5 reasons preventative healthcare benefits are better than cure
Whole of workforce health benefit solutions tend to come as employee assistance programme (EAP) services, eye tests or dental cash plans. While these can be valuable services, they are often limited and focus on fixing an ailment. There’s potentially a missed opportunity in proactive care for whole workforces and helping teams help themselves to stay fit and well.
Health assessments should be part of the picture for any healthy businesses. So here’s top 5 reasons why prevention might be better than cure, and why it’s so effective as whole of workforce option.
1. It works for everyone
Health assessments aren’t just popular: they’re also a genuinely viable option for everyone in every kind of organisation. Without the price tag of something like a private medical insurance plan, businesses can afford to cover more people, make health-benefit budgets go further – and tangibly demonstrate their investment in health and wellbeing to everyone.
2. It provides peace of mind
Health insight and information is empowering – it puts people back in control of their own bodies and lives. At a time when people are becoming increasingly worried about the NHS’ ability to catch them when they fall, that sort of peace of mind is particularly important.
Take-up of health assessments is high in comparison to things like EAP services, because people really want to know what’s going on inside their bodies, and they want the reassurance of being able to stay one step ahead.
3. It inspires real change
Preventative healthcare, like health assessments, actually work. They can change how people think about their health and how they go on to look after it.
After getting their results, for example, 38% of Bluecrest Wellness customers go on to lose weight, 37% exercise more, 32% start eating better and 14% cut back on alcohol. All are great results not just for individuals but for the businesses they work for, helping to reduce sickness absences, improve energy and productivity and protect continuity.
4. It can catch issues early
Preventative healthcare saves lives. It can help people spot problems early, and deal with them quickly.
Peter, from Sutton Coldfield, is one example. He was fit and active and only decided to go for a health assessment because he could never get through to his GP. He says: “My results report came back with some red and amber flags on it – and they were all around my heart health. Well, I was blown away. I had no idea!”
Peter went to get the results checked out and discovered he had a serious heart condition. Since then, he’s had his mitral valve replaced, his aortic valve replaced, a cardiac ablation, a heart bypass and a pacemaker fitted.
“I got the full works,” says Peter. “Frankly, I think I’m very lucky they got to me when they did.”
5. It can inform strategies
One big problem for any health and wellbeing strategy is data – and health assessments can help to provide it. Organisations can collate information about common health issues, helping to plan interventions and track their progress year-on-year.
Becca Kitchen, Reward Advisor at JTI, ha been using wellness data alongside feedback and information from benefit providers and staff surveys. She says: “One thing we found out was that many employees were dehydrated, some were overweight and there were other health problems associated with not moving enough or eating well.
“Physical Wellbeing has therefore been a key focus in the last few years, and we’ve organised campaigns such as a Nutrition and Hydration week and our Move for May campaign with tips, tricks and progress reports.”
Find out more about preventative health and Bluecrest Wellness by emailing commercial director Jon Darby at [email protected].
Supplied by REBA Associate Member, Bluecrest Wellness
Bluecrest Wellness offers high-quality health screenings.
