What is health screening?
A health screen is a preventive measure that involves conducting a series of medical tests or evaluations to assess a person’s health status. The goal is to detect potential health issues early, often before symptoms appear, so that they can be managed or treated proactively, while also providing information to reduce the risk of certain health conditions. While the results tend to be anonymous, they can provide employers with a deeper understanding of their employees’ health and wellbeing, and where support might be needed.
Employers can offer corporate health screening as part of a healthcare benefits package, with some also providing access to a 24/7 GP helpline, a GP consultation or health and wellbeing specialists attached to the provider. They can range from MOT checks to 20-minute lifestyle screenings, either in the workplace with mobile equipment by a provider, or at clinics across the country, often with extended opening hours for convenience.
Screenings can measure height, weight, blood pressure, heart rate and rhythm, lung function, and fitness and lifestyle, with some providers offering a body composition scan. Other screenings test for peripheral arterial disease, cervical, breast or bowel cancer, visceral fat, metabolic rate and diabetes. A finger prick procedure measures cholesterol and blood glucose levels, while a blood test can highlight issues around cholesterol, liver function, heart health and more, depending on the package. Some providers offer mental wellbeing screenings and computed tomography (CT) scans.
Bluecrest, which refers to screenings as health assessments, has an app that allows users to access results and monitor their health over time by using colour-coded flags to identify areas that may need attention. Meanwhile, Bupa has seven types, including a mature health check for those aged over 65, which are run out of its centres and at home, with the latter taking place over a video call with a blood test and blood pressure monitor posted out.
What are the cost implications?
Price ranges depend on the provider and types of tests required, with more in-depth ones typically costing more. Packages can be tailored to include additional tests. Corporate packages can start from £109 per person and go up to £329 for executives, while some in-person tests can cost upwards of £2,500. The Benenden Health in-person health tests range from £89 to £359 and its home testing kits for members range from £53 to £114. Costs at Bupa health clinics vary based on the type of assessment, while its virtual at-home prices start from £219, and its most comprehensive health assessment is £1,069.
Are there any tax or legal issues?
If employees have no more than one health screening or check-up per tax year, there are no tax or national insurance liabilities and it is not classed as a benefit in kind. There may be implications to consider if the employer offers to pay for a screening for a member of an employee’s family who does not work for the same organisation, because if the family member is employed at another organisation and is then potentially eligible for two health screenings a year, it could cause tax or national insurance issues. Employers should check this when offering screenings for family members as part of a healthcare benefits package.
What are the current market trends or developments?
The need for health screening among employees has become more apparent, as highlighted by Bluecrest’s June 2024 whitepaper Prevention: a new frontier for wellbeing, in which 42% of respondents said it was too difficult to get an GP appointment and 18% not wanting to bother the NHS when it is already so busy. Screenings can tackle this, and empower individuals to take charge of their health, by addressing health concerns early to reduce long-term sickness and prevent absences from escalating.
There is an increasing focus on preventive healthcare and early detection of diseases, particularly diabetes and cardiovascular disorders, as well as corporate wellness programmes and personalised medicine. Technological advancements, including diagnostic innovations, predictive screening and artificial intelligence (AI) integration, are also expected to improve screening accuracy and accessibility, along with DNA testing kits, which provide different insights into genetic health.
Health screening is moving beyond exclusively providing physical health appraisals and has become more personalised to individual needs and concerns, offering onward referrals for ongoing care. Benenden Health has added support to include a mental health questionnaire and consultation with an emotional wellbeing advisor to its home testing services, while Bupa is running a pilot health insights polygenic risk scoring test, to assess the genetic risk of breast cancer, prostate cancer, type two diabetes and cardiovascular disease. This will be available as an optional add-on for women aged over 40 and men over the age of 45 in early 2025, along with the incorporation of gait analysis and osteoporosis risk tools into its new over-65 screening.
Who are the main providers?
Health screening providers include: Axa Health, Benenden Health, Blossoms Healthcare, Bluecrest Health Screening, Bupa, Cigna, Circle Health Group, Check4Cancer, Cloud Health, Co-Health, Corazon Health, CS Healthcare, Echelon Health, HCA Healthcare UK, Healthy Performance, Health Screen UK, Health Shield, iHealth, Latus Group, Lifescan, Medicash, Medichecks, New Leaf Health, Nuffield Health, Preventicum, Randox Health, Relaxa, ToHealth, Vitality, Wellbeing People and Westfield Health.
