Almost half of the UK workforce lacks access to workplace health support, including winter flu vaccinations and cardiovascular disease checks, according to a report.
The analysis, by the Royal Society for Public Wellbeing (RSPH), analyzed data from the Department for Work and Pensions and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (DBEIS) and found that more than 10 million UK workers lack access to services, including basic ones. health checks, vaccinations, and support for smoking or weight loss, provided by your employer.
The report found that the UK's current workplace health system could further exacerbate existing health inequalities, as people in lower-paid industries, such as hospitality and agriculture, are even less likely to have access. to health protection interventions at work.
A common type of health monitoring used by employers is a program run by the NHS that looks for signs of conditions such as cardiovascular diseases such as heart disease and diabetes.
The document calls on the government to establish a national health and work standard that sets out a minimum level of support that employees should be entitled to. It says encouraging better wellbeing and health practices in workplaces would help reduce the economic cost of poor health, which is estimated to be around £100bn a year.
William Roberts, chief executive of RSPH, said: “We are at a critical time for the health of our nation. Millions of people are leaving the labor market due to health problems. It costs us tens of billions every year. It also places an additional burden on our health service, leaving people languishing on waiting lists.
“The Employment Rights Bill is a big step in the right direction, but we need to go further and faster. We spend much of our adult lives in and around the workplace. We need to think about how we use our workplaces to build health, keep people well and prevent them from being fired due to illness.
“As things stand, our workplaces are exacerbating health inequalities. This means that millions of people who would benefit most from workplace health support are missing out. We know that companies want to do more to create healthy workplaces and support their employees. “This report sets out a clear and practical set of recommendations that will have impact today if implemented by policymakers.”
The Department of Health and Social Care has been contacted for comment.
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