JEFF PRESTRIDGE: Sick of NHS delays? Find best private cover

With more strikes on the way, backlogs in treatment and diagnosis will continue to frustrate those who rely on the National Health Service for their medical well-being. A precarious state of affairs.

Given this chaotic backdrop, it’s understandable that more people are reducing their dependence on the NHS by purchasing private health insurance (PMI) that ensures prompt access to treatment when needed.

A dear friend, now in her sixties, bought coverage for this very reason. While her BUPA policy isn’t cheap, at £124 a month, excludes an existing medical condition (asthma) and includes a hefty deductible should she make a claim, it has given her peace of mind. She now knows that if she needs medical treatment, she can get it quickly.

In light of this surge in demand for PMI, Fairer Finance, the consumer champion website, will today launch reviews of the plans offered by providers.

These are not based on price, but on what existing customers think of the policies they have purchased (good or bad); how transparent the plans are (for example, explaining the benefits they offer, how pre-existing conditions are dealt with, and the size of the deductibles); and the percentage of customer complaints that are honored by the Ombudsman.

Of the 11 brands surveyed, Freedom Health Insurance and Aviva came out on top, followed by Bupa, Axa and Vitality.

James Daley, founder of Fairer Finance, says customer satisfaction with PMI tends to decline as people get older and premiums rise. Still, he believes the increased demand for PMI is driving some insurers to design plans that are more affordable.

Before going down the PMI route, check out Fairer Finance’s ratings. Her advice can make the difference between buying a good or bad policy.

The analysis can be accessed at fairerfinance.com. It also offers ratings for other financial products such as credit cards and pet insurance.

Loyalty should be rewarded

Nationwide’s decision to pay out £100 one-off windfall benefits to a minority of its 16 million customers is a bold move – and welcome. Other financially robust mortgage banks should take a leaf out of their book and follow suit.

Still, I imagine the £340 million ‘fairer share’ payment scheme won’t sit well with any household where someone has a savings account nationwide. This is because of the way society has set up the rules that determine who gets the windfall – and who doesn’t. Broadly speaking, you get the windfall if you have a national current account plus a mortgage or savings account.

This means that if you have been saving loyally with the society for years, but don’t have a checking account, that’s difficult. Then you miss € 100.

Even if you have the all-important current account, if your total savings at Nationwide dips below £100 in March this year – very possible given the current strain on household finances, you’re going to be out of luck.

My guess is that of those more than 12 million customers excluded from the windfall, many will be loyal, older savers who never thought about switching their bank accounts to Nationwide.

Is that fair? I do not think so. Loyalty should be rewarded.

If you are a nationwide customer who has lost, I would love to hear from you. Please email me at jeff.prestridge@mailonsunday.co.uk. You can also write to me at 9 Derry Street, Kensington, London W8 5HY.

Unfortunately, I was right about bank clearance…

My comments seven days ago about the state of the remaining bank branches in my hometown of Wokingham, Berkshire, proved quite apt.

As Andy Davidson, of nearby Binfield, kindly informed me this weekend, a closing notice is now hanging in the window of the Barclays branch.

It means when it closes in mid-August, it will leave the city with a Nationwide branch – plus derelict branches of HSBC and Lloyds.

My prediction – last week – that Nationwide will be the last bank in Wokingham within a year seems to be coming true sooner than I thought.

In defense of Barclays, the bank will partner with a local firm to use its premises when customers need a face-to-face meeting to discuss important financial issues (which is what Barclays already does in nearby Ascot).

On the basis that Barclays has yet to find suitable premises, I would suggest that it consider renting a few pods from wine bar RYND. I’m sure customers would find it pretty hip discussing banking issues while sitting in a private perspex bubble in the town’s market square.

Perhaps Barclays could improve the experience by offering customers a free non-alcoholic cocktail – Summer Spritz would be rather seasonal. It’s the least that customers earn after their branch closes.

A final thought on the closure of Barclays. Wokingham residents Ian and Gloria Stromdale – happy customers of Nationwide – told me that a few days ago they struck up a conversation with a 79-year-old Barclays customer while walking through Cantley Park, a beautiful green space amongst all the city gardens . hectic housing.

The seventy-year-old told them she had been with Barclays since school and had no intention of leaving.

As Ian told me, ‘There’s a lot to be said for loyalty, but when it comes to banks, loyalty is a one-way street – and it doesn’t come from them.’ Absolute.

Sweat, tears and a race that shows that the mutuals really care about each other

Around this time last week I was trudging up the hills of Yorkshire to complete the Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon.

I eventually got there (to the finish, that is), but it was touch and go. Physically painful, yes, but I wouldn’t have missed it for the world – especially that magical moment when rugby league legend Kevin Sinfield lifted former teammate Rob from his wheelchair and carried him across the finish line. I can’t deny that I shed a tear.

What the race showed is that such events bring out the best in people, with the majority of runners raising money for the Motor Neurone Disease Association charity and building a new MND care unit in the city (Rob is sadly tormented by the disease).

While wearing my Personal Finance running shoes for a while, it was lovely to see waves of runners from the local Leeds building association taking part in the event. Leeds is the only association headquartered in the city since rival Leeds Permanent was absorbed by Halifax 28 years ago – and it’s thriving, judging by the posh offices I passed by on Saturday night.

On the other hand, it is sad to learn that former Leeds Permanent boss Mike Blackburn has recently passed away. A larger than life figure, Mike was born to lead and when Leeds Permanent was swallowed up by Halifax he became boss of the combined construction company which then demutualised and generated windfalls for clients. Yet it was Blackburn’s signing up of actor George Cole to advertise for Leeds’ Liquid Gold account that was probably his greatest business triumph.

Cole recreated his role as Arthur Daley in TV’s Minder to encourage savers to “laugh all the way to Leeds.” They did that en masse.

Building societies don’t make them like Mr. Blackburn anymore. Larger than life – like Rob Burrow and Kevin Sinfield.