All you need to know about the Bupa Well+ “whole of workforce” subscription health service, including the price, benefits to employees and benefits to employers.

5 minute read

With the NHS in crisis and waiting lists at an all-time high, more and more people in the UK are turning to private healthcare for fast, convenient access to health services.

The number of employers offering private healthcare as a benefit has also increased with a record 4.4 million people now covered by health insurance through their employer in the UK.

Tuning into the demand, Bupa, one of the UK’s leading health insurance providers, has launched a new health and wellbeing subscription service called Bupa Well+. Here’s everything you need to know about Bupa’s Well+ subscriptions service.

What is Bupa Well+?

Bupa Well+ is a subscription service that aims to provide “whole of workforce” access to health and wellbeing services in the UK. It provides digital services through Bupa’s app, Bupa Touch, making it easily accessible to employees wherever they are.

Bupa Well+ focuses on employee well-being and health prevention as well as providing quick diagnoses, mental health support and physiotherapy treatment for musculoskeletal conditions (such as osteoarthritis and fibromyalgia).

There are currently two subscription levels of Bupa Well+ available; Silver and Bronze.

What is included in the Bupa Well+ subscriptions?

Services included in both the Bronze and Silver Bupa Well+ packages include:

• Wellbeing resources including on-demand digital gym classes, and meditation spaces

• Digital GP services — quick assessments, diagnoses, and referrals via a video or audio call with a GP, physiotherapist, nurse, or mental health specialist. Appointments are available between 6 am and 10 pm on weekdays and 8 am to 8 pm on weekends.

• Private prescription ordering service — employees can order medication or access information about their medication through the app.

• Mental health support — online resource support for conditions such as anxiety and depression, with self-managed treatment programmes available. Mental health services are available from 8 am to 8 pm every day.

• Musculoskeletal conditions — virtual physiotherapy triage and self-managed programmes to treat and prevent muscle and joint issues. Available from 8 am to 8 pm every day.

Additional services included in the Silver package include:

• Digital counselling — up to 14 digital mental health support sessions including cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), personal coaching, a mental health helpline for support in the moment and referrals to Bupa’s online counselling services. Available from 8 am to 8 pm every day. 

• Digital physiotherapy — up to six online physiotherapy sessions per year for musculoskeletal conditions 

How much does Bupa Well+ cost?

Prices for Bupa’s “whole of workforce” subscription health service vary based on the number of subscriptions.

Bronze level cover starts at £26.99 per person per year for subscriptions with over 10,000 employees. Silver level cover starts at £49.99 per person per year for subscriptions with over 10,000 employees.

What are the benefits for employers?

Bupa Well+ offers many benefits to employers including:

• Attracting high calibre applicants — fast, convenient access to health and wellbeing services is an attractive benefit to many prospective employees.

• Improving the health and well-being of your employees with access to online gyms and meditation rooms, helping to prevent some health problems.

• A reduction in staff absences due to sickness — faster access to healthcare services means health concerns are addressed and treated quickly, resulting in less time off sick. Appointments during evenings and weekends also reduce time off to attend appointments during working hours.

• Greater productivity — mental health issues such as anxiety and depression often remain untreated due to problems accessing NHS mental health services and lengthy waiting times. This can result in “presenteeism”, where staff show up to work despite struggling with mental health issues which can lead to a reduction in productivity.

• Greater loyalty and staff retention — when staff feel valued and supported by their employer, they are more likely to be productive at work and to remain with the company.

What are the benefits for employees?

Some of the benefits of Bupa Well+ for employees include:

• Easy access to health and wellbeing services via the app

• Convenient appointments including during evenings and weekends from the comfort of home

• Faster access to health services such as GP appointments, mental health support and physiotherapy

• Faster treatment, leading to less time off work and potential loss of income

Are there any drawbacks to Bupa Well+?

The obvious drawback to Bupa Well+ is that the services it offers are limited to digital appointments. It is more of a digital health and wellbeing support service than private medical insurance. Therefore, any additional tests or treatments required will either need to be paid for by private insurance, the patient themselves, or dealt with on the NHS.

How does Bupa Well+ compare with other private insurance providers?

The cost of employee health insurance for small businesses varies from between £20-200 a month and is affected by numerous factors including the number of employees, their age and health, the location of your company, and the type of work you do.

At £26.99 for the basic plan, Bupa Well+ is at the more affordable end of the spectrum, but as mentioned above, there are limits to the services provided.