She used the cover for an operation to remove a cyst from her brain which was detected four years ago. “If I’d gone down the NHS route, it would have taken quite a while to get the surgery done, especially having just had a newborn baby, so it was really useful to be able to go private,” she says. ”It was quite a major operation, so it was the peace of mind, and obviously the follow-up has been amazing.”
Harrison is now using the health cover to investigate some stomach problems, for which she has been referred to a range of consultants. Withers funds the PMI and Harrison pays the annual excess fee of £150.
But it is the employer’s dental healthcare plan, from Denplan, that appeals most to Harrison’s husband. “He’s fastidious about his teeth, so for him it’s been great because he’s been able to go to our local private dentist and get the treatment done there for £55 a month, which is fully refunded,” she says.
Harrison also uses the childcare vouchers and season ticket loan on offer from Withers, but she particularly values the offer of an annual, employer-funded flu jab. “I use this each year because two years ago, just before my son’s second birthday, he was diagnosed with cancer. He’s now in remission, but I’m keen not to get a cold,” she says.
Harrison recently started donating £10 a month to the Make a Wish Foundation, which was established to grant the wishes of children and young people aged between three and 17 living with life-threatening illnesses.
“I’ve also got group life assurance, which is a wonderful comfort because it’s four times my salary,” she says. “That is one less thing to worry about.”
