Simplyhealth brings individuals and communities together to improve health of UK
- Company has developed a new app, free to all, to support people’s health and mental wellbeing during the pandemic and for the long-term
- For every download of the SimplyMe app in November, Simplyhealth will donate £5 to help 160,000 young people facing disadvantage to stay healthy, safe, and active through sport
At a time when the country is facing even more lockdown restrictions and worries about their own health, there is a new national understanding and empathy that the UK’s health is dependent on everyone’s actions as a whole.
Simplyhealth, one of the UK’s leading healthcare plan providers has recognised that now is the time to amplify their long heritage of Purpose-led values, and their commitment to providing as many people as possible access to better health and wellbeing, while donating a proportion of their profits to health-related causes in local communities.
Never has our sense of community been more important, or relevant as it is today. We are really proud of our heritage and wanted to show how much we care about the health of the UK and continue to do our very best for our customers. Throughout the past months we have seen everyone come together, in their communities, working for the greater good.
We have listened to what people want, and are now harnessing that power of community, bringing our Purpose to life, and showing everyone that they can take control of their health and also help others in the process. We all have our part to play in staying healthy and looking after each other.
Motivating people through community spirit
To support this national desire to improve overall health in the UK, Simplyhealth has launched a new free-for-all health and wellbeing app, SimplyMe, to encourage and motivate consumers to lead healthier lives and look after their mental wellbeing.
The innovative new app recognises and understands individual’s habits and behaviours to support, nudge and provide personal motivation for each user. However, it not only looks after the user’s own health, but also rewards their healthy behaviour by giving back to communities in need.
For every download of the SimplyMe app in November, Simplyhealth will donate £5 to help 160,000 young people facing disadvantage to stay healthy, safe, and active through sport due to a new partnership with Sported. Sported are a national charity which supports almost 3,000 community sport and youth groups across the UK.
Sported are delighted to be working in partnership with Simplyhealth to ensure the wellbeing of young people often living in disadvantage.
We believe that grass roots groups have a unique role to play in engaging and inspiring young people, using sport to make a positive difference to communities and improving physical and mental health. Sported provide mentoring support for these groups, ensuring they have the resources needed to grow and thrive.
With Simplyhealth’s generous support, we can help these extraordinary groups during this difficult time to get back up and running ensuring their future sustainability. This will ensure that over time, young people can return to safe and positive environments, be active and enjoy the best of their community.
Simplyhealth carried out research with 2,000 UK adults and found that charitable causes could motivate the public to become healthier through exercise. 40% of respondents said that it would motivate them to exercise more if their fitness tracker or device were to raise money for a charity or community initiative in response to their efforts to improve their health.
Driving consumers to be healthier
Simplyhealth’s research revealed that people are feeling much less healthy than before the pandemic and are concerned about their mental wellbeing.
- 42% feel their physical fitness has suffered
- 42% feel their mental health has suffered
- 38% have found it more difficult to sleep
- 19% are less healthy than before the pandemic
Of those who have become less healthy during the pandemic:
- 38% are less active
- 29% are eating more junk food
- 26% are drinking more alcohol
However, despite this, the majority (62%) of people believe they will be more proactive about looking after their health and wellbeing in the future.
The SimplyMe app will encourage people to make small easy steps to better health and wellness. Users can monitor data on their BMI, emotional wellbeing, sleep, and heart rate, and identify personalised changes to help them improve their physical and mental health.
One of the biggest challenges to health is lack of motivation, with nearly half of respondents (48%) saying that willpower is a major barrier to health improvement.
When asked what could make a difference in getting them back to good health, 51% of those surveyed said technology will play a key role, with fitness trackers, smart watches, and apps being seen as helpful in motivating people to improve their health and wellbeing. Younger consumers in particular (67% of Millennials) think fitness trackers, smart watches or apps can help to improve your health.
To find out more about SimplyMe, visit www.simplyhealth.co.uk/simplyme or download the SimplyMe app via the App Store or Google Play Store.
Source
This survey was carried out by Deltapoll on the behalf of Simplyhealth and surveyed a nationally representative sample of 2,082 UK adults, August 2020.
Since 1872 we’ve been helping people get healthcare through our health plans, charity partnerships and by being a voice in healthcare. Today we’re delighted to be the UK’s leading provider of health plans, dental plans and pet health plans, which help individuals, families, employees and pets to get support with their health when they need it.
We don’t have shareholders which means we are totally focused on making sure no one goes without the healthcare support they need, and why we are passionate about being a voice in healthcare and partnering with charities to reduce health inequality. We have a commitment to donate part of our pre-tax profits to charities or community projects each year and spread our donations across a wide range of healthcare-related charities.
In 2019 we became Official Healthcare Partner of England Rugby, a partnership that will help us deliver on our purpose and improve access to healthcare for the rugby community.
To find out more visit www.simplyhealth.co.uk
About SimplyMe
SimplyMe works by monitoring data that the user puts in, as well as synching information from a wearable device (FitBit, Garmin, Apple Watch or Apple Health app, or a simple pedometer) to track the user’s sleep, weight, heart health, emotional wellbeing, and activity. Using science-based algorithms to spot patterns, the app gives users personalised insights and ideas to help them readdress the balance and feel better and healthier.
The SimplyMe app is available to download now via the App Store or Google Play.
About Sported
Helping community groups survive, to help young people thrive.
Sported is a UK wide charity promoting fairness and equity for young people through grassroot sport and physical activity. Sported are the UK’s largest network of community groups supporting 160,000 young people to overcome barriers to reach their full potential.