Modern Insurance Magazine Issue 60

EDITORIAL BOARD
Supporting Vulnerable
Customers in
Catastrophic Claims
At Carpenters Group, our colleagues are trained
to recognise vulnerable clients from the very first
point of contact. The definition of this includes
any vulnerabilities that could impact an ability to
participate in litigation, or diminish the quality of
evidence which they can give. A vulnerable client may
also lack legal capacity to conduct the litigation. We
need to understand their needs by giving our people
the skills and knowledge to recognise this, before
delivering our services in a bespoke and holistic way.
In the early stages, an important part of our role involves identifying
pressure points. We must do all that we can to mitigate pressure on
the family, so early face-to-face meetings and engagement with our
opponent insurers is critical - as is securing financial and practical
support for our clients in a timely manner.
Certain stages of the litigation process are more stressful or difficult
for our vulnerable clients, such as attending multiple medical
assessments, giving witness statements, or attending Chambers
and Court. We take steps to fully prepare our clients by taking them
through what to expect step-by-step, scheduling domiciliary medical
appointments where appropriate, arranging conferences in their own
home, or asking the Court for bespoke directions under CPR 1A and
PD1A for vulnerable parties.
We also engage with registered intermediaries who are recruited
and trained by the MOJ. They act as a conduit to help maximise
communication for vulnerable clients, which helps our clients when it
comes to making themselves understood.
Dealing with vulnerable clients means that we have to think
about doing things differently. They will always receive the same
professional courtesy and respect; however, we are trained to be
mindful of restrictions, limitations and other prospective difficulties.
We will agree on a bespoke approach, created to meet their needs
in a way that keeps them comfortable whilst remaining mindful of
fulfilling our professional obligations.
For instance, we frequently work with brain injured clients who lack
the capacity to litigate themselves, but still wish to be involved.
Careful and tactful handling is needed to strike a balance between
the involvement of the litigation friend, whilst simultaneously allowing
our client to still feel very much at the centre of the process and have
their voice heard.
Speaking in simple language, keeping sentences short, using pictures
or images, keeping meetings short and selecting a meeting time that
fits in with fatigue management are all examples of steps that we will
take to ensure that our vulnerable clients always understand what is
happening. We must think creatively about the best ways to meet
their needs in a form that works for them, and keep this under review
at all times.
Carol Hopwood,
Head of Serious and Catastrophic Injury, Carpenters Group
Data Security is a
Vizion Standard
In 2018, facing changes to data protection
law and an increased risk of cyber-attacks,
Vizion formed their Client Advisory Group - a
consortium of representatives consisting of
leading insurers, cyber experts, and specialists
from the Vizion team. This group created the
‘Vizion Standard’ to support repairers that
would continue to provide education, support,
and resilience across the Vizion network.
The ‘Vizion Standard’ is part of Vizion’s commitment to the customer;
assurance that we, our clients, and our repairer partners consider
their privacy and protection of personal data to be a critical element
of the consumer journey.
In the recent past, the cyber landscape witnessed a seismic shift from
small petty online crimes to large-scale ransomware attacks. Such
attacks have brought some organisations to the brink of collapse.
The thing is, it can happen to anyone, and as the web grows more
dynamic and more connected, the ‘Vizion Standard’ adapts to everevolving
cyber security threats - delivering consistently updated
certification and auditing to ensure that both Vizion and our clients
stay ahead of virtual and physical security and privacy needs.
July sees the launch of the 2023 standard assessment, the latest
version of the standard, which will be sent to our entire network using
our own auditing and assessment application, Opus.
The Proof is in the Pudding
Vizion Network has achieved widely recognised ISO/IEC 27001
security standard certification and ISO/IEC 23001 business continuity
management, demonstrating the company’s ongoing commitment to
information security and risk management.
The holistic approach of ISO/IEC 27001 and ISO/IEC 23001 means
that the entire organisation, not just IT, is covered from cyberthreats,
resulting in benefits to people, technology, and processes.
By gaining this certification, Vizion has demonstrated to its clients
and customers that it is committed to managing information and risk
securely and safely.
This certification is the latest milestone in our information security
roadmap, which continuously demonstrates our commitment to
data security. Everyone at Vizion is deeply dedicated to protecting
client data, and proud to have achieved the ISO 27001 and 23001
certifications to prove it.
Chris McKie,
Managing Director, Vizion Network Limited
MODERN INSURANCE | 17