Brexit insurance crux for business

Brexit is already having an impact on the holistic healthcare industry in West Cork, according to a massage therapist in Glengarriff, who has been refused insurance from the UK.

Patricia Bowler, who runs the Celtic Kahuna centre at Derrycreha in Glengarriff, said her insurance company informed her that they were no longer providing cover for their Irish customers due to Brexit.

Patricia, who needs insurance to run a professional massage business, said the company, Holistic Insurance Services, has been ‘working hard’ to help her, and others, secure adequate cover through a broker in Sligo.

Holistic Insurance Services wrote to Patricia saying: ‘As a direct result of Brexit, with effect from March 1st 2019, Holistic Insurance are no longer able to invite renewal for those resident in Ireland.’

The letter also stated: ‘As you can appreciate, with the uncertainty of Brexit, this has not been a quick or easy process, however we believe that we have found the best solution for our clients through Brian Mullins Insurance Brokers.’

Patricia told The Southern Star it was her understanding that the company needs a presence in Europe in order to be able to deal with its previous customers in Ireland, and the EU, but they have not got this in place yet so they are, for now, refusing cover.

As a massage therapist, Patricia specialises in Hawaiian massage, known as Lomi Lomi, but she has also retrained in order to be able to provide touch techniques for cancer and supportive care at her centre in Glengarriff.

She said: ‘This is my first actual personal experience of Brexit.’ But, despite all the uncertainty of the proposed withdrawal of the UK from the EU, she said she hasn’t seen any drop off in business. 

‘Quite the opposite, in fact, all of my new clients here in Glengarriff are people from the UK, who are buying into lovely West Cork and are now living here.’