Health Shield launches new Tailored Workforce Health Plan

Health Shield Friendly Society revealed its new Tailored Workforce Health Plan designed to help employers keep their teams healthier at a packed launch event in London on Thursday 5 November.

The new offering transforms the health cash plan into a proactive workforce support tool which will help employers spot problems early on and take action. 

The Tailored Workforce Health Plan keeps the trusted foundations of a health cash plan and gives them a clearer purpose.

The plan is aimed at businesses with more than 100 employees and responds to the evolving needs of today's workforce, where difficulties accessing timely care can negatively affect health wellbeing.

It is built on three inter-connected pillars, each one stronger because of the others:

• Purpose-Led Design - Ensures every benefit and service in the plan has a clear role, organised around five workforce health pathways:

o  Primary care or everyday health concerns

o  Musculoskeletal issues

o  Cancer and early detection

o  Mental health

o  Cardio care

• Health Intelligence - Gives a clearer view of workforce health by providing employers with an aggregate and anonymised view of employee health. This enables them to understand emerging needs, where support is being used and where targeted action is required, while maintaining individual confidentiality.
• Trusted Partnership - A dedicated Partnership Success Manager beside brokers and employers all year round, not just at renewal, helping to turn insight into the action.

Together these three pillars combine to enable people and businesses to recognise problems, seek advice sooner and take proactive steps.

Health Shield customers have always been able to tailor their plan to individual needs, but with the Tailored Workforce Health Plan, businesses can use Health Intelligence to identify where needs are greatest and adjust the plan accordingly. This ensures investment is prioritised in areas where the most pressing health concerns are present.

Paul Shires, director at Health Shield Friendly Society, said: “Our Tailored Workforce Health plan combines the merits of a traditional health cash plan, where employees can claim money back for everyday healthcare costs such as dental, optical or physiotherapy, but goes further by helping employers to organise support around real workforce needs.

“Through working with our dedicated Partnership Success Managers, it will help employers to spot emerging patterns of ill health sooner, provide a support service to help employers interpret the data and form an action plan to improve workforce health, tailored to their specific needs.

“The Tailored Workforce Health Plan responds directly to the problems employees are dealing with, including longer waits for care, growing pressure on the NHS and more complex physical and mental health needs.

“With our help. businesses and their employees will be able to focus on prevention and earlier intervention, ultimately helping people to keep working. It will also help brokers to build stronger relationships and strengthen conversations at renewal.”

Health Shield conducted market research with intermediaries, buyers and employers to create the plan, with every benefit and service designed to address a clear workforce health need, aligned to NHS clinical priorities.

The Tailored Workforce Health Plan is supported by Health Shield’s new Member account and app, and new customer portal, all protected with FCA compliant encryption and multifactor authentication.

The new Member account and app makes it is easier for Members to manage and access their plan, streamlining the claims journey, making it more straightforward and efficient while accessing on-demand services is just a click away.

Health Shield is digital first, with the vast majority of Members claiming and interacting digitally, but for those who prefer to interact in traditional ways, they can continue to submit claims by post and contact Health Shield by phone, or even visit the head office in Crewe.

A new customer portal provides customers with an enhanced user experience and functionality, making day to day management of their scheme easier, while further improving data security.

Quotes for the Tailored Workforce Health Plan are available now, for a scheme start in January 2027.

The launch of the new plan follows the Government’s independent Keep Britain Working Review which examined the role of employers in tackling health based economic inactivity and promoting healthy and inclusive workplaces. 

For more information visit: www.healthshield.co.uk/TailoredWFHP

Ends

Editors notes

the best of health by providing employee health benefits. Founded in 1877 to support the health of railway workers, today the not-for-profit mutual provides employee health benefits to businesses across the UK, covering more than 500,000 people. Its award-winning product offering includes health cash plans and health screening services designed for prevention and early intervention.

For more information visit: https://www.healthshield.co.uk/