Weir says Medicash sales are surviving the credit crunch.

“We are bucking the trend. We are still finding that people and companies are choosing a cash plan.

‘PEOPLE want a little bit of stability. They know by taking out their £10-a- month policy, they get all their bills paid for dentistry, osteopathy, etc.

“We have just topped £1m of new sales for the year. That shows companies still want to show their employees they value them and still want to look after them.

“And individuals who choose to buy a policy do so for peace of mind,” she said.

A consequence of running a century-old business is that many of the customers are ageing.

“Our members are very long- standing, so we have to keep encouraging more people to sign up. Medicash members stay loyal because they appreciate the product,” says Weir.

She points to the firm's helpline, which deals with queries about both medical and financial issues.

Weir said: “We are finding more people accessing the helpline. We want to get the message across to companies to show them that we can help them with their staff. Where companies are struggling with their staff costs, we can help them with a product like our cash plan.”

While the credit crunch has not dented new business, it has certainly affected investment values.

“It has knocked a considerable sum off the value of our investments. But Medicash is not a short- term cashflow business, it is a long-term fund. It will have an impact on our accounts this year, but we have eight times cover for what we need in place.

“We have built these reserves up over time and would want to maintain that. We don't have shareholders, so we don't suffer an outflow of funds to them.

“So we always seek to make a modest profit that we can reinvest in the business and keep the standard of service up for our members. At the moment, we give back 80% to members. The other 20% is the cost of running the scheme.

“We need to keep controlling costs so we can give back as much to members as we can. So we have looked very carefully over the last year or so at where we are spending.

“Our size is an advantage. Very large organisations often have shareholders to pay. When you compare what Medicash offers against them, we think we offer a wider range of benefits.”

Q&A

Born: Bromborough

Age: 48

Family: Married with two sons.

Qualifications: FCCA

Best advice received: Keep people informed to help avoid surprises.

Biggest achievement: The Co-op deal

Unfulfilled ambition. To build membership.