Prevention is Better Than

Prevention Is Better Than Cure

Randox Laboratories has been on an expansion drive into the preventative health arena with its EveryBusiness packages elevating workforce productivity and morale. Emma Deighan talks to Chloe Duffy, Clinical Operation Manager.

According to the Department of Health, diagnostic wait lists on the NHS here, as of June 2022, sat at 166,410.

That is an increase of 6.5% from the previous quarter and 14.5% higher than the same quarter in 2021.

The latter figures reference diagnostic waiting lists alone and not inpatient or outpatient waiting times, nor do they include cancer-related waiting times.

They’re stark figures and reinforce the importance of detecting and managing symptoms of any illness or condition as early as possible.

In line with challenges faced by the ever-stretched National Health Service, Antrim-based Randox Laboratories has been growing its preventative health clinics to appeal to private and corporate customers who want to avoid waiting times and take control of their health.

And in the past year, Randox has grown its testing clinics from four to 18 with more growth in the pipeline.

These clinics can be found around the UK, with four in Northern Ireland; Belfast’s Lisburn Road, Holywood Co Down, Crumlin and Foyle.

“With so much to enjoy in life, protecting your future health is crucial. But keeping track of your health isn’t always easy to do — even at the best of times,” says Chloe.

“Faced with time pressures across our work and social lives, it can become all too easy to let our health slide. As the UK’s largest healthcare diagnostics company, Randox Health has the solution to this problem.

“Via its network of clinics across the UK, it offers the most personalised, preventative health programme in the world,” she adds.

Randox Health proteomic and genomic testing provides clients with real-time insights into their current health and future health risks. “Unique access to unrivalled health data via Randox Health empowers clients to make simple dietary and lifestyle changes to prevent future illness,” Chloe continues.

Amongst the Randox offerings are the Everyman and Everywoman packages alongside the more comprehensive Signature package.

The Everyman and Everywoman packages combine two full-body health checks per year with diagnostic testing and clinical consultation to give clients the best service possible.

Harnessing Randox Health’s patented technology, the Signature package uses more than 350 data points (including from blood and urine samples) to map patients’ potential risks with regard to thousands of conditions. These include gut and bowel health, tumour markers, and dozens of potentially inherited conditions

“These tests can pick up on markers for type two pre-diabetes, thyroid conditions, vitamin deficiencies, anaemia and much more. They’re comprehensive which allows patients to take control of their health and make informed decisions that help them live a longer, healthier life.

“With our tests, you get to see the blood work results personalised to you. In a standard GP test, that is something you don’t have access to so it gives you an incentive, something to work on,” says Chloe.

“Our Corporate programmes are tailored to work with companies, employers and employees, to benefit all. For any company, the inclusion of a diagnostic health programme enables proactive consideration of the impact of a good health review, and if required, lifestyle changes that will benefit both employees and employer. A healthy workforce will likely be a more productive workforce and a happier workforce,” she adds.

Randox says investing in employee well-being can reduce costs and boost productivity by 25%.

It quotes further research from Population Health Management which shows that having an unhealthy diet increased the risk of lost productivity by 66%.

It added: “Investing in the health and wellbeing of employees provides additional benefit to workers and increases morale. A survey that was done by Workforce Management Magazine, showed that 77% of employees found health and wellness programs to positively impact the culture at work. Additionally, healthy living programs as part of corporate culture are often done in a collective group, which promotes encouragement and team support.”

Among Randox’s corporate client base are Concentrix, Danske Bank and the Northern Ireland football team.

The feedback is extremely positive, Chloe says, adding that health tests can be done at one of Randox’s clinics.

“Maximising this preventative approach is at the heart of Randox Health’s corporate mission, which seeks to harness the power of testing and data to shift healthcare away from sickness management and towards a more powerful, proactive approach. Randox Health wants to give patients the tools and knowledge they need to take control of their own health. This means helping them identify risk factors as soon as possible and then taking science-based steps to improve their long-term health.

“With so much to enjoy in life, protecting your future health is crucial. But keeping track of your health isn’t always easy to do — even at the best of times.”

Social Value Makes Good Business Sense

High-ranking products and services are no longer enough to attract big tenders, talent and in many cases, secure customers. Your societal impact is just as important. CEO of NOW Group, Maeve Monaghan, discusses how her social enterprise can help ramp up your social value.

Belfast-based NOW Group is celebrating its 21st anniversary this year.

