Charity begins at home

There are signed pictures on his wall, mementoes throughout his office and he takes his tea in a Bulls mug.

But despite his chirpy banter about the Bulls being the best in the business - forget Leeds Rhinos he cheerfully proclaims - this is a man with a multi-million business at the forefront of his mind.

And yet, his obsession with the Bulls - which brings a sigh from his secretary when he mentions their indubitable success once more - comes a close second.

At the heart of the Sovereign Health Care operation, on the fringes of Bradford city centre (and, closer to the spiritual home of the Bantams than the Bulls) he believes he is at the heart of something special.

And through his cheery persona, he argues no-one can feel downbeat about working for Sovereign with its charitable side to keep the spirits up.

He explained: "I feel quite privileged leading this firm as even when you've had a rotten day at the office, there is always something you've done to help others which makes you feel good because of our charitable side."

His position is due to the philanthropic nature of the business which has undoubtedly led to lives being saved.

The green dome and clock which adorn the top of Sovereign Health Care's HQ are well known landmarks in the city - but how many Bradford citizens know about the non-profit making company's charitable side?

The insurance firm has, over the last three years alone, donated more than £1 million to charities - helping build community projects, buy medical and specialist equipment, and pay for medical research and development.

Sitting in his corner office on Manningham Lane, overlooking the city Mr Lewis is also proud of the company's history.

He's got old accounts ledgers dating back to the beginning of the century, laboriously hand-written, and a beautiful old Fattorini badge which used to be given out to Sovereign staff.

Founded in 1873, Sovereign started life as the Bradford and District Hospital Fund. It was set up in the days before the National Health Service existed, when every hospital had its own fund to help patients finance personal medical care.

Many of its counterparts folded on the birth of the NHS in 1948, seeing no reason to continue after the introduction of state provision. But the Bradford fund adopted a revolutionary idea and set up a cash benefits scheme, allowing members to receive tax-free cash sums to put toward everyday health care items such as optical and dental treatment.

The brainwave led to a demand for the firm's services and in 1986 the booming business adopted its new title - Sovereign Health Care.

A series of mergers during the last decade have further reduced the number of remaining hospital funds to just 14, leaving Sovereign as one of the most successful ventures of its type.

With 110,000 members, half of which are corporate clients, Sovereign says it has an impressive track record of helping those in need - and not just its customers.

In the past it has donated more than £300,000 to Bradford Royal Infirmary for a hi-tech MRI scanner, helped build a new centre for Macmillan Nurses in the city, given the Heartbeat appeal £30,000 to buy equipment to help people in the area suffering from heart conditions, while making significant contributions to the Bradford Bulls drug prevention programme.

Mr Lewis said: "If I tell youngsters not to take drugs they are more than likely to look at me and think 'silly old fella' but if someone like Robbie Paul talks to them it can, and does, make a difference."

Sovereign also gave money to the Telegraph & Argus Bradford Can... Cancer Research Appeal, boosting the campaign by a fantastic £250,000.

Mr Lewis explained: "We have an annual turnover of £10 million, and covenant £300,000 a year through gift aid to organisations across the UK.

"We are biased locally though, as we were founded in Bradford, and we do try to respond to other needs above the £300,000 amount when we are able to."

Raised in Shipley, Mr Lewis, 58, who joined Sovereign from catalogue company Grattan in 1988 - becoming its boss in 1999, believes the firm's "honest, workmanlike" approach to business has mapped its success.

He explained: "We have had to be innovative and pro-active in the face of changing market conditions. But we have always stayed faithful to old-fashioned service and reliability, with particular emphasis on customer service.

"In today's world of e-commerce many of our competitors don't have a counter service, but I would never scrap it. Its no good running a business shut away from your customers, if people want to come in and tells us we've done something wrong then they can.

"That's why we are in such a strong position today as the preferred health care provider to more than 110,000 contributing members, including 1,600 companies, leading trade unions and many NHS Trusts.

"We are looked upon quite benevolently, and we are quite an old fashioned company - we always pay our bills within a few days, but we are not daft!"

Proudly he added: "We are respected as a guiding light in the development of cash plans throughout the UK health industry."

When asked about Bradford's economy Mr Lewis speaks plainly. He said rail links have undoubtedly helped Leeds, while Bradford still hasn't recovered from the death of the textiles industry.

He's got firm ideas about the way cities are run despite being a self-confessed hater of politics. He said: "The council in Leeds had a strategy, running a city isn't like running a corner shop, but in some ways it is as you still need a strategy.

"You need to be able to read the economy and we've failed to attract a lot of new industries here. There are a lot of enthusiastic people here, doing good things, but Leeds got the upper hand with its strategy."

His drive has helped place Sovereign in the position it is in today - with an impressive client list which includes Bradford-based supermarket giant Morrisons, Asda, Grattan, the Bradford Hospital NHS, Interflora, Johnson & Johnson, Virgin Trains and West Yorkshire Police.

The company, which is a founder member of the British Health Care Association (BHCA), provides low, weekly contribution health care cash plans, covering everyday health care including optical, dental, and hospital benefits, as well as a personal accident cash plan.

It also sponsors the Bradford Hospital Oscars, which annually recognise the outstanding achievements of the type of hospital staff who normally hide in the background.

"The awards are for the people who normally hide their light under a bushel," he says.

"They are brilliant as the glory goes to the normal people and not those normally in the limelight.

"Sovereign exists entirely for the benefit of our members, our business partners and the communities we serve," added Mr Lewis.

"We started out helping ease the pinch for ordinary people, providing individuals with piece of mind.

"But more enlightened employment practices over recent years have seen a substantial expansion in the number of corporate clients who appreciate that the health and well-being of their staff is their direct concern.

"Sickness and absenteeism costs British industry billions of pounds a year.

"Offering staff highly cost-effective health plans not only helps to control these costs, it is also a good way to improve staff morale and loyalty by showing the workforce they are valued and worth investing in."

One issue though which gets Mr Lewis hot under the collar, apart from political correctness - which he hates - is that of Insurance Premium Tax, the revenue-inspired legislation introduced in 1994 which hikes up the cost of insurance in a number of areas, including health care.

He explained: "Insurance premium tax is an absolute burden.

"If people are wise enough to take precautions to look after their health - which is the most vital thing we all possess and often not appreciated until something goes wrong - then it is terrible to punish someone who's taking adequate precautions against medical costs.

"People can go and gamble away money on horses and not be taxed, but they are taxed for trying to look after their own health which is disgraceful.

"The smallest amount someone has to pay us a week is £1.30, and with 78-80 pence paid out for every pound we get in, the five per cent tax is something we could easily do without."

With more than 13 cash plan benefit schemes on its books, David Lewis is pleased to boast that 99 out of every 100 claims are settled within 36 hours.

He added: "Our commitment has always been to deliver what we promise to our members - nothing more and nothing less.

"But that is enough to help tens of thousands of families rest assured in the knowledge that they will always have that extra bit of financial help they need - at the times when they need it the most.

"I would like to see us become even bigger in the future, and I see us growing and being able to offer a much wider portfolio of health products in the next few years."

And with one of the country's oldest surviving hospital funds still going strong - there's no reason why it - and its members - shouldn't stay in the best of health.