age adults, equivalent to just over 20 million people in the UK, have numeracy levels expected of a primary school child1. This can be a huge barrier to understanding important communications such as policy documents and is a key area of focus in the FCA’s Consumer Duty regulations which come into force on 31 July 2023. 

To help address this, last year Bupa and Plain Numbers announced a three-year partnership to communicate numbers more clearly and improve understanding, as well as deliver good customer outcomes through staff training, document certification and ongoing support.

The first of Bupa’s communications to adopt the Plain Numbers Approach and be certified are a leaflet which explains the no claims discount and the initial quote email a potential customer receives. Both are critical communications that include numbers and require a customer to make an informed decision.

Mike Ellicock, Chief Executive and Co-Founder of Plain Numbers said: “We’re delighted to have helped Bupa take their focus on customer outcomes to the next level by achieving Plain Numbers certification on key documents, particularly as they are the first health insurer to do so. With the work Bupa has done to improve understanding those customers should now be able to make informed decisions about their insurance.”

Research trials2 across a variety of industries and communications found that when the Plain Numbers Approach was adopted, the number of people who understood customer information doubled.
During the three-year partnership, select Bupa staff are being trained to become Plain Numbers practitioners and communicate key numbers clearly and fairly in documents such as policy quotes and renewal letters. This approach, which is in line with new Consumer Duty understanding outcomes, will help improve customer experiences across Bupa.

Richard Washington, General Manager for Consumer at Bupa UK Insurance said: “This collaboration has been driven by a shared goal of helping customers and putting them first in all that we do. Simple changes to presenting numbers in a way that customers can understand, irrespective of their level of numeracy, can make a huge difference, help them make the right decisions about their health cover and ensure good outcomes. We are embedding the Plain Numbers Approach across our business, so it becomes part of our culture.”

Notes to editors:

1. 2019. Ipsos MORI, in partnership with the Policy Institute at King’s College London and National Numeracy, Ipsos MORI interviewed 2,007 adults aged 16 to 75 to assess levels of numeracy among the public and explore attitudes towards maths and numbers.
2. Plain Numbers Project: Initial trials report 2021. Plain Numbers tested their Approach with five randomised controlled trials comparing an existing document provided by a Partner firm with a Plain Numbers version.  

Further information: 

• Bupa is a member of the Association of British Insurers, which supports Plain Numbers as an Advisory Partner to encourage improved consumer understanding across the industry.
• Bupa’s Plain Numbers Practitioners have taken part in the Plain Numbers comprehensive training. The course brings to life the numerical struggle much of the public must contend with and equips the Practitioners with the tools and strategies that ensure their communication provides extra context or explains key information upfront in a simple way.
• They then go on to implement improvements to the way numbers are communicated with support from the Plain Numbers team. The Plain Numbers Approach evidenced approach builds on over a decade of work. Research trials across a variety of industries and forms of communication saw that when the Plain Numbers Approach was adopted the number of people