Over the past two decades, and a bit, it has been successfully supporting people with disabilities into training programmes and jobs with a future while boosting the social value of many businesses in the process. Among its services are training opportunities across a spectrum of sectors for disabled people, a catering business, cafes and more recently a pottery retail enterprise. “When I started in the NOW Group our focus was on providing training opportunities for participants but we now think bigger and have ambitious plans to support 600 participants into paid jobs in three years and we are well on track to deliver that target,” Maeve says. “We’ll engage them in a range of programmes that integrate into the workforce and jobs for the future.” She says what was formerly a goodwill gesture from firms at the beginning of its life has evolved into a partnership approach to linking businesses with NOW Group’s service and giving them access to a new pool of talent in demand today more than ever.

“Businesses need people and we work with a group of people who have not been valued for what they can bring to businesses. Recent low levels of unemployment mask the fact that NI has the highest levels of economic inactivity in the UK, and disabled people make up nearly 50% of that figure. We have been supporting disabled people to get skilled and get ready for work. We see ourselves as a broker who supports those with disabilities to get into work and supports employers, who perhaps don’t feel confident interacting with disabled people, to recruit them.”

Throughout its history, the NOW Group has helped people secure roles in scuba diving, healthcare, cyber security, hospitality and manufacturing. Its industry academies act as a feeder into a range of sectors including catering, hospitality, retail, digital and manufacturing. “We are not talking to businesses about charitable donations, though they are needed now more than ever for lots of charities. We’re a hybrid, a social enterprise and charity in one,” Maeve continues. “We are now asking businesses how we can partner with them to deliver social value, and the more money that comes in through those partnerships and supply chain collaborations, the more we can drive our mission.”

Among her business clients are Galgorm Collection, Hendersons Group, Woodvale Construction, Deloitte and M&S who have developed social value partnerships with NOW Group to open up supply chain opportunities and create job pipelines. For those who are only beginning their social impact journey, NOW Group’s JAM (Just a Minute) initiative is a simple way to begin. It works particularly well for consumer-facing businesses. There are some 150,000 JAM Card holders across the UK, Ireland and wider afield, Maeve says, explaining: “The JAM Card raises awareness and it’s a perfect tool for businesses who want to embed inclusion and diversity in their workforce.” Signing up for the scheme allows you to become ‘JAM Card friendly’. You will also

“When I started in the NOW Group our focus was on providing training opportunities for participants but we now think bigger and have ambitious plans to support 600 participants into paid jobs in three years and we are well on track to deliver that target.”

receive a training package, available as an online training course or face-to-face workshop, which allows organisations to equip their staff to provide excellent customer service to JAM Card© holders.

Being a disabled-friendly business also allows companies to tap into a lucrative demographic and according to The Purple Pound – a think tank that promotes the economic contribution of those living with disabilities – three in four disabled people and their families have walked away from a UK business, citing poor accessibility and/ or poor customer service. It also said the spending power of this demographic sits at £249bn per year “yet very few businesses have direct strategies to tap into this consumer market”. “Unless it’s directly affecting you, it’s not in your sphere,” Maeve says. Another way of increasing societal value in the workplace is by integrating it into your supply chain. Loaf Catering, a NOW Group business, delivers fresh food to companies as well as catering for special events and parties. Something as simple as swapping your catering supplier can pay dividends for your business. The organisation also runs two city centre cafes; The Bobbin Cafe in Belfast City Hall and Loaf Cafe Bakery on Grosvenor Road while a pottery and pizzeria in Crawfordsburn and a cafe at the Ulster American Folk Park in Omagh also help to boost its profits. The pottery service, ideal for corporate gifting, is another easy way for businesses to boost their societal impact via NOW Group which can measure and record your social impact when using its services, providing you with the documentation needed for tenders or other processes that demand you illustrate your business’ social impact. NOW Group’s growth over the past 20 years has exceeded Maeve’s expectations, she says, but it is far from limited as to where it goes next. A sign of that ambition is the organisation’s expansion into the South, with a new cafe in Kilmainham in Dublin where it will have access to tourists visiting the neighbouring Kilmainham Gaol and the Irish Museum of Modern Art.

“There’s an interesting piece around that cafe, we’re supporting people coming out of the social justice system who find it doubly difficult to get employment. It’s the first of its kind we’ve done,” says Maeve. Concluding, she adds: “Local businesses are already doing amazing things in their own organisations but now is the time to expand that conversation. NOW Group is keen to speak to businesses who want to grow their social value and together we can deliver real change. I believe we are all part of a social economy and focusing on delivering social value just makes good business sense. When done right, social value collaborations mean your staff are happier, your customers value it and it makes you a more attractive company in bids and tenders. The real question is why haven’t we all done it sooner?”