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With Britons working some of the longest hours in Europe, and Norwich Union Healthcare's Health of the Workplace report revealing 34% of GPs are seeing dramatic increases in the number of patients needing to be signed off work, the health and wellbeing of staff is rightfully of increasing importance to employers.

Aiming to support companies in addressing these issues, Norwich Union Healthcare (NUHC) is to launch Health Vision, built around a health audit and an integral part of its new Wellness Solutions product for corporate clients.

Health Vision combines individual health assessment results from each employee with clinical assessments, to form an overview of the current and future health of a company. It also highlights health issues that may prove costly for large organisations in coming years. 

Introduced to Norwich Union Healthcare's own staff, Health Vision encourages employees to adapt their behaviour and look after their health and lifestyle. It also demonstrates a company's commitment to employee wellness.

Alongside Health Vision, the Wellness Solutions range also features:

• Health Screening - NUHC offers a range of health screening options allowing businesses the opportunity to investigate areas of potential concern to their employees. The insurer has an extensive network of clinics across the country, and a number of mobile health screening units can be made available to organisations.
• Health Club and Fitness Membership Discounts - NUHC offers corporate clients' employees discounted membership for health and fitness clubs across the UK.
• Employee Assistance Programme - Norwich Union Healthcare's Employee Assistance Programme, provided by PPC Worldwide, is a 24 hour support network that aims to assist productivity by giving employers and employees the chance to resolve personal and work issues before they impact their performance at work.
• Personal Health Manager - An online and telephone-based health management tool that provides a confidential interactive service to employees looking for professional guidance on everything from identifying medical symptoms to reducing stress.  Purchasing Personal Health Manager may help employers demonstrate their support for government guidelines in terms of workplace wellness, and may assist with increasing productivity and employee motivation.

Gil Baldwin, managing director of Norwich Union Healthcare, said: "Businesses are increasingly aware of their responsibilities to look after their employees' health and wellbeing. A healthy workforce is good for the individuals themselves, for business, the economy and for society. That is why we're delighted to introduce Health Vision which, as our own experience shows, has improved employee engagement and productivity levels. These pre-emptive tools assess employee health and lifestyle and work to identify problem areas before they occur."

For more information on Health Vision and Wellness Solutions, please visit www.nuwellnesssolutions.com or contact your usual Norwich Union Healthcare representative.

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For further media information, please contact the Norwich Union press office:
Emma Broadbent                  
Telephone: 01904 452791                    
Mobile: 07800 692935

Notes to editors:

About Norwich Union Healthcare
Norwich Union Healthcare was founded in 1990 as the healthcare arm of Norwich Union and now provides a range of private medical insurance, income protection, occupational health and group life products and services that cover over 2,400,000 lives. It is one of the largest providers of income protection and private medical insurance in the UK.

Norwich Union Occupation Health, a sister company of Norwich Union Healthcare, provides occupational health solutions and services to a wide range of industry sectors. By utilising their large fleet of purpose built mobile clinics and approved medical centres, staffed by a team of experienced occupational physicians and nursing staff, the services are designed to meet the individual needs of clients.

Norwich Union Healthcare is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority and is a member of the Association of British Insurers and the Financial Ombudsman Service.

Norwich Union's news releases and a selection of images are available from Aviva's internet press centre at www.aviva.com/media.

Case Study: Norwich Union Healthcare
Norwich Union Healthcare believes its workforce is its most important asset. So when we were developing Health Vision, it seemed an obvious choice to offer the programme to our staff first.

Through Health Vision, Norwich Union Healthcare has made a company-wide commitment to the health and wellbeing of its employees, establishing a range of initiatives and programmes to make life at work healthier and happier.

Stage 1 - Identifying the key areas
During the summer of 2006, Norwich Union Healthcare ran a series of events to encourage staff to complete a health and wellbeing assessment on personal health manager. This campaign was called "A N.E.W. Day"

The campaign consisted of three awareness days focusing on Nutrition, Environment and Wellbeing supported by:

• Posters
• Handy tips and advice
• Emails
• Competitions and giveaways including fruit
• A booklet about healthy living

The programme proved a great success with over 500 employees at various sites completing the assessment. The overall information was then analysed and collated to give a complete picture of the overall health and wellbeing of our organisation.

Stage 2 - Launching Our Company, Our Health
Following the analysis, Norwich Union Healthcare sent all employees a manifesto announcing our long-term commitment to the "Our Company, Our Health" programme. The communication also contained details of employee benefits to remind staff of the services already available to them.

The launch was supported by a wide range of internal communications:

• Posters
• Emails
• Desk drop
• A new intranet site (Healthcare Hub)

These communications encouraged staff to suggest ideas for how the company could best support them.

Once employee feedback was gathered we sent out a further communication that introduced a range of new initiatives including:

• Mini health MOTs, including a diabetes test on the premises
• Money Clinics to offer help and advice on money management
• Information on giving up smoking and a smoking cessation programme
• Healthy food in the canteen

Stage 3 - Ongoing development and review
Norwich Union Healthcare is continuing to evolve Our Company, Our Health - utilising the Healthcare Hub as the main communications media. Employees have been encouraged to contribute to the Hub content by supplying details about any local clubs they attend or info about local walks and activities.

Another health and wellbeing week is set to be held which will include a range of activities for staff including a healthy eating seminar, exercise class and smoking cessation tips. There are also negotiations on a range of discounts on health related products for staff.

Employees will soon be asked to complete the Health Planner again in order to measure the impact of the initiatives to date. This will also ensure Norwich Union Healthcare focuses internally on the health and wellbeing issues most appropriate to staff.