Mutual health insurer CS Healthcare has been hosting health checks to government employees for more than two years. The results of this programme are very revealing.
Most of us know that we could be doing more to improve our own health – eating a more balanced and healthy diet, skipping up the stairs at work rather than taking the lift, or using that gym membership which seemed such a sensible idea in January and is now little more than another direct debit – but whilst most of us have no real idea of the shape we’re in, there is now a quick and easy way to make that assessment as part of a five minute ‘health MOT’.
Mutual health insurer CS Healthcare, which specialises in protecting those who work in the Civil Service and the broader public sector, has been hosting and delivering on-site health checks to Government employees for more than two years now, and the results of this programme are very revealing.
Everyone who completes one of CS Healthcare’s health checks receives a mini report, which details their blood pressure, heart rate, Body Mass Index (BMI), Body Fat Content (BFC) and their hydration levels. Analysing the data from more than 4,000 health checks we have undertaken* (with a female/male gender split of roughly 60%/40%) has shown how Civil Service employees compare relative to the national average.
BMIis a relatively simple ratio of weight and height, used by the World Health Organisation, with a score of 30 and above classifying the individual as obese. Of the 4,000 plus individuals who have completed a CS Healthcare health check, approximately 50% had a BMI regarded as ‘high’, with 14% classified as ‘obese’; this compares favourably with national population averages of 62% and 25% respectively. The results for men with a high ‘BFC’ were in line with the national average, but the women’s results were 15% below the national average. Whilst it may be difficult to draw hard and fast conclusions from the aggregated data, the benefits of the health check programme are clear to those with responsibility for looking after employees.
By working closely with CS Healthcare on implementing a health check scheme, those responsible for staff wellbeing are able to deliver against some key internal requirements, and at the same time provide support in their duty of care towards employees. In raising awareness of the basic health factors the department can help to ensure everyone works in a context where their health and wellbeing matters.
Steven Broderick, Wellbeing and Health Sponsor for Burnley Benefit Centre, recently arranged for CS Healthcare to visit its offices and deliver a programme of health checks over a couple of days.
“From my point of view, it couldn’t have been easier”, he said. “The CS Healthcare team set up all the equipment and managed the flow of people on the day, explaining exactly what was being measured and what it all meant. All I had to do was to make sure everyone knew they were visiting us and to communicate arrangements for booking their checks. It was very encouraging to see the number of people getting involved, asking questions about their health …. and then comparing their results! The CSH team are clearly well experienced in delivering these types of events and dealing with any sensitive conversations to arise in a private and respectful way.”
And whilst it’s good to see individuals showing such interest in their health, there’s also a significant benefit to the Department and the HR Manager responsible for health and wellbeing. Improving levels of health and wellbeing in the work place can have a hugely positive impact on individuals through reductions in absenteeism, higher levels of energy, increased concentration and improved morale.
For Yemisi Siwoku, HR Manager for the Department for Culture, Media & Sport, the health check programme enables it to demonstrate the Department’s commitment to staff wellbeing, with no cost implication. She said “Working in partnership with CS Healthcare, we’ve been able to maintain our commitment to raising awareness of the need to live a healthier lifestyle and offer practical information as to how that can be achieved.”
Colin Young, Business Development Manager at CS Healthcare is pleased with the way in which the health checks programme has developed over the past two years. “In the early stages, for the most part, the experience covered hydration measures and basic information on health; however we now have a fully functional health kiosk which makes taking the various heart and weight measurements simple and straight forward. Feedback from those attending the events has been terrific and really useful when considering ways in which we might extend the range of assessments. One of the big benefits we have observed during the process is that people have become highly engaged and better informed about their health and the measures they can use to keep an eye on it over time.”
CS Healthcare is dedicated to serving the needs of civil servants and other public sector employees, so if you are interested in hearing more as to how the society can help deliver a programme of health checks to your Department or team, please contact Colin Young at colin.young@cshealthcare.co.uk.
* About the health checks
-BFC is a measure of fitness; it is the amount of body fat mass against total body weight as a percentage;
-There are people for whom that ratio will be significantly different to the norm; these would include body builders, pregnant women and many others. However, for the majority of individuals it is a relevant benchmark;
-The health checks measure both visceral fat and subcutaneous fat content
About Civil Service Healthcare Society Limited (‘CS Healthcare’)
CS Healthcare is a specialist provider of private medical insurance. Established in 1929, the Society has been providing those who work in or have previously worked in the Civil Service, public sector or charitable and not-for-profit organisations, with comprehensive cover for more than 80 years.
CS Healthcare is a mutual friendly society, and as such has no shareholders; run solely for the benefit of its members, surplus funds are used to ensure the Society’s premiums remain competitive in the industry. CS Healthcare prides itself on the delivery of a high level of personal service, the direct access it provides to its helpful and professional UK-based staff and its reputation for handling correspondence, requests and claims in a prompt and efficient manner.
This focus on service, which is subject to on-going monitoring, manifests itself in high levels of customer satisfaction with no less than 94% of members¹ happy to recommend CS Healthcare to friends and family. Whilst many choose the Society for its competitive pricing and all round great value cover, it is unquestionably the high levels of personal service which ensures they are happy to stay with the Society, with 96% of members considering the overall CS Healthcare service experience as ‘excellent’ or ‘good’¹. 99% of members rate the Society’s claims service highly².
In its most recent survey of 2,140 members, consumer champion Which? asked those with individual and group policies to rate Private Medical Insurance providers on the basis of customer satisfaction. CS Healthcare topped the Which? table with a customer score of 83%, a full 8% ahead of its closest rival – the second consecutive time the Society has topped the customer satisfaction table.
The Society offers a wide range of cover options. CS Healthcare’s flexible and comprehensive your choice plan enables members to create their own package of health insurance protection according to the level of cover they require and/or the amount they wish to spend. The recently launched HealthBridge plan is a lower cost health insurance solution, which helps to bridge the gap between private health and the NHS; the plan provides members with quick access to important diagnostic tests, treatment and surgery, whilst avoiding lengthy NHS waiting times.
As a mutual society, CS Healthcare delivers a number of member advantages:
• shareholder-free – the Society provides a representative approach to strategic development, product design features which are more customer-focused and a greater sense of fairness towards members than competitor organisations serving shareholder interests;
• stewardship and longevity – organisations which have been in business for long periods of time demonstrate stability and tend to show a focus on the longer term interests of customers;
• financial inclusion – products are designed to have competitive premiums, making products and services more accessible;
• caring – the mutual governance structure enables the Society to exhibit responsible ethical behaviour, to treat staff well and to be fair to customers and all stakeholders in its business.
¹ CS Healthcare existing member surveys carried out between January and December 2014
² CS Healthcare claims surveys carried out between January and June 2014
Civil Service Healthcare Society Limited is incorporated in England and Wales under the Friendly Societies Act 1992, Register number 463F. Registered Office: Princess House, Horace Road, Kingston upon Thames, Surrey KT1 2SL. Civil Service Healthcare Society Limited is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by both the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority – Financial Services Register number 205346. The Society’s products are covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme.