The Innovation Game

Rich Glassborow, Director of Distribution & Marketing, tells us why innovation, expertise and a listening ear are at the heart of AXA Health. 

Getting our members fast access to the right care is what drives innovation at AXA Health. It steers what we analyse, prioritise, develop, and most importantly – what we deliver.  

So, what have we been focusing on, and why? 

Investment in technology 

Digital technology is essential for making care accessible and injecting efficiencies into the care journey.  Our members now have more choice in how they access care for digestive, dermatological and musculoskeletal conditions – with more conditions coming soon.   

These services are thriving: our online musculoskeletal assessments now help around 12,500 members each month. In April, 100% of cases had online support from a physiotherapist within one working day.

Members with the appropriate cover can also get digestive health and dermatology assessments online, with a specialist aiming to review their assessment within 3 working days from receiving their completed assessments.

We keep a close eye on outcomes and feedback to ensure we're giving our members access to the right support at the right time.

Preventative support with EAP

Helping members prioritise their health every day and connecting them to trusted health and wellbeing services is a responsibility we take seriously

Our services evolve with members’ changing needs. For example, the AXA Health app, for large corporate members, promotes healthy habits – it’s free for the entire workforce of our large corporate clients. It features videos, articles, learning modules, online workouts, and a health assessment that produces a health score to help build understanding. Since its April upgrade, downloads have increased by 52%, and active users by 32%.

Elsewhere, our onsite and remote health assessments are making a real difference to workplace wellbeing, by helping employees understand where to focus first and are easy to book via the app.

Data + reporting = Actionable insights 

We’re committed to giving large corporate clients a full picture of their workforce’s health through detailed reporting.

Recently, we added reporting for our online GP service and our neurodiversity assessment and support service. Later this year, we’ll introduce updates for our mental health assessment and support service, EAP, and wellbeing services.

Enhancing our digital support channels 

How members access care has changed over the last two years, let alone 10. Demand for digital support has grown with live chat now our fastest-growing channel.  

For example, we’ve been improving our digital support offerings. Members who would usually call us, can now choose to complete some tasks online. Registering a new claim, getting authorisation for further treatment, general enquiries and more.  

We’ve also seen a sharp rise in traffic to our enhanced online accounts and member areas. 

Innovating the feedback process 

Technology is a fantastic informer, tracker and enabler. Our highly recognised Voice of the Customer programme plays a vital role in keeping our ear to the ground in real-time, helping us make agile improvements to our service with customer experience in mind. 

We’ve recently introduced a video feedback option, should members prefer to talk than type. 

How brokers are shaping what we offer 

We work closely with brokers and large corporate clients to stay aligned with what’s needed on the ground. I’m excited to share that in early 2026, we’re launching a broker portal that will allow Individual brokers to get a quote and buy our AXA Health Plan, while also managing their clients’ policies. SME brokers will also be able to manage client schemes, adding and removing members, getting policy documents, and more. 

We’re also establishing a broker advisory panel to further inform our innovation through feedback and consultation – whether it's our products, support services or pricing. 

What’s next 

Since 1940, we've been looking after our members and striving to deliver high standards through continuous improvement. Our focus remains on innovation, excellence, and value. We’re committed to being the best health insurer we can be, putting health first.

Stay tuned – there’s so much more to come.