The energy giant is responsible for owning and maintaining the electricity cables and lines that deliver Power to homes and businesses in London, the South East, and East of England. They took the step to strengthen health and wellbeing support after identifying a gap in their benefits and rewards portfolio.
Plugging a benefits gap
Steve Remnant, Head of Reward, HR Services and Employee Relations explained: “All our feedback was telling us health benefits were something people were very interested in. They were struggling to get in to see anyone at their GP or local hospital - and we felt we needed to step in to help with that.
“Everyone at UK Power Networks has access to a cash plan, an EAP, and even occupational health services. We’ve also got a traditional PMI plan, but as with most organisations it only covers those in the most senior roles. So there was this clear gap in terms of practical, physical diagnostic and treatment services for the wider population.
“The equitable thing for us to do was to modernise and equalise our health support - and that’s where Equipsme has come in. It was the nearest fit to getting full-blown PMI for every single person in our organisation, without breaking the budget.”
UK Power Networks were introduced to Equipsme by brokers Mercer Marsh Benefits, as a hybrid-solution between PMI and cash plans. The Equipsme plan includes 24/7 GP access through Health Hero, alongside physiotherapy, diagnosis and treatment through AXA Health.
Practical healthcare
Steve continued: “We wanted something that would give people a fast-track to a GP or a consultant, get them an early diagnosis and swift intervention. With Equipsme our people are now more likely to be seen for diagnostic testing and medical or therapeutic treatment for things like MSK conditions in days or weeks rather than months.
“Cleary that’s going to impact our sickness absence rates – which is great – but not why we’ve made this investment. For us, it’s really about making sure we’re the sort of employer that people want to work for, and an attractive proposition in the modern market. We think these are the things businesses absolutely should be doing to support people, attract the best candidates, and retain them.”
Chief Executive at Equipsme, Matthew Reed said: “We work with forward-thinking, people-first businesses to make sure health insurance works for more of the workforce – not just those in leadership.
“Equipsme plans are designed to be cost-effective and practical for whole teams, and respond to the everyday health issues that are having the biggest impact on employees -and on their ability to do their jobs. We’ve been delighted to be able to roll that out for so many employees at UK Power Networks.”
Ends
Notes to editors
About Equipsme
Equipsme was launched in 2018 with a mission to make business health insurance work for more businesses and more employees - not just senior management. It takes up the middle ground between traditional private medical insurance and cash plans, providing quality health insurance at cost effective prices.
www.equipsme.com
About UK Power Networks
UK Power Networks owns and runs the cables and substations which deliver electricity from the national grid to 8.5 million homes and businesses across London, the South East and East of England, serving approximately 20 million people.
As the country’s biggest electricity distributor, it has invested more than £8 billion in its electricity networks since 2011, focusing on safety, network reliability, and customer service. It also innovates to care for vulnerable customers, keep costs low and help enable decarbonisation.
The company is five-time winner of Utility of the Year (including 2025), rated second in the UK’s Top 25 Best Companies to Work For, and holds Investors In People’s Platinum status.
If you have an issue with your power, there are many ways to get in touch including freephone 105 and @UKPowerNetworks
Press enquiries:
Please contact Abi Stevens on: [email protected]
