Staff Benefits in Private Sector Health

Although there are hundreds of employees who are quite happy working in the NHS, there are some who have made the decision to leave and work in the private sector. This is sometimes because of the additional benefits that are offered to staff.

Training & Education

As the budget is not normally as tight as those in the NHS, staff often have more access to a greater number of learning opportunities and courses. These may be internally arranged or externally and most employers are keen to encourage staff development if that training can benefit the department in some way.

Training must be arranged with your line manager and agreed by the organisation before it is embarked upon unless the individual plans to complete the course or education outside of working hours.

Health Insurance

One of the major attractions of working in the private sector is the benefits of having your own health insurance provided as port of your employment contract. Most private healthcare providers’ request that staff are working in the sector for a designated length of time before this option is permitted and after a subsequent period, the employee’s immediate family may be added.

If you are seeking employment in the private sector always make sure you know exactly what is included in your policy and what is excluded as this can be very variable between companies.It is normally necessary to have a medical before your policy is determined as any existing conditions will not usually be included in the agreement.

Along with private medical insurance, some companies offer the extended benefit of providing employees with life assurance which can also be very attractive part of the employment contract.

Health Screening

If you are working in the private sector you will probably gain access to some of the best health surveillance and screening entitlements as most of the companies are very astute when it comes to occupational issues and early assessment and intervention. The NHS also maintains a good history of health screening for employees providing the person seeks a referral through occupational health.

Charity Work

Some private healthcare organisations offer their employees the chance to volunteer their time for charitable purposes. The hours that are spent volunteering can be taken out of the normal working week when they are agreed by managers.

This can be an attractive benefits for any potential employees of the organisations offering this scheme if the person is particularly involved with charities and volunteer work.The hospitals will ask employees to agree their volunteer times well in advance so that adequate staff rota provisions can be made and the shifts covered as necessary.

Meals & Parking

Most of the private hospitals offer employees free parking which the NHS sadly doesn’t usually offer staff that are working in hospitals. This can make a difference to your monthly salary and over the year can add up to a substantial amount.

The food is generally better in the private sector also and meals although they may have to be paid for, are generally of a high standard and usually cooked fresh to order rather than being prepared and kept warm as most large canteens must do.

Although there are many similarities between working in the NHS and the private sector, it is not uncommon to find that the benefits offered to employees of private companies are offered a greater range of benefits which may contribute to a person’s decision as to whether they wish to work in the NHS or the private sector.