UK plc 'needlessly' losing billions as people with cancer fall out of work

More support for sufferers and employers could keep more people at work, report claims People suffering with cancer make a very significant contribution to the UK economy but tens of thousands are prevented from doing so because of a lack of support for them and their employers, a report claims today. The study, carried out by Oxford Economics, reveals that some 560,000 people with cancer are currently in the workforce, contributing £16bn each year to the economy. However the report, carried out in collaboration with Maggie’s Cancer Caring Centres and insurer Unum, means that many people with cancer fall out of the workplace unnecessarily, the report argues. As a result, the UK economy is losing out on £1.8bn every year, it claims. Today’s report suggests that by 2030, with rising prevalence and survival rates, the number of cancer sufferers at work is set to rise to one million, with an economic contribution of £29bn. However, it also argues that as many as 63,000 people living with cancer today want to work, but are encountering barriers that prevent them from doing so. According to Oxford Economics, by 2030 an additional 136,000 people with cancer who want to work could "with the right support" do so, and they could contribute an additional £3.5bn to the UK economy. The number of people with cancer in the workplace is expected to rise exponentially in the coming years as people work for longer and survival rates improve. Research carried out earlier this year by Aviva UK Health shows that nearly a third (29%) of employers are already seeing a rise in the average age of their workforce, while 37% expect to see it get older in the future. And although half of employers believe there are positive benefits for individuals working past the traditional retirement age, nearly two fifths (38%) predict that health issues associated with an aging workforce – such as cancer – will impact their business. Today’s report argues that complex reasons lie behind barriers which are currently preventing more people with cancer from working. It argues that relationships can “quickly and unintentionally” break down due to a lack of “regular and meaningful communication and shared understanding” between employers and employees. Free critical illness advice

Jump in number of insurers offering HIV life cover

But bancassurers less keen to do so, survey suggests

There has been a marked increase in the number of mainstream insurers offering some form of HIV life assurance, although a far smaller number of bancassurers are doing so.
A survey published today suggests that 66.6% of mainstream life offices are providing the cover, up from 50% last year.
But just 40%, or eight out of 20, of bancassurers offer HIV life cover – and “very few” of their offers of insurance are taken up, according to the survey, carried out by specialist medical financial adviser Unusual Risks.
Chris Morgan, marketing manager of Unusual Risks, said many bancassurers do not offer any indication of terms prior to a client making an application. As a result, people living with HIV are being asked to complete applications, submit to medicals and blood tests before any accurate indication of cost is offered, he said.
Morgan also said that of the eight bancassurers surveyed, Unusual Risks found that seven were in fact offering the same insurance companies’ products.

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UK workers facing 'burn-out' as long hours take their toll

Towers Watson urges UK businesses to avoid 'work till you drop' culture

British workers are heading for a “burn-out” as excessive pressures and long hours take their toll, a leading employee benefits consultancy is warning.
A report by Towers Watson, the Global Workforce Study, reveals that a third of UK employees say they are often affected by excessive pressure in their job.
The report, which surveyed some 32,000 employees worldwide, also found that 58% of UK workers say they have been working more hours than normal over the last three years. Half of these expect this to continue for another three years.
Just 53% of employees feel their stress levels at work are manageable, while only a third believe their senior management support health and wellbeing policies.
A quarter of those surveyed said they had not used as much holiday or personal time off over the last three years, while a third say their organisation is under-resourced and 22% feel the amount of work they are asked to do is unreasonable.
Results for the UK were broadly in line with those seen across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, with similar numbers of workers feeling that there was excessive pressure, longer working hours and fewer resources available in the workplace.
Charles Fair, senior engagement and wellbeing consultant at Towers Watson, said the research raises “huge concerns” over the health and wellbeing of the UK’s workers.
He said: “Several years of economic uncertainty have led to increased anxiety around job security with workers putting in longer hours than ever, raising concerns of ‘burn-out’ amongst British workers.
“Businesses should act now to avoid a ‘work until you drop’ culture turning into the norm with workers becoming increasingly unproductive, something our economy can ill-afford at the moment.”
Towers Watson has also identified a clear link between the levels of wellbeing and engagement of a company’s workforce and its organisational performance.
Its Global Employee Research Database – which measures engagement levels in thousands of companies globally - shows that organisations with low engagement produced an average operating margin of around 10% while organisations with high sustainable engagement performed nearly three times better with operating margins of over 27%.
Fair added: “If employees are overworked and stressed then their levels of engagement, morale and wellbeing are correspondingly low and this can have a real impact on the bottom line for many organisations.
“Understanding employees’ needs and putting in place a thorough health and wellbeing strategy can pay dividends for organisations of all sizes.”
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Lung cancer in women 'set to rise 35 times faster than in men'

Warning from cancer charity

The number of women living with cancer in the UK is set to almost quadruple over the next 30 years, far outstripping the number of men with the disease, a leading cancer charity is warning.
Figures from Macmillan Cancer Support forecast that the number of women with lung cancer will rise 35 times faster than the number of men with the illness between now and 2040.
In 2010, there were some 26,000 women living with the disease, which Macmillan predicts will almost quadruple to around 95,000 in 2040.
By contrast, the number of men with lung cancer is expected to rise by just 8%, from 39,000 in 2010 to 42,000 in 2040.
Macmillan-funded research carried out by King’s College London forecasts that the overall number of people living with lung cancer in the UK will have doubled by 2040, from 65,000 in 2010 to around 137,000.
By 2040 fewer than half (47%) of women with lung cancer will be long-term survivors (alive at least five years from diagnosis) compared with three-fifths (59%) of men.
Ciarán Devane, chief executive of Macmillan Cancer Support, said the figures should serve as a reminder that lung cancer “is still very much a cancer killer”.
He said: “For most cancers in the UK we are looking at how we can cope with a population of long-term survivors with health complications. With lung cancer we are a long way from even being able to consider these issues.”
Devane added that it is “nonsensical” that research into lung cancer receives such “minimal” funding compared with other cancers.
In 2010, it received a quarter of the amount of research funding compared with breast cancer.
Macmillan says surgery is often under used as a treatment option for lung cancer, and argues that while it can be key to survival for many patients, access to it “varies dramatically” within the UK.
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