Call for tax break on workplace health

A removal of taxes on workplace health support could boost the UK economy by nearly £443 million, according to research by Bupa.

Its Getting Britain fit for the recovery report found that cutting tax could prevent 3.8 sick days.

Small- and medium-sized enterprises could see productivity gains of £282 million, while larger organisations could see gains of £160 million.

Bupa is urging the government to remove taxes on workplace health support to encourage more employers to invest in health and wellbeing initiatives.

Bupa has also launched Bupa Business Health Solutions, which are aimed at providing employers with different levels of health cover for all employees.

The suite of products includes:

• Foundations, which comprises of three levels of cover. One level focuses on diagnosis, where employees can use the cover to gain access to a prompt diagnosis; another level allows the employee access to treatment options; and the third level provides cover for combined care for both diagnosis and treatment.
• Business fit, which is aimed at reducing sickness absence by targeting mental health and musculoskeletal conditions. The product covers physiotherapy, mental health therapies and a 24-hour telephone helpline.
• Superior, which is for senior executives. It provides the user with health cover to be used aboard and includes a concierge service.

Tony Wood, sales and marketing director at Bupa Health and Wellbeing, said: “We know that many employers would like to offer healthcare to more of their employees, but until now their options have been limited.

“The one-size-fits-all approach no longer works, as employers have different concerns with each part of their workforce.”