How Private Health Insurance Helps Prevent Sickness in the Workplace

Providing private health insurance as a workplace benefit gives your employees not just a tangible benefit, but also acts as a strategy to push back against persistent sickness and absenteeism.

Opting for private health insurance transitions healthcare from reactive to a proactive strategy through rapid access to medical care that bypasses NHS waiting lists. Additionally, 60% of UK employees ranked private medical insurance as their most desired workplace benefit.

In this guide, we discuss what private health insurance brings to businesses and their employees, and the impact of sickness in the workplace.

What private health insurance focuses on for businesses and their employees

Private health insurance focuses on providing comprehensive employee benefits that reduce absenteeism and offer a higher standard of medical care. It’s also an opportunity for businesses to offer a highly prized benefit that can go a long way in attracting top talent. Today, a third of Britons now consider private health coverage essential.

Your policy offers a range of benefits to your team, including:

• Diagnostic tests
• Specialist consultations
• Surgeries
• Inpatient/outpatient treatment
• Mental health support

Your healthcare intermediary at Dragonfly Crowd empowers you to find the policy that best fits your business. Through our exclusive partnership with Bupa, and our connections with insurers such as AXA, Aviva, Vitality and WPA, you can access a large number of specialists across the country.

Beyond the physical and mental health benefits these plans offer, you can also offer your employees health cash plans. These can help your employees claw back the costs of those everyday treatments, including physiotherapy, optical care and dental care.

The impact of sickness and absenteeism in the workplace

Absenteeism and sickness naturally make it harder for your company to reach its potential. In 2025 alone, 148 million working days were lost to illness. It’s hard to understate just how outsized the impact can be, and it’s led to 32% of bosses reporting anxiety and stress from the reasons staff give for absences.

In practice, the Keep Britain Working report published by the UK government estimated that the average absence day costs British employers £120 in reduced profits, with the total cost being £3,029 per UK worker across the economy. Unsurprisingly, it doesn’t just arise from working with a skeleton staff but declining service quality generally.

Additionally, though, it’s not just about forcing sick people into work. Presenteeism can be just as problematic, with the same survey finding that four to nine productive days per person per year were lost due to poor decision-making.

In other words, it’s about ensuring that when your staff arrive at work, they are sharp, well-rested and ready to do their jobs.

How private health insurance works to prevent or reduce illness at work

Illness prevention happens by taking a preventive approach to healthcare. Addressing issues early enables faster recovery and reduces the risk of minor issues becoming major ones. Private health insurance through your healthcare intermediary at Dragonfly Crowd offers several perks that reduce and prevent illness among your team:

• Virtual GP Services – Being able to see a GP at your leisure without sitting around in a crowded NHS waiting room can catch minor health issues early. Today, many doctors are available 24/7 over the phone or through a dedicated app.
• Mental Health Support – Policies can also cover mental health interventions. These include counselling and treatments like Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). This can help address issues like work-related stress, anxiety and burnout.
• Rapid Diagnosis – Private medical insurance can cover specialist consultations with over 25,000 Bupa specialists, as well as diagnostic tests such as MRI scans and X-rays. This allows existing issues to be diagnosed quickly, enabling treatment to begin as soon as possible.
• Faster Treatments – Instead of waiting for NHS referrals, faster treatments dramatically reduce recovery times, enabling staff to return to work sooner.
  

It’s no secret that more and more Britons are looking to turn to private health insurance to address their medical needs. Instead of being forced to pay unexpected out-of-pocket costs, they can claim them through their company medical coverage.

Should your business opt for private medical insurance as a workplace benefit?

Investing in your workforce also delivers genuine advantages for your business, beyond making you a more attractive proposition to top-performing employees in your industry. It’s an investment in your future growth.

Some of the core business benefits include:

• Shorter absences because your employees gain faster access to treatment, ensuring they’re fit to come back to work sooner.
• Fewer missing hours overall because staff no longer have to take half days off to attend their local clinics.
• Lower absence costs through earlier interventions that reduce the risk of staff needing long-term sick leave. This is especially true for senior executives responsible for making major corporate decisions.
• Increased productivity because it’s a proven fact that teams that are properly supported by their bosses have a naturally higher daily output.
• Corporation tax relief is another little-known benefit because premiums are usually deductible as a business expense.
• Strengthening your corporate brand and reputation by demonstrating your commitment to the health of your workers. In some cases, this might even support procurement, especially if you regularly bid for public-sector contracts.

The fact is that private health insurance means a stronger workforce overall. Whether you’re concerned about constant gaps in your scheduling or getting the most out of a talented team, this type of coverage is a benefit that repays itself time and time again.

If you’d like to learn more about what private medical insurance can do for your organisation, or begin searching for policies, contact us, your healthcare intermediary at Dragonfly Crowd, today.