November has been a busy month for the House of Lords in respect of two Private Medical Insurance (PMI) issues that lobbyists have been successful in getting an airing. The first concerns a long running dispute between certain consultants and the two largest private medical insurers around the latter looking to implement fixed fee schedules on the former. The second relates to the impact that private medical insurers reimbursement policies have on cancer patients. Let’s look at each in turn and what relevance they have for employers. (more…)
Preventing ill health
This section is devoted to the tools and methodologies available to prevent ill health within your organisation.
I think it is fair to say that this is probably the most contentious and difficult to assess part of any health and wellbeing strategy for the following reasons:
- The sheer volume of initiatives, products and services that claim to improve productivity or reduce costs
- The lack of empirical evidence to support such claims
- No real benchmarking of what works and why- having to rely on providers marketing and snippets of information published in a wide range of media
- Very few live case studies to help employers make informed decisions
- Making decisions based on value judgements only
- The needs of employers vary greatly depending on their industry sector and culture
- Difficulty in understanding where to strike the balance between employer and employee responsibility for health and wellbeing
- The longer lead times needed before results become clear
I could go on but I think I have made my point.
Managing ill health is much more straightforward, but where does the bigger prize really lie?
Free Health Checks from BMI Healthcare
Oct 27, 2010BMI, the largest private hospital group in the UK has announced a year long programme of free mini health checks at workplaces and shopping centres. The health checks comprise tests for body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose – four important indicators for some of Britain’s most prevalent diseases.
Employers can email inspectyourhealth@bmihealthcare.co.uk if they would like to hold such an event at their workplace. At the moment, I can’t see any catch.
Early detection can save lives, so the investment BMI are making in this marketing opportunity should be welcomed.
Institute for Health and Productivity Management
Oct 14, 2010You might not have heard of this U.S. Organisation but they have published an excellent report, ‘Health Asset Management – A Roadmap for Improving the Health of Your Employees and Your Organization’
I recommend that anyone with responsibility for the health and wellbeing strategy in their organisation takes the time to read what they have to say. It has been put together by The Change Agent Work Group (CAWG) which is a group of industry thought leaders and influencers looking to improve American workforce health and productivity. (more…)
Employee Benefits Show 2010
Oct 01, 2010If you went recently, you would have seen that roughly 70% of all trade stands and exhibitors had some offering in the ever growing health and wellbeing industry. Along side household names were a whole host of smaller service providers, particularly those promoting various types of private health screening. By co-incidence, the UK National Screening Committee has just released its guidance on private health screening for the public. I recommend that employers read this to help them weigh up the pros and cons of such a purchase for their workforce. (more…)
British Heart Foundation
Sep 24, 2010The BHF have approached me again to help publicise their Health at Work Programme. In a press release issued today, they make reference to a recent survey which showed that 35% of workers avoided exercise during the working day because they don’t want to be seen getting hot and sweaty in front of colleagues. Avoiding the temptation to make any obvious, witty remarks, that still leaves 65% who are comfortable including exercise in their daily schedule. I think that’s pretty encouraging.
Amongst the survey statistics, we learn that 81% of workers fail to get the recommended level of exercise a week, with 48% eating lunch at their desks.
As the BHF points out, employers are in a strong position to influence more positive health behaviour at little or no cost. Have a look at their website to see whether there are any ideas you could use in your own organisation.
Apprentice celebrity Claire Young is supporting the campaign. World Heart Day takes place this Sunday 26th September.
Bearing in mind the serious underlying statistics around the massive impact of poor cardiovascular health, I am more than happy to bring this to your attention.
Swine Flu Jabs
Sep 21, 2010Yes, it’s that time of year again when our thoughts turn to colder autumnal nights and how much coverage the media will give to swine flu over the coming months. The World Health Organisation announced back in August that the H1N1 influenza virus has moved into the post-pandemic period, but there could still be localised outbreaks of ‘various magnitudes’. (more…)
Business in the Community Launch New Programme
Sep 03, 2010I’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…)
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…)
