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The recent recession has undoubtedly had a large impact on the global economy, not to mention the disruption it managed to cause the UK banking system. Predictably, this has had a knock-on effect into the mental state of the UK workforce. Research shows that the current recession has dealt a blow to the mental well being of the UK working population. There has been a notable increase in the volume of people making appointments to see their doctor and a vast increase in the number of prescriptions handed out for antidepressants.

Research by a leading British mental health charity (MIND), highlights the reasons for these increases as being directly linked to the pressures of the recession on the workforce. While issues such as job losses, increases in unpaid overtime and the worry over paying household bills continue to rise, businesses continue to tighten their belts.

According to the findings of a survey of over 2000 employees:

10% of the workforce has visited their GP.

Only 38% of the workforce says their current employer is providing enough support.

5% have consulted a counselor.

50% informed there was a slump in morale.

7% have started on a course of medical therapy for depression.

Approximately 1/3 said employees were competing against one another.

The findings of the poll coincide directly with new government figures which have revealed the largest recorded increase in prescriptions of antidepressants year on year. With 40 million prescriptions being issued in 2009, compared with 36 million in 2008.

Of course, stress in the workplace is not a new phenomenon that suddenly appeared alongside the recession, stress has for a long time been a workforce issue. However the recession has helped to magnify the stress that the UK workforce is under due to the loss of jobs, excess workloads and the uncertainty that the recession has and will continue to cause.

Now is the time to take advantage of a family health plan as it means you will always have help with the cost of remaining healthy. cash plans are a good idea if you require basic cover for day to day health care.

The main differences between general medical insurance and cash health plans can seem confusing at first; although in reality it is fairly simple. With a cash health plan cash is paid out if you are taken to hospital for treatment or to the dentist or opticians. Often cash health plans also allow you to receive treatments such as alternative therapies, acupuncture and physiotherapy. Cash health plans are aimed to cover the cost of every day health expenses rather than for serious or ongoing illness treatment.

Cash health plans are aimed to encourage people to receive early and prompt treatment in order to resolve any medical/dental or optical problems quickly. Some plans offer extra benefits such as critical illness cover, accidental death cover and help with funeral costs.

Cash health plans are usually paid monthly via direct debit.

The main difference between health insurance and a cash health plan is that medical insurance will help pay the cost of both treatment and appointments whereas a cash health plan will not pay out for as much. Cash health plans are often offered as a corporate healthcare scheme.

When they first arrived on the market cash health plans were just for basic use in hospitals, before the NHS was founded. In recent times they have become much more useful and are now in place t help the cost of a wide range of health care treatments.

There are restrictions with cash health plans as they are in place to help with the cost of treatment rather than actually to provide the treatment, which means you will have to source the treatment yourself.

Generally cash health plans do not provide cover for all health care expenses and they do have a capped limit of which you can spend annually. It is not uncommon to have to pay into the policy for between three and six months before qualifying to begin making use of the policy.

It is a good idea to take advantage of a medical health plans as it means you will always have help with the cost of remaining healthy. A medical health plan is a good idea if you require basic cover for day to day health care.

The National Health Service this week released details that they are exploring the possibility of health cash plans to encourage healthier lifestyles. Many areas have already started up their schemes and early signs suggest that the results will be positive.

NICE (National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence) advises the NHS in England and Wales. They suggest these measures may be able to help the NHS to combat issues such as obesity, smoking and drinking. They wish to gather additional evidence into the cash plan incentive for lifestyle changes, an idea described as “an idea whose time has come” before submitting their recommendations.

NICE have previously considered similar schemes, with one of the schemes being incentives to help beat addiction in drug abusers.

In a bid to determine public reaction, NICE is planning to push role out the concept in front of its citizen’s council on Thursday and Friday.

During a recent interview with the BBC Prof Mike Kelly who is the head of public health for NICE said: “We will want to see evidence that it provides value for money, there is a question over whether behavior is sustained when incentives end. Humans respond to incentives, we know that. What we now need to see is whether the economic behavior can be repeated in terms of health behavior. It is an idea whose time has come.”

Upon NICE backing a cash plan style scheme, recommendations for the plan covering England and Wales are still around a year away at least.

Nice are working closely with a team of London-based experts from the London School of Economics, Queen Mary University and King’s College who are carrying out research into the issue alongside NICE. They are reviewing international evidence on cash plan incentives and are planning to carry out trials in the near future.

Now is the time to take advantage of a cash plan as it means you will always have help with the cost of remaining healthy. A health cash plan is a good idea if you require basic cover for day to day health care.

A survey has revealed that over half the British workforce reach for the bottle at the end of the day due to work related pressures.

