LINK-UP IS A MAJOR STEP FORWARD IN TACKLING ILL-HEALTH IN THE WORKPLACE, SAYS MATTIOLI WOODS

The partnership with the independent Quoted Companies Alliance (QCA) will allow its members exclusive access to QCARE – a specially designed private medical insurance plan.

It is estimated British businesses lose on average 6.3 days per year, per employee through absence. The cost in terms of lost productivity is believed to be £18 billion.
In addition, in an increasingly competitive employment market, providing healthcare benefits to employees can help businesses standout from their peers in terms of retention and recruitment.

QCARE offers benefits including full refunds on inpatient treatment, outpatient care, consultations, diagnostics and scans, therapies, and mental health care costs.

It also provides:

• Extended cancer cover, with no time limit on follow up cancer monitoring
• Employee assistance programme, with both telephone and face-to-face counselling
• Free travel insurance – comprehensive, worldwide, annual and multi-trip cover

Ed Watling, Mattioli Woods employee benefits consultant (healthcare), said: “Employee wellbeing and the effect that ill-health has on individuals, their families and productivity is the subject of increasing emphasis in the workplace.

“There is a growing understanding that ill-health, even if it doesn’t involve time off work, can have a detrimental effect on employee productivity.

“Employers who invest in their employees’ health and wellbeing will see returns in both reduced absence, increased engagement and higher productivity”.

QCA chief executive Tim Ward said: “It’s fantastic to be able to provide this additional benefit to QCA members.

“Services like this, tailored for businesses with fewer employees, can be few and far between, but encouraging their take-up is good for employers and employees alike”.

QCARE is available to companies with just one or two employees upwards, and at two-year fixed price premiums.