PROCUREMENT AND FINANCE
Eyecare: VFM
Jim Lythgow, director of strategic alliances at Specsavers Corporate Eyecare, discusses value for money in public sector eyecare.
P
roviding and receiving value for money is important for any business. Within the public sector, it is vital. Organisations must ensure that the services they procure provide the best possible value for money.
Eyecare is an obligatory provision for the vast majority of employees. While this could be considered purely an overhead, our research shows it is highly valued by public sector employers and employees alike.
We asked more than 80 public sector employers, representing up to 385,211 employees, about their attitudes to workplace eyecare. An overwhelming 99% said they believe eye tests are ‘just as important’ or ‘more important’ than other health checks available for employees, such as medicals and screening. To back this up, 71% of public sector employers now state they provide eye tests for their employees.
While this is positive, it does still leave 29% of public sector employers who do not provide eyecare. This is despite the fact that 99% of employers stated that eye tests are important. Why then is take-up among employers not higher?
Our belief is that this is linked to perceived cost and value for money. When asked directly about
cost, well over a quarter (28%) were not able to say whether a full eye examination costing £17 per person represented good value or not. This suggests that employers are not aware of the range of costs and schemes associated with eyecare or the benefits attached and are, therefore, not able to make an informed decision on value.
A fuller understanding of the benefits of eyecare allowed employers to make a more informed judgement. Once made aware that the full eye examination in question could also help to detect and monitor serious health conditions and illnesses, such as diabetes, risk of stroke and high blood pressure, employers were able to see the true value represented by the £17 cost. Generally, with this additional information, the employers’ perception of the value of eyecare increased all round. The majority now stated it is extremely valuable to employees and/or the organisation as a whole.
It is this full understanding of the much wider health benefits that affects the employer’s perception of value for money. Looking at this in greater detail, the positive news is that public sector employers are generally aware that eye examinations have a wider impact. Indeed: • 78% of public sector employers are aware that an eye test can also detect other health conditions not directly related to eyesight; and • 56% are aware that an eye test checks not just vision but the overall health of the eye.
The more precise details of particular illnesses that can be detected and monitored are rather less well-known: • Only a third (34%) of respondents knew that an eye test can pick up high cholesterol. • Just a third (34%) knew that it can detect the risk of a stroke.
It is the huge range of illnesses and conditions that can actually be detected and monitored through an eye test that give the massive added-value to eyecare. High blood pressure and diabetes are among these conditions and the impact they can have on an organisation’s sickness and absenteeism levels are well documented.
60 | public sector executive Sep/Oct 13
These conditions are also accepted to be on the rise across the UK.
The majority of respondents, however, still mostly associate an eye examination with detecting diseases of the eye rather than screening the health of the wider body. 94% and 91% respectively selected cataracts and glaucoma as conditions that can be detected through an eye test.
While the public sector employers themselves are beginning to recognise the benefits of eye tests, their employees may be even less aware. Just 41% of employers believe their staff know about all the benefits of eye tests. Clear communication is vital, therefore, in ensuring employees make use of their eyecare provision and also that they appreciate the full value of an eye examination.
When employers are aware of the true value of eyecare, they embrace it, and that is good news for their staff. Preventative healthcare is becoming more and more important in the workplace and offers value beyond money.
Jim Lythgow FOR MORE INFORMATION
T: 0115 933 0800 E:
corporateeyecare@specsavers.com W:
www.specsvers.com/corporate
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