One in ten Brits admit to hitting the bottle most days and 53% said that they frequently required a drink at the end of the day. The investigation of 3000 British employees was performed by a principal health care provider, Medicash.

The study exposed the professions in which the employee is most likely to opt for a drink. Construction workers were ten times more probable than those working in research and development research and development to hit the bottle, whilst one in five insurance workers said stress meant they needed a drink to relax at the end of the day.

The problem is heightened in small and medium sized businesses with approximately one in three of the workforce admitting to the consumption of surplus alcohol as a result of work stress. Furthermore, men were also exposed as being twice as probable as women to need a drink at the end of the day.

The survey publicised that as a nation we are far more likely to reach for the bottle or slouch in front of the television than visit the gym to help us relax. Nonetheless those working in research and development set the best pattern with more than 40% saying they use exercise to help relax, while twenty percent of those working in electronics use meditation to unwind compared to only four percent of bankers.

Sue Weir, chief executive of Medicash said: “Small quantities of alcohol may help you relax, but frequently relying on it to lift your disposition after a bad day can lead to long term reliance. Incorporating healthy eating and exercise into your daily routine is one way to break this cycle.”

She added: “If you frequently experience stress at work it’s imperative to extend strategies to help you cope. With almost half of those surveyed claiming that there wasn’t anybody at work they could confide in. It has become clear that many employers would benefit from putting measures in place to look after the emotional health of their workers.

“If you are frequently stressed at work then it’s imperative to develop strategies to help you deal with the causes. Nearly half of those surveyed claimed that there wasn’t anyone at work they could confide in, it’s clear that many employers would profit from putting methods in place to look after the emotional health of their workforce”. Added Sue Weir.

Now is the time to take advantage of a dental cash plan as it means you will always have help with the cost of remaining healthy. A healthcare plan is a good idea if you require basic cover for day to day health care.

Scientists in the USA today announced they have created the world’s first synthetic living cell. The team of scientists successfully created a bacterium’s genetic software and then transplanted it into a host cell. The result was a microbe that looked like and acted like the implanted species.

Critics have spoken out about the dangers of developing synthetic life forms and have heavily criticized the experiment, which has been billed as a scientific breakthrough.

Researchers hope to further develop the breakthrough to eventually create cells that can provide fuels, medicine and even combat and absorb harmful greenhouse effect gasses.

Dr Craig Venter of the J Craig Venter Institute (JCVI) based in Maryland and California led the team. He has previously led his scientific colleagues to make another synthetic based genome, which was successfully transplanted from one bacterium to another.

The scientists and researchers have now successfully ‘merged’ they two methods and created a synthetic cell, however it must be said that this is only part synthetic, as the host cell has had the synthetic genome transplanted into it by the team. Dr Venter said that the transplant was similar to creating software for the host cell to run on.

The researchers copied an existing bacterial genome. They sequenced its genetic code and then used “synthesis machines” to chemically construct a copy.

Once replicated, the ‘new’ bacteria replicated itself over a billion times and in doing so producing copies that contained and where controlled by the constructed synthetic DNA. The team hopes to eventually design and then build some new bacteria that will perfume useful functions.

The team of researchers are collaborating and working with pharmaceutical companies to further develop their methods.

Now is the time to take advantage of a cash plan as it means you will always have help with the cost of remaining healthy. A health cash plan is a good idea if you require basic cover for day to day health care.

With the cost of living rising constantly paying for everyday healthcare can be a strain on your finances. Cash health plans are in place to help cover routine everyday healthcare costs on dentists and opticians fees as well as on some alternative therapies. Cash health plans are in place to take the stress out of affording routine healthcare.

With a health cash plan you are covered for a range of routine treatments that are either discounted or paid for in full. You are covered up to a capped annual policy limit. With a cash health plan you must keep to an annual maximum amount of spend which is outlined in your plan.

There are lots of benefits available with a cash health plan usually including dental cover, optical cover including sight test, contact lenses and even laser eye surgery in some policies, discounted health club membership. Some policies even include physiotherapy and acupuncture.

By paying a regular amount into your cash health plan you will be covered against a range of benefits and alternative therapies after a qualifying period of between 3- 6 months. The more you pay into a plan the more annual spend you will have to use.

Health cash plans differ to general medical insurance as they do not pay for everything; they are designed to pay out for day to day treatment and appointments rather than ongoing medical treatment. A cash health plan is a good idea if you are generally healthy but wish to spread the cost of your routine treatments rather than having to face a potentially large lump sum bill.

Many companies offer corporate cash health plans as taking the stress out of paying for such treatments has been proven to increase the happiness of staff. Taking the stress out of essential healthcare can benefit people greatly.

To make sure you are covered for routine medical expenses take out a Health Plan. This article was written on behalf of medicash by Prodo a provider of SEO services in Chester