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 2019/2020
July Promotion
As part of Health BOCS, the Brothers of Charity Services’ health and wellbeing programme, throughout July we promoted, our annual Heritage Day and Medicash/Staff Benefits.
Heritage Day
On Friday 12th July the Brothers of Charity Services celebrated their annual Heritage Day at Lisieux Hall in Chorley, with the theme of the day being advocacy. The day started off with an amazing performance from our Sing and Sign Choir, led by Daniel Hall. Everyone in the choir thoroughly enjoyed being part of the day and we loved watching their performance. The day was filled with fun events such as a very tense football final; an amazing performance of Joseph and the Technicolour Dreamcoat; raffles and much more.
Read more about our fun day here.
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, and then 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 is 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 4 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.
BBC Safety
A BBQ should be a safe and enjoyable 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 the 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 that barbecue is cool before attempting to move it.
- Consult the instructions provided for advice on how to check for gas escapes, e.g. brushing lead 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
