WPA launches cutting-edge digital health app to improve corporate wellness

26 February 2024

WPA, leveraging the latest digital technologies, has unveiled WPA Digital Health – an innovative tool to assist with turning the tide on absenteeism through better health.

With GP and NHS waiting times regularly in the news, WPA said its new digital health app was a transformative solution, offering support to companies and employees without traditional health insurance or limited health and wellbeing budgets.

The number of days lost through sickness absence in the UK is at a 10-year high and according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS):

• 24% of adults report waiting too long for a GP appointment is having a negative impact on their mental health.  14% say that it impacts their physical health
• Nearly a fifth (18.4%) of UK adults self-reported long-term musculoskeletal conditions in 2023 (up from 17.6% in 2022)
• 52% reported that they had tried to contact a GP with 33% reporting that it was either difficult or very difficult to do so

According to NHS England, the NHS spends £5billion a year treating MSK conditions – 40% of which is due to potentially ‘preventable risk factors’.

WPA Digital Health offers a comprehensive suite of affordable health services and content, seamlessly integrated into a single mobile platform. This groundbreaking app transforms personal health management and provides access to a tailored and unified healthcare ecosystem, all at the employees’ fingertips.

The app’s central hub contains health insights and tips ranging from fitness to sleep, guiding users towards proactive health management and illness prevention.

Key features of WPA Digital Health include:

• Symptom checker: signposting employees towards pharmacists, GPs, mental health professionals or therapists
• GP and primary care services: Unlimited 24/7 access to remote GP consultations via video or phone calls, eliminating constraints on access, consultation length or frequency
• Mental health support: offering up to six telephone sessions with qualified mental health counsellors and a range of wellbeing resources
• Physiotherapy access: expert advice, diagnosis and customized exercise programmes to address musculoskeletal conditions
• Wearables: the app integrates with smart watches and other wearables from companies such as Apple and Garmin

In addition, WPA Digital Health prioritises security, ensuring a safe and personalised service. For employers, WPA Digital Health is a strategic investment, extending corporate healthcare benefits to all employees.

The app aligns with corporate healthcare strategies promoting good health, reducing absenteeism, aiding recruitment, and aiding retention rates. WPA Digital Health can also be enhanced with the integration of cash benefits, such as optical, dental and audiology which are claimable within the app.

The app has the potential to serve as a ‘corporate health wallet’, providing aggregated and anonymised data to leadership teams for a comprehensive understanding and actionable insights into their employees’ health and productivity.

Mark Southern (pictured) , WPA’s Sales and Marketing Director, said: “WPA Digital Health is a great value solution to support the wellbeing of all employees proactively managing their health.

“Our aim is to help employers be more productive by supporting their workforce to access the services they need quickly and conveniently, therefore improving retention and recruitment.

“With the last Autumn Budget’s emphasis upon individuals and companies being healthier, WPA Digital Health complements the ongoing HMT and DWP occupational health consultations helping companies fulfil their broader responsibilities.”