I’ve just spoken with Magali Barraja, campaign co-ordinator for the Business Action on Health programme from Business in the Community (BITC) about their latest offering to employers called Workwell Peer Learning Programme. It costs £2,500 for non-BITC members and £1,500 for members. Have a look at their website to see what you get. Here are my thoughts: (more…)
Views on the News
Insurers widening their Proposition
Sep 02, 2010Figures recently released show that in 2009, employer- funded PMI policies fell by 4.7% which I think is mainly attributable to businesses failing or reducing their headcount in the recession rather than removing private healthcare provision. Levels of corporate PMI are driven by levels of employment. When the economic climate is good, insurers increase their volume of business which contracts in a downturn. But this time round there is an interesting paradox which could see some forward thinking insurers reverse this trend. (more…)
Line Manager Support
Aug 20, 2010Much is said about the important role that line managers have in reducing sickness absence – particularly long term absence – yet there isn’t a great deal of guidance around for them. A new ‘Competency Framework for Managers to Support Return to Work’ has been produced by a research consortium and funded by the British Occupational Health Research Foundation. It’s a very straight forward and common sense approach which I think is worth sharing. However, its success will very much depend on the organisational support available to line managers as they can’t do this on their own. (more…)
GPs’ Growing Level of Influence
Jul 30, 2010GPs have always had a high but maybe underestimated level of influence on the successful workings of an employer’s health and wellbeing strategy. With the implementation of the fit note and the Government’s proposals for GPs to take over the commissioning of NHS services, their influence is going to get even stronger and here’s why: (more…)
The Impact of NHS Reform Proposals
Jul 15, 2010The new Health Secretary has this week, laid out a radical new vision for the health service which affects all areas of the NHS and healthcare. Out of all the many proposals, I’ve picked out two that I think will have the biggest impact on employers – that’s assuming NHS waiting times don’t increase again which unfortunately I think is a strong possibility. The first is the removal of the private patient revenue cap ( under 2% of revenue) currently enforced on NHS hospitals. The second is the new outline strategy on Public Health. (more…)
Healthy Work: Evidence into Action
Jul 06, 2010In the last week, this report has been published by Bupa in conjunction with The Work Foundation, Rand Europe and C3 Collaborating for Health. Its purpose is to identify how employers, government and providers of workplace health interventions can respond to the challenge working age ill health poses to UK productivity and public health. It’s a straight forward summary of many of the current issues and makes some recommendations that resonate with me and what I’ve been saying for a while now. (more…)
The YOU Company
Jul 02, 2010I met The YOU Company at a healthcare event yesterday and found their proposition very interesting. It is an online wellness management system that gives users approved biometric devices so that they can assess and measure key health metrics without having to see a clinician. You can use the biometric kit anytime, anywhere, which for me is one of the main benefits. Here’s what you get: (more…)
Employers to pay for Migrant Private Healthcare
Jun 29, 2010In the big debate currently going on about the level of immigration to the UK, one of the measures being considered by the coalition is to make employers pay for private healthcare for migrant workers they take on from outside the EU. In the proposals, migrant workers who have been transferred in by multi-national companies – 30,000 since the end of 2008 - are currently excluded but this area is also being reviewed. I haven’t seen any employer reaction to this as yet but here are some of my thoughts. (more…)
1% Rise in Insurance Premium Tax
Jun 23, 2010Contrary to some commentators predictions, the Chancellor did not double the current rate of IPT to 10%. Whilst Travel Insurance saw its tax rise to 20% from 17.5% – and I’m not clear as to why there is this anomaly – General Insurance which includes Private Medical Insurance, saw its tax rise to just 6% on all premiums.
This isn’t going to start a stampede to more self funding of health care, but bear in mind that the average rate of IPT in Europe is 10% so the Chancellor has plenty of room to play with later. Once we hit double figures, I think this will tip the balance towards greater self funding through health care trusts on which no IPT is currently levied.
Reduction in Stress Related Long Term Absence
Jun 21, 2010UNUM, the Life and Income Protection insurer has just gone to press with research that shows that the level of stress related long term absence reported by their clients has reduced by 10% over the last four years. This seems to fly in the face of many other pieces of research by mental health agencies and service providers which I have questioned elsewhere. I have greater confidence in the UNUM stats because they are based on actual claims made rather than an arbitrary survey of employers who might not keep the best absence records.
This news also justifies my assertion that we are beginning to see positive results from all the time and effort that employers have been putting into health and wellbeing over the last few years. Yes, there’s always room for improvement but it is certainly not the doom and gloom spread by many agencies to further their own cause or the sale of their own services.