Healthcare over the past few years has changed dramatically, and as attitudes towards health and wellbeing have shifted, so has workplace support. The British Medical Association are reporting that more patients are experiencing lengthy delays in treatment, with 34.6 % of patients on the waiting list for 18+ weeks and over 6 million individual patients waiting for treatment in England.
When faced with these record delays, private health insurance (PHI) and health cash plans offer comprehensive cover for many businesses. Combining the benefits of both plans offers a proactive approach to health and wellbeing, supporting everyday health whilst gaining access to faster diagnosis and treatment when it matters most. Here, we will explore how private health insurance and health cash plans can work together to offer unique health protection.
What is a health cash plan?
Health cash plans are a popular benefit for employers to offer their teams, with 35% of employees ranking them as one of their top three preferred benefits. A cash plan allows you to claim cash back, within set limits, on your everyday health care, giving you access to valuable health and wellbeing services without the additional financial cost.
Health cash plans with Westfield Health can include:
- Cash back on everyday healthcare such as dentist and optician appointments
- 24/7 virtual GP access
- Cancer screenings* and early detection health screenings
- Fast access to MRI, CT, and PET scans
- Flexible funding options
*Cancer screening services are available for businesses with over 50 employees under the Evolve Health Cash Plan only
What is private health insurance?
Private health insurance is designed to work in perfect collaboration with a health cash plan, ensuring policyholders have access to the treatment they need, when they need it. Your employees will receive immediate cover for new conditions once cover is active. Private health insurance is a great way to ensure you’re covered when you or your team needs medical care. It allows you to have peace of mind and know that, if something does come up, you’ll be seen quickly.
Private health insurance with Westfield Health includes:
- Immediate health coverage for new or untreated conditions
- Affordable insurance packages tailored to your business needs
- Accessible private surgery and medical treatment facilities
- Quicker access to treatment
Combine private health insurance & health cash plans for comprehensive health coverage.
To get the most comprehensive health coverage, you can combine the benefits of both your health cash plan and private health insurance. Together, these policies can provide more comprehensive support for your employees. While a health cash plan helps with everyday health costs, private health insurance provides access to fast treatment, without the worries of extensive waitlists or additional expenses.
With access to comprehensive health coverage, you and your team benefit from:
Eased health anxieties with faster diagnosis
Health concerns and unexplained symptoms can cause a great deal of anxiety for your employees. With combined health coverage, your team can access routine health screenings and care to address any new conditions. If treatment is required, your team can get answers fast, with a comprehensive range of treatment and care options to suit their needs.
Avoiding unexpected bills
According to 2026 data, 61% of adults have reported feeling worried about the rising cost of living in the UK. In fact, 31% of adults are deterred from routine dental appointments due to financial reasons. Adding a health cash plan can help ease some of the financial stress associated with these routine appointments. Meanwhile, private health insurance helps cover those bigger bills when treatment is needed, so your team is never out of pocket. Together they provide financial support and health protection for today and tomorrow.
Skipping NHS wait lists
The NHS is run by over 1.5 million diligent and hardworking professionals, caring for millions of UK citizens every day. This volume of healthcare need regularly results in extensive waitlists for diagnostic tests, scans and treatments, which could cause significant delays for employees seeking healthcare before returning to work.
When employees need treatment, waiting for an appointment, referral or procedure can have a negative impact on their ability to work. Private health insurance can give employees access to private healthcare facilities, helping them to get the treatment they need without relying on NHS waiting lists. For employers, this gives you reassurance that your team has access to support when they need it, helping them focus on recovery, and return to work sooner.
Combining private health insurance and health cash plans: Customer experience
Here at Westfield Health, we strive to provide the best services and health support possible to our customers. We value hearing their first-hand experiences of how they use their insurance and health cash plans to protect themselves and their employees.
Hear what our customers have to say on combining private health insurance with one of our health cash plans:
“The customer service is great. My questions were always responded to quickly, and we were impressed with the initial presentation – our health and wellbeing consultant made us feel valued, and we liked the personal approach. We received excellent support, which meant that the implementation was very smooth. We also like the fact that we’re able to offer the cash plan and private health insurance to all our employees at the same level of cover. It’s good for recruiting new employees and helps us stand out in a competitive industry” – Corella.
“We knew a cash plan would be an excellent benefit to offer our employees and it was important that it included counselling, because it fits in with the ethos of our company – we started by providing counselling services for vulnerable adults and we wanted to make sure our employees had the same level of support. Westfield Health was recommended to us by our HR consultants and we were impressed with the personal touch that our account manager provided. Nothing was too much trouble and they were incredibly helpful and supportive throughout the process. We recently added Private Health Insurance to our package. It’s particularly important during the tough cost of living challenges and increasing NHS waiting times. The PHI gives our employees extra security because they know it’s available if they need it.” – Chrysalis Group Services