“Equipsme was introduced to us as something that sat between cash plans and full-blown PMI. It was exactly what we needed.”
Energy giants EDF were looking for a way to extend their health benefits and support more of their UK workforce – and came across Equipsme through their broker.
EDF employees, including customer service advisors, scientists and engineers, can now choose what level of Equipsme health cover they want from the EDF benefits platform.
Jo Gibbs, who manages employee benefits at EDF, explains: “We know different people have different priorities, and we wanted something that would allow our people to get the right health back-up for them and their dependants, while complementing our existing benefits offering.
“Equipsme was introduced to us by Mercer Marsh, as a health insurance benefit that could sit between cash plans and full-blown PMI. It was exactly what we needed. We liked its affordability, its simplicity, and the fact it can include private treatment and diagnosis - and can even be extended to include our people’s families.”
Proving popular
There are four levels of Equipsme plan, but the most popular with EDF has proved to be a Level 2 plan, which includes 24/7 private GP appointments, nurse information line, physio sessions and online health checks – as well as private diagnosis and hospital treatment through AXA Health. The idea is to get people quick access to practical health support, and get them better and back to work faster.
Equipsme and EDF worked closely on the rollout to embed Equipsme on their benefits platform and raise awareness across the company, with bespoke communications, webinars and websites to clearly explain the plans, answer questions, and support employees.
EDF’s Head of Reward, Karl Ward says: “It’s been great to be able to add Equipsme alongside our other health benefits, and we couldn’t have asked for a more perfect launch. What’s more, we’ve seen much higher interest than we originally expected. The ability to include family has been particularly well received, and we’ve seen nearly half extend their plans to partners and children.”
High-quality health care
“Keeping people happy and healthy is fundamental to any successful business,” continues Jo, “and health is high on everyone’s agenda right now. We’ve been delighted to be able to offer everyone at EDF access to fast and high-quality health care.”
Karl concludes: “We went looking for great health insurance and great value for money, and Equipsme has more than fit the bill for us as a team - and clearly for employees across EDF. For us, it’s been the perfect solution.”
