Rethinking workforce health in the face of rising inactivity

In this episode of the amii podcast, Talking Health & Wellbeing, you can listen to Dave Middleton and Paul Schreier, CEO of Healthcare Services and Cash Plan Provider Simplyhealth, in a wide-ranging discussion on workforce health, the Keep Britain Working review, and what employers can do right now to address one of the country's most pressing economic challenges.With around three million people currently out of work due to long-term illness, accounting for roughly half of all working-age adults on out-of-work benefits, the scale of the problem is significant. The government estimates the cost of economic inactivity to be well in excess of £200 billion per year, a figure that underlines why addressing workforce health has become a national priority.  The Keep Britain Working review, initiated in the early days of the current government, following the 2024 general election, was designed to tackle this challenge by examining how employers, the NHS and the wider health sector can work together to keep people in work, prevent long-term absence and support those returning after illness. In the episode, Paul draws on Simplyhealth's involvement as a Vanguard organisation in the implementation of the review, sharing the emerging findings and the practical steps that employers of all sizes can take to support their workforce. The conversation explores three key areas identified by the review, including what a healthy employment lifecycle looks like, the importance of early intervention, and the role of data in identifying root causes and measuring outcomes. Paul explains the remaining barriers, including NHS waiting lists and access to diagnosis, to the challenges of designing interventions that work for smaller businesses as well as large employers. You can read the full Keep Britain Working report HERE. To learn more about Simplyhealth, use this link