“As part of our staff health & wellbeing strategy I was looking at cost effective ways to introduce staff benefits to motivate and maintain a healthy team. When I first met Nicola I was not only sold by Paycare but also the person as you could see she truly believed in their product and on meeting other members of the team you can see that this enthusiasm runs right through the organisation. Once I found out that it was a not for profit organisation and that they proactively encourage people to use their plan I knew it was the right company with the right ethic for us at MAAC.

Staff have embraced the health plan and we have incorporated Paycare into our absence / return to work policy and it has been used several times as a rehabilitation for staff to return to work much earlier than if they had not had the opportunity to access medical assistance sooner. Examples of this have included using private physiotherapy to treat a cold shoulder, instead of having to wait several months for a hospital referral.

The outcome from Physio was increased mobility in the shoulder and reduced pain allowing the individual not only to return to work but to their full duties. We have also had members use the Legal telephone line to support them with an ongoing issue regarding reimbursement of a holiday cancellation and we also have a member of staff who has lost weight after accessing the support of a hypnotherapist.

One of the biggest benefits is that staff members are using the plan to help feel better about themselves which in turn supports our ongoing mental wellbeing strategy. Most staff members have also increased their own level of benefits to that offered and added other relatives to the plan.