Workers seek digital physiotherapy treatment during pandemic

Employee benefits provider Unum experienced a surge in digital physiotherapy use through its Help@hand app during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

The health and wellbeing platform saw more than 1,000 digital physiotherapy bookings made by employees.

Almost half (49%) of the online bookings since July were for either back, neck or shoulder problems. These health issues could be because of poor posture from home-based working.

Launched in 2019, Unum’s Help@hand service offers personalised physiotherapy treatment plans, mental health support, medical second opinions and access to remote GPs. Physiotherapists are also able to send out equipment such as heat packs, foam rollers and stretch bands at no additional cost.

Unum also integrated its employee assistance programme within the app in April to provide a digital health and wellbeing offering for employees in the workplace.

‘Our remote healthcare service has proven invaluable for many over the past few months, facilitating access to physiotherapists and GPs quickly without the need for face to face appointments and avoiding additional pressure on NHS resources,’ said Peter O’Donnell, chief executive officer of Unum UK.

‘The challenges of the pandemic have clearly had a physical, psychological or emotional impact on many workers and these pressures are likely to continue over the coming months.’