GPSJ Autumn 2024 ONLINE - Flipbook - Page 5
NEWS
GPSJ
Heat network suppliers urged to register with
Energy Ombudsman
Energy Ombudsman is urging
heat network suppliers, also
known as heat suppliers,
to register with its service
before new legislation for Heat
Networks comes into e昀昀ect on
1st April 2025.
A heat supplier is any person or
organisation that supplies and
charges for the supply of heat
to consumers through a heat
network.
The upcoming legislation
will allow Heat Network energy
consumers to bene昀椀t from the
Energy Ombudsman service,
when attempting to resolve
disputes they have with their heat
network.
Energy Ombudsman is
encouraging heat suppliers to
register with them, and provide
details of their Heat Network
sites, in advance of the upcoming
legislation changes on 1st April
2025.
As an independent and impartial
service, Energy Ombudsman
already provides fair dispute
resolution between energy
suppliers and consumers that
builds trust and breaks deadlocks.
The organisation’s independence
and impartiality, guarantee fair
unbiased decisions - driving trust
and con昀椀dence, to ensure the best
outcomes for all.
Ed Dodman, Chief Ombudsman
at Energy Ombudsman said:
“The new legislation comes
into e昀昀ect in April, and we are
currently engaging with the sector
to encourage heat suppliers to
become members of our scheme
as soon as possible. Signing up
before the changes come into
e昀昀ect means that heat suppliers
can ensure that any disputes
raised to us regarding Heat
Networks can be handled without
confusion or delay.”
Any heat suppliers already
registered don’t need to take any
further action ahead of the new
legislation. To check if a Heat
Network, Supplier or Operator
is a member of scheme, please
visit our website. https://www.
energyombudsman.org/raisedispute
PocDoc partners with Gov Facility Services
Limited on rollout of cardiovascular disease
tests to boost workplace health
PocDoc has announced a new
partnership with Gov Facility
Services Ltd (GFSL), an Arm’s
Length Body (ALB) of the
Ministry of Justice (MOJ), to
give all employees access to
Digital Home Health Checks
for cardiovascular disease
(CVD).
Through the partnership, GFSL,
which is responsible for providing
facilities management services
to prisons across the South East
of England, will o昀昀er PocDoc’s
‘Healthy Heart Check’ as part of
their wellbeing package to all sta昀昀,
to be completed at home.
The initiative aims to encourage
sta昀昀 to take a proactive approach
to their heart health, supporting
GFSL’s commitment to boosting
employee wellbeing. This
approach also aligns with the
Government’s goals of shifting
care out of GP surgeries to home
and community environments,
placing a greater emphasis on
prevention and enabling digital-昀椀rst
solutions where possible.
PocDoc’s ‘Healthy Heart Check’
o昀昀ers patients a comprehensive
cholesterol pro昀椀le, body mass
index score, NHS heart age, and a
ten-year risk assessment for heart
attacks or stroke. Carried out via
a phone, it helps identify people
at risk of CVD easily and quickly,
so they can treat or prevent their
condition before it develops, with
no need to visit a GP or hospital
for testing.
Health and wellbeing
are an increasing focus for
employers and employees. By
promoting preventive health
measures, companies can
reduce chronic conditions in the
workforce. Research shows that
organisations with comprehensive
wellbeing programmes reported a
25% reduction in healthcare costs
over 昀椀ve years. 1
This initiative builds on
PocDoc’s mission to increase
accessibility to preventative testing
across the UK. It is a mission of
signi昀椀cant importance, with the
NHS currently spending more
treating cardiovascular, renal and
metabolic diseases than any other
illness - including £7.4 billion
for CVD alone2. With research
suggesting that as many as 80%
of CVD cases are preventable3,
at-home diagnostics hold major
promise - the NHS estimates that
each digital health check could
save 20 minutes of NHS time
4, freeing up thousands of GP
appointments.
Steve Roest, CEO at PocDoc,
commented: “We are thrilled to
announce this new partnership
with Gov Facility Services Limited,
who have embraced the value of
Digital Home Health Checks as an
employee bene昀椀t.
“Our Healthy Heart Check gives
GFSL employees the opportunity
to take accessible and e昀케cient
action on their heart health while
enhancing the department’s
wider wellbeing commitment to
employees.
“By providing an alternative
touchpoint for cardiovascular
testing, we hope to raise
awareness of the bene昀椀ts of early
screening, which we hope in
the long-term will help to drive a
culture of preventative care across
government organisations.”
Kirsty Rice, Deputy People
Director at GFSL said: “As an
organisation, we’re dedicated to
supporting our employees and
providing them with the tools
to enhance their health and
wellbeing. This exciting partnership
with PocDoc reiterates this
commitment to our employees,
to ensure they feel valued and
supported.
“Through PocDoc’s innovative
Healthy Heart Check, we are
empowering our employees with
the tools to take charge of their
own health, detect any potential
problems faster and then take
action. This initial rollout is just
the start, and we’re excited to
continue to work with the PocDoc
team in the future to give more of
our employees the chance to get
ahead on their health.”
GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC SECTOR JOURNAL WINTER 2024/2025
5
