5 challenges facing employers introducing preventative health
The saying goes that prevention is better than the cure. Certainly it is often more pleasant and – crucially – it almost always cheaper.
It’s not news that ill-health costs businesses money. In the UK the total economic cost of sickness absence, lost productivity through worklessness, informal care giving, and health-related productivity losses is estimated to be over £100bn annually.
On the other hand, investing in employee health is proven to improve engagement, productivity and sickness absence rates.
If businesses can be proactive in looking after people’s health, and prevent issues and illnesses altogether, it can ultimately save them lost expertise, time, continuity and money, and reduce the use of other health benefits such as health insurance.
It’s the sort of benefit/risk assessment that many businesses are starting to do and more want to invest in preventative health as part of their wider health and wellbeing strategies.
One advantage is that things such as health assessments, for example, are affordable and allow organisations to offer a valued health benefit to their entire workforce.
And employees value it. People are increasingly worried about the ability of the NHS to support them and are looking elsewhere to find health confidence. A recent YouGov poll found that one in eight people in the UK turned to private healthcare over a 12 month period, most to avoid waiting on NHS lists. Meanwhile, the Association of British Insurers estimates that around 4.4 million people in the UK now have private healthcare support through their employer, with People Management reporting that half of workers would accept a cut in pay for more tailored perks, and three-quarters would work harder.
It’s also good news that health assessments are proven to work – with 38% of Bluecrest Wellness customers going on to lose weight, 37% exercising more, 32% eating better, and 14% cutting back on alcohol.
However, there are challenges to introducing preventative healthcare. Here’s five, and how to address them.
1.Integration with other benefits and initiatives
Many, if not most, organisations will already have health benefits in place. Some of those providers may include health checks as add-on services. No business wants to double-up on provision, but it’s worth considering the quality of the health assessments on offer, relevance and usefulness to your strategy, and current take-up - which can be low.
Organisations should look at their health and wellbeing package in terms of journeys. Start at the beginning and your commitment to keeping people well. If they get a red or amber flag in a health assessment, what is their next step? How do your benefits help get them good, fast health outcomes?
2. Communication to support take up
It’s essential that the offer of health assessments is well communicated - what they are, how they’re delivered, and how they support health.
3. Easy access to testing
One of the main barriers to take-up is access to testing. Complex booking systems can put people off, and even home test kits can lie on kitchen counters and never get used. Bluecrest has more than 11,000 clinics at over 450 sites, send personalised and localised invitations to each individual, and ensure they are usually no more than a 20 minute drive from their home or workplace.
4. Creating a business case
Making the overall business case for prevention is easy, but proving the impact of screening initiative. It’s vital that your programme provides aggregated, actionable data that help shape your health and wellbeing strategy.
5. Tracking long-term benefits
To be effective and support the rest of your health and wellbeing strategy, preventative health has to be a regular and long-term programme. HR managers need to be looking to two to five years when implementing a preventative health programme, ultimately helping them track progress and impact.
Supplied by REBA Associate Member, Bluecrest Wellness
Bluecrest Wellness offers high-quality health screenings.
