I think it is fair to say that it feels that winter has finally arrived across most parts of the country and regardless of the season, the service I’m highlighting will be just as relevant to your company and employees at any time of year.
As 2023 is now well under underway, it will be difficult for people not to be worrying about the rising cost of food, energy and fuel, however, what is this to do with employers and employee benefits you may ask?
The answer is a simple one really, in that indisputably healthy employees are more effective both in the home and at work, but one of the real ongoing challenges remaining from the Covid period is the restricted access to medical advice via GP’s and swift and effective medical treatment from hospitals. Whilst this will of course improve it is inevitable whether you live in rural or urban areas that a backlog with which the NHS understandably is finding difficult to resolve.
So how can employers help safeguard their employee’s health and thereby their business progress and prosperity as we go int get so 2023? Employee benefits are not just a nice to have addition to an employee remuneration package, they also offer really worthwhile support to the health of employees both physically and mentally. In particular the services offered by private medical health insurance has widened into a comprehensive package to deliver an all-round medical pathway to help an individuals and their families
The main Medical Insurance providers have incorporated online access to GPs, allowing access to medical advice, and if required a referral to the appropriate consultant and treatment plan.
Irrespective the UK location, this user-friendly access to GP services has proved popular with no waiting rooms or travel, just a focused in-depth discussion of about your concern with a GP conducted in the privacy of your living room.
Another service offered by many of the private medical providers is what is known as ‘second opinion’ and what this means is that if as an individual following diagnosis you are uncomfortable with the medical treatment being proposed by your current consultant, then you can request a review of the proposed treatment by a leading UK medical consultant applicable to the type of medical issue. Where this option is exercised and the outcome from the reviewing consultant is different and in the eyes of the individual more favourable, than that is the treatment that will be delivered.
So, you can see that as an employer the benefits offered by private medical insurance deliver so much more than the core services of expert medical advice coupled with swift and effective treatment- though arguably these factors alone make it very attractive.
Many companies have already benefited from these services placing them in an advantageous market position due to the effective maintenance and health of their workforce.
Due to the expansion of the market following Covid the cost of this service is proving much more competitive than you may think, and there are a range of providers who are able to tailor the costs and service provision to meet the pockets of medium size and even small companies allowing all employees to have the value of this benefit.
As an employer the cost of the provision can be offset against tax and there is a small tax implication for the employees, so we would always recommend that you seek advice from your employee benefit consultant.
Andy Eason is Director at Acumen Employee Benefits, contact at info@acumeneb.com
www.acumeneb.com
