In May 2026, WPA brought together brokers and corporate clients at The National Archives in Kew to explore the long-term implications of current health trends. As employers increasingly play a bigger role in supporting the health and wellbeing of their employees, the guest speakers on show warned that the NHS would be less equipped to provide this provision for growing numbers of people.
Stephen Collier, former CEO of BMI Healthcare, said public confidence in the NHS had weakened since the pandemic. "We've fallen out of love with the NHS. More depressingly, we expect it to get worse," he noted, pointing to research suggesting 42% of people believe standards have declined in the past year.
As a result, employees are increasingly looking to their employers for access to faster care, typically through private medical insurance (PMI). However, rising expectations - including cover for areas such as chronic conditions, fertility and neurodiversity - are driving up costs. "Employer-funded PMI has moved from being a nice-to-have to an essential," Stephen said, warning that expanding benefits risk becoming an unsustainable "treadmill" for organisations.
Professor Sir Cary Cooper, Chair of the National Forum for Health and Wellbeing at Work, argued employers must shift focus towards prevention. With 2.8 million people now economically inactive due to health conditions, he stressed the need to address root causes such as stress and poor workplace culture.
"We have to prevent this, not just deal with the problem," he said, calling for stronger leadership, better measurement of wellbeing, and greater board-level accountability.
Both speakers emphasised the importance of maintaining a balanced system. While private provision will continue to grow, the NHS remains essential. "The two have to live together," Professor Sir Cary concluded.
Take a look below at this video for more information on the event, and how it was received by our colleagues.
WPA Event - National Archives - 7th May 2026
Zoe Ashley, Health Consulting Manager at Benifex, said: "I just want to say thank you to WPA. What a fantastic session today. [It was] really thought provoking; really insightful. I wrote down so many notes, and I'll be using the information that was provided today with my consultancy."
David Bourne, Market Development Leader at Marsh, also added: "[A] really great event run by WPA today, [with] so many relevant points in terms of the challenges that our clients are facing, but also that the UK is facing as a whole. It really encapsulated both the national challenge that we have, and also the challenges that clients are looking to address."
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