Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of (a) employer-provided health cash plans and (b) other preventative health benefits on (i) sickness absence, (ii) economic inactivity and (iii) demand for NHS services.

Employers are crucial in enhancing employment opportunities and supporting disabled people and those with health conditions to thrive in the workforce. The Department for Work and Pensions and the Department of Health and Social Care’s Joint Work and Health Directorate was set up to co-ordinate Government activity which helps those managing health conditions and disabled people to get into and thrive in work.

The Department for Work and Pensions’ 2024 Employer Survey provides evidence of the impact of different employer health and wellbeing interventions and is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dwp-employer-survey-2024