The challenges faced by the NHS are well documented and reported, but the effect on Companies is equally concerning as reported by Health Insurance & Protection Daily.

The Manufacturing sector, in particular, is facing a growing problem. Many shop floor employees are in an older age group, having working in a manual capacity for most of their lives. This type of manual work has often led to health problems such as wear and tear on joints and employees capabilities become either restricted, with reassignment to other duties, or result in early retirement. The workplace is then stripped of key experience and skill.

There is a continued campaign to increase apprenticeships in manufacturing, but the numbers continue to fall short of the industry’s requirements. Hence, the continued reliance on older and more experienced employees. The average age of a welder, fabricator, turner, etc is now higher than it has ever been.

Protecting key shop floor employees and ensuring that any ailments are treated quickly and efficiently is vital to ensure a prompt return to work. This is positive for both the employee and the employer. However, a reliance on the NHS adds a degree of uncertainty to the treatment, with many people experiencing long delays. This means a prolonged and costly time away from the employees primary role, either on the sick or on other duties.

Many companies address this problem by providing employees with private medical insurance as part of their remuneration package. This reduces the time of diagnosis and treatment, meaning that employees are able to return to the workplace quickly.

The age demographic of the manufacturing shop floor continues to cause the industry concern and managing health issues is a growing problem.

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