Business for Health (B4H) and the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) are launching Business Framework for Health: Supporting businesses and employers in their role to enhance and level up the health of the nation. View the B4H report here.
The pandemic has shown that health is wealth. According to the CBI’s ‘Seize the Moment’ report, 63% of years lost to poor health are in the working-age population, and this costs the UK around £300bn in lost economic output annually, excluding direct healthcare costs.
B4H and CBI call on Government, the new Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, and all sectors to work together to level up the health of the nation.
The Framework is adopting a three-pillar approach to measure and incentivise greater business contribution to health through its influence on 1) workforce health, 2) products and services and 3) community and societal resilience. The Framework aims to bring ‘Health’ into Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) mandates, and guide investment to promote healthy life expectancy while minimising health inequalities.
John Godfrey, Chair of B4H, says: “It’s in businesses’ self-interest that they have healthier, more productive employees, and that they are attuned to consumers’ health. Crucially, they need to be prepared for health-related changes to regulation or taxation which may have financial impacts and are aware of the reputational benefits of making a better contribution across the three areas we have identified.”
Matthew Fell, CBI’s Chief Policy Director, says: ”Creating a healthier nation is one of the six business-led opportunities our ‘Seize the Moment’ report identified. Business can enable millions of employees to gain greater resilience, wellbeing and opportunities at work, and lead broader transformation that will not only benefit them, but also local communities and our nation as a whole.”
Professor Chris Whitty, CMO, who contributed the report’s foreword, concludes: “COVID-19 has highlighted that population health is a critical issue for business. There are opportunities to make our nation healthier and more resilient and business has an important role in this. So, I warmly welcome this new initiative by the CBI and Business for Health.”
