"Small businesses are under pressure right now. With sickness absence at record levels, even one person being off can have a big impact."
- Dan Sullivan - Bupa UK
Bupa UK has added benefits to its health insurance proposition for small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), as employee absence levels due to sickness remain high.
The offering now includes preventative healthcare support, updated mental health services, face-to-face GP appointments, dental care and HR advice.
DNA testing linked to breast cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes risks has been used to expand Bupa’s preventative support, along with medication review services designed to help personalise treatment plans.
Meanwhile, mental health support will now include access to talking therapies, which do not impact outpatient limits or require excess payments.
Eligible customers will also be able to access annual dental and hygiene appointments at Bupa Dental Care practices and in-person GP appointments at Bupa health centres, as well as digital GP services.
The revamp comes after NHS England revealed that approximately 150 million working days were lost last year, with 93% of the 11.17 million sick notes issued in 2025 being classed as ‘not fit to work.’ At the same time, research from L&G found that over one third (34%) of SME employees reported that their employer was doing nothing to prevent absences.
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"Small businesses are under pressure right now. With sickness absence at record levels, even one person being off can have a big impact," Dan Sullivan, director of product and proposition, Bupa UK, said.
"That’s why SMEs need healthcare that works harder for their business – helping people stay well, get support earlier and return to full health sooner, improving productivity and growth.
"SMEs need to compete with large corporates on benefits. By strengthening our SME health insurance offering, we’re bringing together something genuinely distinctive – from being the only UK insurer to include dental care as standard, to leading the market on preventative health.
"Combined with our cancer cover, the most comprehensive mental health support and connected care pathways, it gives small businesses a high-quality, competitive package to attract and retain great people."
