Employers hold the key to nation's future health (trade)

Edited by the Insidemoneytalk editorial team Sep 5, 2007

Latest research released today by Healthplan provider HSA reveals that employers could be helping to improve the future health of the UK.

The annual benchmark survey has found that in the next 5-10 years, 67% of companies are likely to invest in one or more elements of healthcare, and 80% believe their duty of care responsibilities will increase.

With 20.08 million people employed in the UK, has the workplace potentially become healthier? These are just a few of the findings of HSA's "Is the UK looking at a healthy future?" report which is now in its second year.

The independent survey looks at the future of UK health from three key perspectives - employee, employer and the UK at large, in an attempt to predict what the future health of our nation holds.

Lee Nicholls, Employer Brand and Values Manager at HSA, explains: "By encouraging and enabling employees to take greater responsibility of their health, UK companies are essentially taking the strain off the NHS.

Healthcare benefits that are used for preventative as well as cure including health screening, occupational health and dental benefits are especially useful for helping people to stay healthy and at work".

"Healthcare benefits can also aid recruitment and retention, which supports the economy as a whole".

"Companies should be rewarded for implementing these programmes, although sadly the amount of tax paid on healthcare can act as a deterrent." Key findings from HSA's benchmark survey also reveal: 82% of companies believe the NHS is not operating in a way that that provides organisations with adequate support to manage sickness absence Health benefits that meet duty of care responsibilities will be the most popular in the future according to our survey 46% of people would be more likely to purchase private healthcare if their National Insurance contributions were reduced according to our consumer research Only 2% of companies believe the NHS will have the capacity to fully support the health of the UK workforce in the future For further information about the HSA Healthplans please visit www.hsa.co.uk or call 0800 072 6716.