Baywater Healtcare decided to implement a cash plan after a management buyout from its US owners. Nick Martindale looks at how it put the scheme in place.
Baywater Healthcare decided to implement a cash plan after its chief executive Adam Sullivan led a management buyout from its US owners, which meant the previous PMI arrangement was no longer affordable.
"There were also qualifying criteria; it was either a minimum length of service or a specific management role," says Sullivan.
"I wanted something that was linked to wellbeing and was also preventative, which would benefit every employee."
The company chose a plan from SimplyHealth, and covers not only the cost of the plan but also the P11D tax liability, meaning there is no cost at all to employees.
About half of the 250 staff have signed up so far, he says, and Sullivan is currently on a promotion drive to raise awareness of the benefits among the remainder.
The plan covers dental and optical treatment, as well as providing access to an employee assistance plan and a 24-hour GP helpline, which can avoid the wait for a GP.
Physiotherapy is also included; something that Sullivan says is important given the nature of the work the company carries out.
"About half of our people work in vans on a day-to-day basis, visiting patients in their homes," he says. "There is quite a lot of handling involved because they have to lift heavy medical devices and gas cylinders in and out of vans and properties, so there's a lot of exertion."
The business has also added on winter flu vaccinations and other inoculations for staff, to protect both its employees and customers, who can be vulnerable to infections.
The cash plan has been well received by employees, according to Sullivan: "It went down fantastically well when we introduced it; one guy said it was like picking up £300."
