Health MOTs and private diagnosis and treatment topped employee wellbeing benefits wish-list with 70 percent of employees reporting that these benefits were equally valuable.
The survey, by Find Out Now conducted on behalf of Bluecrest Wellness, found that 68 percent rated cashback for opticians or dentists treatment valuable or very valuable, followed by physio sessions (60 percent), mental health support (55 percent) and GP access (54 percent).
In the last year, health assessment provider Bluecrest Wellness has seen B2B and partnership revenue grow by 42 percent. It commissioned the survey to understand the drivers behind that increase in demand. The provider also wanted to explore changing attitudes to health and health benefits in the midst of increasing pressure on public health services.
Identify risks early
The results showed that people were mostly interested in health assessments to find some peace of mind (61 percent) and identify health risks early (60 percent).
The top things they wanted to know about were their cancer risk (70 percent) and heart health (70 percent), followed by stroke risk (52 percent), and then blood health, kidney and liver function, blood pressure – and cholesterol.
Dominique Kent, chief executive officer at Bluecrest Wellness, said: “This is crucial information for businesses, who are seeing an overall increase in demand for health benefits as a hygiene factor, but are struggling to make difficult budget choices.
“The focus for health benefits to date has very much been on treatment. There’s been a gap both in terms of access, and in terms of prevention. We believe closing the first gap can be achieved by closing the second.
“Health MOTs are clearly a fraction of the cost of something like private medical insurance, making them a potentially workforce-wide benefit that’s both highly valued and highly valuable – supporting engagement, safeguarding staff wellbeing, and providing crucial data to drive wider strategies.”
Preventative health demand
Chief Medical Officer at the provider, Dr Martin Thornton, added: “Our survey found three quarters of employees would be interested in getting health insight so they can live and work feeling confident in their health. They love the NHS, and they still trust it to help them when they get through the doors – but they’re worried about not getting there fast enough.
“Preventative health awareness and demand is clearly on the rise. People want to take charge of their health and get ahead of it – and they’re looking to workplaces to support them. The really good news for both individuals and the businesses they work for is that when people do get health insight and understand what’s going on inside their bodies, they take action. They do things like lose weight, they move more, they stop smoking and drink less alcohol.
“That makes them less likely to likely to develop chronic illnesses, less likely to be off sick, and less likely to need private or NHS services. It’s a rare win/win/win situation across the board.”
The survey, conducted 22-28 March 2024, interviewed a nationally representative sample of 2,009 respondents, including 1,437 in employment.
