Reframing Health at Work: Shaping a Prevention Economy
Author: Elizabeth Bachrad, MA, MSc
Companies are increasingly interested in defining their social purpose and impact in wider society, but there is reluctance on the part of businesses to increase their responsibility for the health outcomes of their workforce. Why is this so important to get right? Because the UK, and arguably countries across the world, have health systems that are stretched to their limits, with rising inequalities, and economies struggling to recover from the lingering effects of the pandemic. Business for Health (B4H), a business-led social venture based in London, has a mission to enhance the health and economic resilience of the UK, by catalyzing and facilitating business contributions to reduce health and wellbeing inequalities and increase healthy life expectancy.
Their recent research grant from the National Institute for Health & Care Research (NIHR), was awarded to investigate how system level health & wellbeing measurement can enable government, public sector and businesses to make informed decisions on how to invest for health and economic growth. The reframe? Health is an asset, not just a cost, which is crucial for strengthening the economic case for prevention.
Using a systems approach to define drivers and outcomes linking health and productivity, the research findings have shown an increase in the need and willingness to align corporate and public health and wellbeing strategies to deliver better population health management insights. The health-relevant data that exists within businesses can be leveraged and aligned to contribute to social and economic value, while supporting businesses with their initiatives on social responsibility that impact on the wider determinants of health.
Forward Vision
With recent reports showing that economic inactivity due to sickness could hit 4.3 million in the next five years, the importance of an evidence base on the link between health and the economy cannot be understated.
Through a partnership with the Office for National Statistics (ONS), Business for Health will help relaunch the ONS Health Index, providing businesses, local authorities, and the government with the data and insights needed to make informed decisions that positively impact both health and economic growth.
This initiative will also establish methods for monitoring the progress of outcomes of any health strategies implemented, allowing for the identification of successful interventions and the incentivization of further improvements through mechanisms such as procurement opportunities, ROI and tax breaks.
Specifically, the Health Index could provide value to businesses in the following areas:
- Inform data gaps needed to drive system change on health outcomes, improving data sharing and standardization, and informing the case for workforce health reporting.
- Provide evidence on the link between health and workforce productivity.
- Furnish data on business’ impact on wider environment, including for ‘Health’ into ESG reporting.
- Provide evidence on role of businesses and employers as ‘anchors’ in communities, mobilizing local assets and their impact in reducing demand on local NHS and care services.
- Provide an understanding of the links between climate and health, and the opportunities for taking action on both
Addressing health and productivity in the working age population is essential in the short-term. Incentivizing businesses and employers as anchor institutions to improve community health is important in the medium-term. Longer-term preventative health measures form part of an integrated system change approach bringing ‘Health’ into ESG, taking a steer from what has worked successfully in climate to accelerate economic growth.
Background
Since its inception in October 2020, B4H has focused its work on the development of the three-pillar Business Framework for Health, as set out in the Business Framework for Health: Supporting businesses and employers in their role to enhance and level up health of the nation launched with the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and supported by the UK Chief Medical Officer, Chris Whitty, in October 2021.
The three pillars of the Framework are 1) Workforce Health 2) Consumer Health and 3) Community Health and our work to date has been underpinned by a significant research exercise to compile the evidence fast accumulating on the link between health and wealth as part of a research collaboration with Cambridge University involving health economic experts, business leaders, academics and policy makers.
Elizabeth is a Population Health Strategist and Head of Programme Strategy with Business for Health in the UK, catalysing and facilitating business contributions to reduce health inequalities and increase healthy life expectancy. She is also Co-Founder of Sable Advisory Services, advising SMEs in human capital management and ESG alignment to promote equitable and sustainable health and wellbeing practices within the workplace and wider society. Elizabeth sits on the Workplace Wellbeing Initiative for the Global Wellness Institute and is also on the Board of Advisors for Global Women 4 Wellbeing, empowering healthy female leaders at all levels for a more sustainable world. You can watch her TEDx talk here on the reciprocal exchange of water and wellbeing to drive pro-environmental behaviour. With her decades-long career in navigating complex systems in population health, she bridges academia, government and industry approaches to advocate for achieving health, equity and environmental sustainability – The Triple Win.
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