‘Too good to be true’ - Equipsme helps head of health consultancy back to full health
When David de Wet, Managing Director of health and public sector consultancy EcoVate started getting severe stomach pains, he went to A&E. They sent him home with instructions to take some paracetamol - but things started to get worse. It turned out David actually had pancreatitis - and thanks to Equipsme he got a super swift diagnosis and treatment at a private hospital.
“I actually ended up in a high dependency unit for 20 days, on a cocktail of antibiotics and fluids,” explains David. “My lung collapsed, my other organs were struggling, and I was in a great deal of pain. In fact pancreatitis is supposed to be some of the worst pain a man can be in – equivalent to labour. Let’s just say it made me very, very glad I didn’t have to give birth to any of my four kids!”
“Being able to turn to Equipsme when I was frankly pretty desperate was brilliant. It was back-up when I needed it most, and it’s been an absolutely fantastic service all the way through. Had I not had Equipsme, I’m not certain what the outcome would have been. As it was, I was able to get back on my feet remarkably quickly.”
David heard about Equipsme through Starling Bank. “To be honest, when I looked at Equipsme I thought it was too good to be true,” says David. “I work in health, so I know that your average PMI policy is hundreds of pounds a month, and for that PMI providers basically discourage you from ever using it with a lot of exclusions and sub-clauses.”
“In contrast, I literally did a double-take when I looked at Equipsme’s fees and services. It’s not only incredibly affordable, but it’s also really simple to understand and really easy to use - with a whole host of instant, practical benefits. I signed myself and a colleague up to trial it for a few months to see if it really was as good as it looked.”
And it turned out to be a hell of a few months… David’s team of 30 were flat out sourcing PPE for the NHS, and supporting NHS clients through goods, services, advice and recommendations - working around the clock and around the globe.
David said: “Having Equipsme in my back pocket was incredibly useful. It was nearly impossible for us to get an appointment with our GP at the height of the pandemic, and my partner and I used the GP service for ourselves and our new twins so much I thought I might actually wear it out! But there really aren’t set limits. Meanwhile my colleague, who suffers from stress, found the Stress Support line an incredible support, right there when they really needed it.”
“We were so impressed we decided to offer Equipsme to all of our employees. I told them the story about what happened to me, and about how important it was to me that they have the same sort of safety net, and same level of care. Pretty much everyone has taken it up – and everyone has added their family too.”
“Working so closely with the NHS we all love and respect it. But keeping ourselves well helps us take some of the strain off it, and keeps us going to keep on supporting it. It’s a comfort to know Equipsme is there to help people get seen fast, get better fast, and get back to work fast, too.”
For David, signing everyone up for Equipsme was an easy decision. He continues: “I’ve no doubt the stress of the last year led me to getting ill. It’s been a wake up call that I need to look after myself, and extend that to my team. In the end it was a no brainer, and we’ve not looked back since.”
“For any small business, the continuity of your team and your staff is critical. If you lose one cog the whole machine is impacted. Any business genuinely interested in their people should be looking at Equipsme to support their health and wellbeing. The fact you can do so for less than it would cost to take them all out for a bite to eat is just the icing on the cake.”
“What I particularly like about Equipsme is that it’s not the kind of evil necessity insurance you hope you never have to use. It’s about making people feel better and keeping them well, checking their health with the Thriva tests, taking up the physio appointments, using the dental cover, getting the stress support.”
“It turns out Equipsme isn’t a scam. In fact it’s been flawless. It’s straightforward, no BS, no jargon, just clear, plain English, great customer service and a top quality product with access to the best doctors, diagnostics and hospitals. I’ve been blown away by it, I’ve been incredibly grateful to have it, and I can’t recommend it highly enough.”
If you would like to find out about EcoVate please go to www.ecovategroup.com .
