Welcome to the Health BOCS Update, the monthly update on Health and Wellbeing activities at the Brothers of Charity Services in England.
Click here to view the BOCS Health and Wellbeing Calendar from 2018/2019.
July Promotion
As part of Health BOCS, The Brothers of Charity Services’ health and wellbeing programme, throughout July, we will be promoting: Busy Bees Childcare Vouchers and Medicash/Staff Benefits.
Busy Bees Childcare Vouchers
The Brothers of Charity Services offer Childcare Vouchers to their employees. The childcare vouchers scheme is fantastic money-saving solution to help working parents save money on their childcare costs.
What are childcare vouchers?
As a working parent, you can use Childcare Vouchers to pay for your childcare costs and by doing so you could save up to £933* per year, helping to make childcare more affordable.
Childcare vouchers can be used to pay for any registered childcare for children up to the age of 16**, including:nurseries, child minders, play schemes, pre-schools, nannies, activity camps, before and after school clubs, holiday clubs and independent schools.
How do they work?
Simply exchange part of your salary in return for the same amount of Childcare Vouchers. Childcare Vouchers are deducted directly from your wages each pay period before PAYE and National Insurance is calculated, which is how you make your savings as you pay tax and National Insurance on the amount after the deduction.
You can choose to deduct up to £243* per month (£55* per week) depending on which tax band you fall into. Vouchers are then placed in your online Busy Bees Benefits account to be paid directly to your childcare provider.
Factors such as Working Tax Credits, Child Tax Credits, Universal Credit, Statutory Maternity Pay and other employee benefits can affect how much you are entitled to have in Childcare Vouchers.
Register for Childcare Vouchers
If you would like to take advantage of the savings available to make your childcare more affordable, simply follow the link below and enter the password provided. You will need to have recent payslip to hand to complete registration.
Payroll Frequency- 4 Weekly- Thursday
URL- http://bbblogin.com/Registered/GMCWMAME
Password- Urban68
*Subject to individual circumstances
**A child qualifies to Childcare Vouchers up to the end of the week containing the 1st September following each child’s 15th Birthday (16th birthday for children with a disability)
Medicash/Staff Benefits
Your Medicash healthcare plan covers yourself and up to 4 children (until their 24th Birthday in full time education)
You can receive cash back on every day healthcare bills such as dental and optical. Cash Back is also available on a range of treatments, therapies and much more.
Medicash covers every day essentials:
- Routine Dental Treatment- per adults: £55/ per child: £27.50 (Half of the annual limit can be claimed towards dental care plan fees. Medicash will only pay dental care premiums where paid for by the individual)
- Dental Accident and Injury- per adults: £150
- Optical- per adults: £55/ per child £27.50
Making a claim (once completed probation)
Ask for receipt from your practitioner after you have received and paid for your healthcare treatment. You can then either:
- Complete a claim form by filling the form in online, printing it out the posting it to Medicash along with your receipts.
- Make a claim through the Medicash app- removing the need to post your receipts!
Your claim can be paid directly into your bank or by cheque. As well as the app staff can now access their Medicash via https://www.medicash.org/customers/boc
August Promotion
As part of Health BOCS, the Brothers of Charity Services’ health and wellbeing programme, throughout August, we will be promoting: Sun Care and BBQ Safety.
Sun care
We all need some sun exposure. When skin is exposed to the sun, our bodies make vitamin D, which helps the body absorb calcium for stronger, healthier bones.
Do not rely on sun cream alone to protect yourself from the sun. Wear suitable clothing and spend time in the shade when the sun’s at its hottest; in the UK, this is between 11am and 3pm from March to October. When buying sunscreen, the label should have: a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 15 to protect you against UVB; and at least for-star UVA protection. Don’t spend any longer in the sun than you would without sunscreen.
The immediate danger of too much sun is sunburn. With repeated sun damage, skin starts to look dry, wrinkled, discoloured, and leathery. Although the skin appears to be thicker, it actually has been weakened and, as a result, it will bruise more easily. However, the sun’s most serious threat is that it is the major cause of skin cancer, which is now the most common of all cancers. Doctors believe that most skin cancers can be avoided by preventing sun damage.
Click here to find out more information.
BBQ Safety
A BBQ should be a safe and enjoyable experience but it’s all too easy to be distracted when you have friends and family around whilst cooking. To avoid injuries or damage to property, follow these simple precautions:
General Safety:
- Make sure your barbecue is in good working order.
- Ensure the barbecue is on a flat site, well away from a shed, trees or shrubs.
- Keep children, garden games and pets well away from the cooking area.
- Never leave the barbecue unattended
- Keep a bucket of water or sand nearby for emergencies
- Ensure the barbecue is cool before attempting to move it.
- Consult the instructions provided for advice on how to check for gas escapes, e.g. brushing leak detection solution around all joints and looking for bubbles.
- Leave your gas stove, light or heater outside, with a supply of fresh air, at all times.
Click here for more information.