Gwent Hospitals Contributory Fund - News

Staff at one of Newport’s largest not-for-profit organisations are set to receive a boost to their healthcare and wellbeing thanks to two Gwent businesses working in partnership.

Gwent Hospitals Contributory Fund (GHCF) has won the contract to provide its health cash plan services to the Newport-based Seren Group. Seren has more than 780 employees and all are eligible for the services offered by GHCF.

Membership of the GHCF scheme entitles Seren staff to claim towards the cost of medical treatment as well as dental or optical care. Staff can also benefit from a range of complementary therapies included in the membership, such as homeopathy and acupuncture, along with a confidential counselling service.

Jayne Chapman, people services manager at the Seren Group, said: “As an organisation we consider the health and wellbeing of our employees to be a top priority. We really feel that by being able to offer healthcare benefits in conjunction with our other incentive schemes strengthens our position as an employer of choice in the Gwent area.

“We are delighted to be working with the team at GHCF, not only did they tailor make a package that was suitable to our needs and price matched what we were paying our previous provider, they are also a local company with a similar ethos to ourselves. We support many of the same local health initiatives such as the St David’s Foundation and the Royal Gwent Hospital.

The health cash plan package has also been made available to employees’ partners for an extra charge and it covers children and dependents under the age of 18 at no additional cost.  

Patrick Ibeziako, sales manager at GHCF said: “The contract with Seren is a real coup for us as it allows us to work with an organisation that has always held the health and wellbeing of its employees in the highest regard. With this tailor made scheme, we can demonstrate the flexibility of the health cash plans we have on offer. It’s also a good example of how, by working in partnership with our clients, we can develop a package to suit their organisation’s specific occupational health and wellbeing needs.

“We’re currently finding an increasing number of businesses are looking for added benefits to offer their employees at a time when pay increases may not be feasible. Heath-related benefits are proven to be one of the most attractive incentives to staff and health cash plans are a cost effective alternative to private healthcare that also enables staff to claim for more regular medical treatment such as dental work or new glasses.”

Gwent Hospitals Contributory Fund is a not-for-profit organisation that is regulated by the Financial Services Authority. The Fund works with employers and individuals, by providing cash back benefits for a variety of routine medical needs.