Like the bubbling brew in a witch’s cauldron, there needs to be a very specific set of ingredients to make the perfect family healthcare benefit package for employees (not including eye of newt). Whether it’s a dash of childcare, a heap of menopause support, a splash of mental wellbeing or a smidge of eldercare, perfect family health needs a little bit of everything to take care of everyone.
Of course, every employee in the UK will have a differing opinion on what they consider to be the most important specific healthcare benefit. One employee may be struggling with juggling childcare and work demands, while another may have a high workload combined with elderly parents that need 24-hour care. Although many will claim it, no healthcare benefit provider can provide the entire spectrum of family health to such a high consistency and quality. The key to perfect family health isn’t always to do with breadth of support, but the quality of care itself.
Here are some of the qualities and features that would help create the perfect family health package:
1. It should be extensive
The ideal family care shouldn’t feel transactional or a one-stop shop. Instead, it should feel like you have thorough expertise that reassures at every step. From the initial stages, to the care itself and then through to the after care process, you should feel like you have a complete continuum of care.
2. It should be affordable
Some benefits are actually paid for by the employee themself, rather than the organisation. Whilst an organisation is more likely to adopt this payment structure, it discourages utilisation and encourages employee’s families to look elsewhere. A benefit that is too expensive makes it redundant in the eyes of employees.
3. It should be flexible
This is where breadth of service becomes an important factor. If a single benefit provider can’t provide the entire family health package at a high-quality, then the option is to find the perfect variety of different specialisms for an employee. This might be a childcare specialist, an eldercare specialist and menopause specialist, all separate but that work in perfect tandem for the employee.
4. It should be accessible
Everything about family health should be accessible. The ability to be able to contact experienced, high-quality experts from home or at work is an incredibly powerful tool. This reduces the stress, anxiety and complexity families may be facing and gives them the reassurance of reliability.
5. It should be personal
In whatever form it may come in, perfect family health should prioritise the needs and preferences of each family member, offering personalised care and support. There is no one-size-fits-all approach as every family has different needs and requirements. The best benefit solutions give families the tools to manage their health and make informed decisions about their care.
6. It should be quality
The last and, potentially, the most important is the quality of the service. The perfect picture of family health should provide high-quality care that meets or exceeds national standards for safety and effectiveness. Where is the consideration in care if it points you simply to customer service or a bot. Healthcare is human. The apex of family health demands it should aspire to excel beyond comparison with competitors and ensure that expertise is at the heart of care.
The perfect family healthcare solution looks something like the above. It is not complicated to say or to write (I have the easy job), however, it is complicated to enact. And whilst I cannot speak for the childcare, fertility, menopause or MSK benefit providers of this world, I can speak to eldercare.
The importance of comprehensive eldercare support is well-known. In an ageing population, the demand from employees will only grow year upon year. At Seniorcare by Lottie, we strive to meet the tenets listed above: an extensive, affordable, flexible, accessible, personal and quality service. Although we are young and still recognise much more room for improvement, we know we are leading the charge on eldercare benefits. We don’t have the breadth to provide female health support or childcare, we wouldn’t dare say we could. However, we know that we can add that key ingredient of elevating later life, that will help every employee find their perfect family health.