"Cancer is becoming an increasingly significant workforce health issue, affecting more working-age people and creating real challenges for employees and employers alike."
- Beth Husted - WTW
WTW has appointed Perci Health to help give employer clients access to specialist support as cancer becomes one of the fastest-growing drivers of medical claims and absences in the workforce.
Through the partnership, WTW clients can offer employees access to Perci Health's specialist cancer prevention, risk and screening service.
Employers will be able to offer employees personalised cancer risk assessments, NHS screening navigation and private screening access combined with specialist clinical support, with the aim of helping people better understand their risk, access cancer screening programmes and take earlier action where appropriate.
The appointment comes as employers face growing pressure from rising cancer incidence and healthcare costs.
WTW's Global Medical Trends research found cancer is now the leading contributor to medical claim expenses worldwide, with 57% of insurers identifying it as the fastest-growing and most expensive condition. At the same time, nearly three-quarters report rising cancer incidence among those aged under 40.
In addition, WTW's UK absence research found that 51% of employers have experienced rising short-term absence over the past two years, while 55% report increases in long-term absence and disability.
The service is now available to WTW employer clients through its health and wellbeing vendor ecosystem.
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"Cancer is becoming an increasingly significant workforce health issue, affecting more working-age people and creating real challenges for employees and employers alike," Beth Husted, director of health & benefits at WTW, said.
"Many organisations want to do more, but need practical, clinically credible ways to help people understand their personal risk, navigate screening options and access the right support earlier. Perci Health brings specialist expertise that can help our clients move beyond reactive support and take a more preventative, informed approach to workforce health."
Kelly McCabe, co-founder and CEO of Perci Health, added: "Every day, I see the consequences of cancers being diagnosed later than they should be. Across the UK, we're consistently missing early detection targets, cancer incidence is rising in working-age adults, and awareness is being undermined by confusion and misinformation.
"Employers have a unique opportunity to change that. By giving people access to trusted, evidence-based information and specialist support, they can help their workforce better understand cancer risk, make informed decisions about prevention and screening, and ultimately improve outcomes.
"We're delighted to partner with WTW to make specialist cancer expertise available to more employers and empower more people to take action before cancer has the chance to progress."
