Although we’ve been on a brief hiatus from events this week for half-term, there’s still a lot going on at The Forum. We’re delighted to announce that we’ve now appointed an Editor, who will be joining us at the beginning of March. David will be in touch in a few weeks’ time with the official announcement.
We’re also in the process of redeveloping our website, to accommodate the new articles, case studies and interviews that we’ll be starting to produce from the Forum’s own news desk!
Results from the FCA’s second Financial Lives 2020 survey completed in Feb 2020 found that pre-pandemic, 46% (24.0 million) of UK adults had one or more characteristics of vulnerability.
The regulator’s later October 2020 Covid-19 panel survey found that this figure had increased dramatically, jumping up by a figure of 3.7 million to 27.7 million. That’s 53% of all UK adults with one or more vulnerable characteristics.
The FCA state that whilst there has not been a significant overall increase in health conditions that prevent physical ability, 18% of respondents in the Covid-19 panel survey stated that they had a mental health condition or illness, up 6% from 12% of respondents in February 2020.
Such startling figures have huge implications for financial services marketers. For a very timely webinar, we’ll be joined by Cello Signal’s Ed Knight, Senior Consultant and Jenny Hill, Communications Consultant, alongside Pamela Rose, Fatigue Coach for those with chronic health conditions, this coming Tuesday from 0930-1030am.
Ed, Jenny and Pamela will be discussing how brands can support those who require additional support, and highlighting the key findings from Cello’s own research into vulnerable customers. Pamela will also be providing insight into how accessing financial services products and services can be problematic for those with ongoing illnesses and conditions, and how brands can do better.
As ever, I wish you a peaceful and enjoyable weekend, and look forward to hopefully seeing you at a webinar soon.
Jasmine