Bupa Expands Preventative Healthcare for UK Employees

According to research from Bupa, around 150 million working days are lost to illness each year in the UK. This can have a significant impact on both productivity in the workplace and the UK’s economic output – with the Institute for Public Policy Research finding a £25bn (US$33bn) hidden cost to businesses caused by lower productivity among people working through sickness. 

To combat this, Bupa has been investing in initiatives to support overall workplace wellbeing and mental health through the launch of prevention-focused digital tools and centres to improve access to workplace mental health support. 

“Businesses are under growing pressure from rising levels of absence and poor workforce wellbeing,” says Dan Sullivan, Director of Product and Proposition at Bupa UK. “Employers are looking for solutions that not only support people when they become unwell, but help them stay healthy in the first place.

“Expanding access to healthcare is central to Bupa's strategy. By bringing together high-quality care, preventive support and digital wellbeing services, we're evolving to meet the changing needs of our customers and making healthcare accessible and affordable for more people.”

Supporting daily wellbeing 

To help improve everyday wellbeing in the workplace, Bupa has partnered with employee benefits insurtech YuLife to launch its Health Cash Plan – a gamified approach to daily wellbeing. 

Through this platform, employees are encouraged to become more engaged with their health through digital challenges, such as meditation or going on a walk, to boost their health and help prevent illness. 

The platform can also support employer’s understanding of workplace wellbeing needs – providing anonymised visibility into how benefits are being used to identify emerging trends and key workplace risks. This can help employers offer earlier interventions to support healthier and more productive teams. According to YuLife, its platform has helped increase physical activity by 20%, reduce stress levels by 53% and cut absenteeism by 11.5%. 

“This Cash Plan is the all-in-one employee benefit, built for companies of every size and priced so more of them can offer it,” says Josh Hart, Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer at YuLife. “Instead of absorbing the cost of people being off work, employers now have a Bupa x YuLife solution they can put in place today.”

Mental health in the workplace

According to Bupa’s Healthy Workforce, Healthy Economy research, reducing the impact of mental health issues on the UK’s workforce through private medical provision can lead to a £58.6m (US$74.8m) saving for employers in London alone, by reducing absenteeism and presenteeism. Research from Bupa also finds that mental health claims amongst younger workers have doubled since 2019. 

To meet growing demand for mental health support, Bupa has opened a mental health centre in London, which will offer face-to-face talking therapies. This is part of a broader commitment by Bupa, which plans to open 70 mental health centres across the UK by 2027. 

“There is an increasing need for mental health support across the UK and fast access to services has never been more important; early interventions improve outcomes,” says Sarah Melia, General Manager for Health Services at Bupa.

“We know people want face to face access to mental health professionals so we’re pleased to be investing in Mindplace Broadgate, our flagship centre and first to open in the capital, as well as 70 centres across the UK by 2027. Providing these crucial mental health services supports businesses to keep people well and in work.”