WPA has launched a White Paper to highlight the relationship between UK primary healthcare and its impact on workplace health, wellbeing and productivity.
The health of UK employees has a direct impact on corporate success. This White Paper, by leading health journalist and commentator Suzanne Clarkson, brings the latest facts to life with the longer-term goal of encouraging and creating the foundations for happy, healthy and thriving workforces. 
The White Paper underlines the impact that waiting for a GP appointment has on business productivity, employee absenteeism, presenteeism and, consequently, the overall UK economy.
Short-term sickness is up from 5.8 days per employee per year before the pandemic to 7.8 days per year (CIPD) and over 2.5m people are economically inactive due to long-term sickness (ONS).
Depression, bad nerves or anxiety are on the increase – up 40% between 2019 and 2023 – and represent the largest contributors to long-term sickness. Musculoskeletal (MSK) issues are up from 17.6% in 2022 to 18.4% a year later and around three in four employers have observed presenteeism among employees.
Economic inactivity due to long-term sickness absence has far reaching consequences. For many, work is a driving force for wellbeing, providing a sense of purpose and self-worth thereby equipping employees to support their everyday health and wellbeing. Addressing employee health, happiness and wellbeing has the power to increase corporate productivity and reputation.
WPA’s Sales and Marketing Director, Mark Southern, said: “The unfortunate challenges we are seeing in the provision of primary care in the UK is having a direct impact on the wellness, and therefore productivity, of the workforce.
“Business leaders recognise the importance of having a happy and healthy workforce and the clear link to performance. Solutions include simplifying access to care and co-locating benefits in one place like an app. Technology is increasingly becoming the solution to make complex issues more straightforward.”
He added: “We are fortunate that the technology exists to directly impact the issues around primary care access and provide the workforce with a digital platform that is available 24/7 to help reverse the current trends of employee health and wellbeing.
“The development of WPA Digital Health has been focussed on addressing the issue of access and ultimately helping employees have more control of their health.”
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