Prioritising workplace Healthcare Benefits

Why Workplace Healthcare Benefits Are No Longer Optional for UK Employers

As NHS waiting times reach record highs and treatment delays grow, UK businesses are facing a critical challenge: ensuring employees can access timely healthcare. This blog explores how the strain on public health services is leading to prolonged absences, reduced productivity, and increased business costs.

Key points include:

• 📊 Rising demand for private healthcare benefits, with data showing a direct link between delayed NHS care and increased private claims.

• 🏥 Employer impact: Employees unable to access treatment face worsening conditions, leading to long-term sick leave and declining morale across teams.

• 💡 Strategic insights: Employers must move beyond basic cover. The most effective benefit strategies now include Digital GPs, mental health support, health screenings, and data-driven benefit design.

• 🎯 The power of early intervention: Real-world examples, including a cancer diagnosis detected only through private insurance, highlight the life-saving importance of quick access to care.

• 🔍 Actionable steps: From auditing existing benefits to improving communication and using anonymised health data to shape future offerings.

With business sustainability and talent retention on the line, the message is clear: investing in workplace healthcare benefits isn’t just about affordability, it’s about survival and long-term performance.

So let’s get stuck in to the blog, with healthcare costs rising and NHS waiting lists at an all-time high leading to delays in treatments and diagnoses; employees struggling to access care quickly are facing prolonged absence from work or, worse, deteriorating health.

Employers are facing a difficult but crucial decision: continue investing in and providing workplace employee Healthcare Benefits, or scaling back due to rising costs?

Doing nothing is not an option; yes, providing these benefits comes at a cost, but what’s the real cost of not providing them?

Employees unable to access healthcare quickly can (and does) lead to longer periods of absence, decreased productivity, lower moral as well as leading to further challenges in competing in the war for talent. The conversation around workplace Healthcare Benefits isn’t just about affordability; it’s about business sustainability, employee wellbeing, and long-term workforce retention.

Providing some form of Healthcare Benefit(s), whether it’s Group Private Medical Insurance, Group Dental, a Health Cash Plan, or a combination is no longer just a nice-to-have. It’s becoming a necessity. For those already offering these benefits, now is the time to step back, review, and assess whether what’s in place is fit-for-purpose for today and tomorrow.

Why this matters to employers

The NHS is an invaluable institution. I have had first-hand experience of the fantastic levels of care it provides, but have also been on the receiving end of “urgent” treatment which would take six-eight weeks before being seen, and longer for tests. The reality is, the NHS is stretched beyond capacity. With increasing waiting times, employees who require urgent medical attention often face months, even years, of delays before receiving the treatment they need, with some of the conditions worsening and requiring longer time off work, impact to mental wellbeing and loss of earning.

Our Employee Benefits Director, Adam Riley, was in a slightly different situation when he was diagnosed with Cancer. Having gone to see a GP, they examined him, took blood tests, and whilst it was agreed he needed further investigation, he didn’t “meet the requirement” for a referral to the Cancer Pathway. Why…because his symptoms were not obvious nor did they meet the threshold. Thankfully, Adam was able to access the company Group Private Medical Insurance. Adam was seen, had a colonoscopy and, sure enough, diagnosed with Bowel Cancer.

Adam often thinks back to that situation. The surgeon made it clear how lucky he was by being checked and had the tumour removed when he did; had Adam not been checked, and the tumour not removed as quick as it was, the outcome would have been very different.

The knock-on effects

We are talking about people. We are all different, but illness leads to increased absence, reduced productivity, and the risk of minor health concerns escalating into serious, life-changing conditions are very real.

Employers, though, who embed proactive and preventative healthcare benefits into their whole of workforce Employee Benefits strategy are not just investing in their employees, they’re helping to ensure they can access the care that is needed.

By not doing so, for businesses, that means:

• More long-term absences due to delayed treatments and worsening conditions.
• Increased pressure on remaining employees, leading to burnout.
• Higher recruitment costs as businesses struggle to retain talent.

What should employers do?

For companies that already have healthcare benefits in place, when was the last time you assessed their impact?

Many benefits that were fit-for-purpose three-five years ago are unlikely to align with the needs of your workforce today. Key questions to ask:

• Assessing whether your benefits are actually being used – Are employees aware of them? Are they meeting real needs?
• Exploring preventative solutions – Digital GP services, health screenings, and early intervention reduce long-term costs by catching health issues before they escalate.

• Using anonymised data to drive decisions – Understanding workforce health risks (e.g. Cancer, mental health, musculoskeletal issues) allows businesses to tailor benefits where they matter most. Employers can now better understand where key health risks lie within their workforce and implement targeted support.
• Are employees aware of what’s available? Even the best benefits fail if employees don’t understand how to access them. Communication is critical.

Costs are increasing for employers, and healthcare premiums are rising, but the solution isn’t to cut back on benefits or not put them in place. It’s to review, optimise, and ensure every pound spent is making a tangible impact.

The role of data & Risk Assessments in workplace Healthcare

With advancements in data-driven anonymised health insights, employers can identify trends in workforce health, and tailor benefits accordingly.

A one-size-fits-all approach no longer works.

What next?

• For employers without a healthcare benefit in place, it’s time to explore your options. Group PMI, Dental, or even Health Cash Plans can be structured to fit within your budget while providing essential healthcare access to employees.
• For those with existing healthcare benefits, now is the time to review. Are they aligned with the needs of your workforce today? Are they providing real value? A review now could not only save money, but improve employee engagement, and ultimately, ensure your people are supported when they need it most.

After all, keeping your workforce healthy isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity.

If you think there is a gap in your employee benefits offering, why don’t you reach out to our specialist team to see how we can help. For a free consultation call you can email us directly (enquiries@blackmountainhr.com), alternatively you can fill out our contact form via our website here.

This document is provided for general informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Where regulated employee benefits are referenced (e.g. pensions, group health cover), these should always be made available through FCA-authorised providers. BMEB is a trading name of Black Mountain Employee Benefits Ltd. Black Mountain Employee Benefits Ltd (FRN: 1017568) is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Black Mountain Employee Benefits Ltd is a company registered in England and Wales (Company Number 15585056) with its registered office at Worting House, Church Lane, Worting, Basingstoke, RG23 8PX.