Jim has a wide experience of investigative matters commencing with service as a Section Officer in the British South African Police Criminal Investigations Department based in Zimbabwe. In 1980 he moved to the United Kingdom from where both his parents originated.
Jim spent a brief period in general investigation before setting up his own company specialising in the investigation of disability insurance claims in 1984. In 1993 at the invitation of a leading re-insurer the Health Claims Bureau was formed and Jim became its Chief Executive. Jim became Chairman and Chief Executive in April 2008.
Mansel was Chief Medical Adviser to the Department of Work and Pensions (and its antecedent, the Department of Social Security) from 1996 to May 2005.
He is currently Chair of the Wales Centre for Health, a trustee of The Shaw Trust, which provides training and work opportunities for people disadvantaged by disability, ill health or other social circumstances, and Director of the UnumProvident Centre for Psychosocial and Disability Research at Cardiff University
Eoin, a Commerce graduate from University College Dublin, has over 30 years experience in the Financial Service Industry. During his career with Norwich Union and Hibernian Groups he operated at Director level, until his retirement in 2005.
His responsibilities included all Operational Divisions with specialisms in Business, IT and Process Solutions and Implementation, Legal and Compliance, Underwriting and Claims.
He served on many Industry panels and Boards including panels in the Irish Insurance Federation and the Insurance Ombudsman Board. He joined Health Claims Bureau in 2007 and was appointed to the Board in 2008.
John is a Fellow of the Faculty of Actuaries and the Society of Actuaries in Ireland.
He spent most of his career with Friends Provident, moving to Dublin in 1987 where he was Chief Executive of the life company in Ireland until his retirement in 1996. John’s earlier actuarial responsibilities included the design and pricing of Income Protection Insurance contracts. John was President of the Irish Insurance Federation in 1995-96 and served as Chairman of the Practising Certificate Committee of the Society of Actuaries from 1998 – 2000.
Al is a recognised expert and world leader in disability claims management.
He has a degree in mathematics from Boston College and an MBA from the University of New Hampshire. Al worked for Unum for 23 years in a variety of capacities, including two years in the UK, followed by two years managing a private consulting firm specialising in disability insurance. He has been Senior Vice President for disability risk for Prudential Financial in New Jersey for the past five years. Al brings a wealth of international expertise to the Board.
Peter is one of the best-known consultants in the life and health insurance sector. He began his career at Commercial Union (now Norwich Union), moved to British and European and latterly went to Swiss Re, where he was initially head of underwriting and later became head of UK marketing.
He left in 2001 to set up an independent consultancy, Le Beau Visage, which focuses on differentiation in the protection sector. Since starting Le Beau Visage, he has regularly co-authored the Protection Review and the Redmayne Report on Reassurance. He runs a strategic discussion group called The-Net-Work and, in 2005, he set up the Income Protection (IP) Task Force with Clive Waller to promote greater awareness of the value of the product. The task force produced a White Paper on IP in 2006. Peter is a non-executive director of several companies and he is a passionate believer in the value of protection.
David was Chief Underwriter for the Medical Sickness Group, where he was responsible for both Underwriting and Claims, from 1981 to 1997. In 1997, he became Claims Manager for Permanent Insurance Company. He was Permanent’s representative on the Association of British Insurers Income Protection and Critical Illness Forum and a member of the Industry Working Party liaising with the Government’s New Deal project.
He retired from Permanent at the end of 1999. David is a Fellow of the Chartered Insurance Institute and of the Assurance Medical Society. He is a member of the Health Claims Forum, the Association of Medical Underwriters and other Industry Associations.
What Do We Do?
The business was started in April 1984 by Jim Harris who provided specialist investigation services to Income Protection Insurance (PHI) providers. In 1997 James Harris Investigations became part of Health Claims Bureau Limited and Jim Harris became Managing Director of Health Claims Bureau Limited.
James Harris Investigations now provide specialist investigation services to Income Protection Insurance (PHI) and General Insurers in a confidential, ethical and professional manner, strictly within the current legal framework. Our services enable Claims Managers to make decisions on claims with confidence and in the knowledge that the decision can be sustained where there is subsequent independent review by Ombudsmen or action in the courts.
Our investigations can help to validate claims where there has been reasonable doubt in the mind of the Claims Manager. In other cases our investigations can demonstrate that the claim is invalid or fraudulent. In the latter circumstances it is important to collect valid evidence in a proper manner to support the action that the insurer decides to take.
Enquiry Agents and Other Staff.
James Harris Investigations requires all of its employees to conduct themselves with honesty and integrity and to uphold the highest professional standards. Prior to employment all reasonable steps are taken to ensure that potential employees are of sound character and are without any relevant civil or criminal record. It is a condition of employment that James Harris Investigations be formally notified of any subsequent conviction.
Covert Enquiries.
We offer a complete investigation service not just a surveillance service. Our enquiry agents will take steps as early as possible in an investigation to ensure that the subject of enquiry is at home and to obtain positive identification. This avoids the risk of wasting time watching the wrong person or an empty house for a whole day. Where we learn that the subject of enquiry is absent on holiday we will terminate the enquiry thus saving you money, subject to a minimum charge.
Where necessary our enquiry agents will inform local police of the surveillance activities they are undertaking but will not reveal the identities of the subject of the investigation or the source of the instructions unless required to do so in response to legitimate questions from police officers. Otherwise our enquiry agents will not reveal any aspects of their enquiries to a third party.
Equipment.
Our enquiry agents are equipped with up to date digital video cameras, remote controlled cameras and personal concealed cameras to ensure the quality of video evidence. They are also equipped with effective communications equipment. Our enquiry agents have the use of a variety of vehicles including specially converted observation vans.
Reporting.
We will provide you with a written report covering all aspects of the investigation including, where appropriate, supporting photographic, video or documentary evidence. Video evidence can be provided on CD-Rom or DVD for a small extra charge.
Service Standards.
All investigations are conducted by enquiry agents either employed by or contracted to the company and in each case investigations are supervised by a permanent employee and, as such, are covered by our professional indemnity insurance.
We work to a service level of four weeks from the time we receive the instructions for cases within the British Mainland and Northern Ireland. However, if you have a very urgent case please contact us by telephone and we will do our best to give priority to your urgent enquiry. We recognise the importance of submitting a report on the investigations as quickly as possible following the investigation and, subject to operational limitations will aim and forward our report within eight working days of completion of the investigation.
We are able to offer investigation services in other areas outside the British Mainland for which there is a special tariff. While we are not able to guarantee turnaround times we are able to ensure that your enquiries will be completed within a reasonable time.
Records and Subsequent Activity.
We will maintain files and records of information collected in accordance with the Civil Evidence Act. We will provide corroborative testimony where litigation, arbitration or another appeals procedure ensues. Our enquiry agents have considerable experience of giving evidence in Court. Our employed enquiry agents are salaried and, as such, are paid the same amount irrespective of the outcome of the investigation. This helps us to avoid the assertion that our enquiry agents have a financial interest in finding any reason to suggest that a claim is invalid. We are aware that in some cases claimant’s advocates have used this type of argument in an attempt to discredit the enquiry agent’s evidence.