Request for Information for Surrey County Council Workforce Healthcare Benefit

SCC is committed to supporting a healthy, resilient workforce, aligned to the "Surrey Way", ensuring that no one is left behind. This includes critical frontline services such as SFRS, where staff operate in physically and mentally demanding environments and require timely access to healthcare support to remain fit for duty.

SFRS employ approximately 800 staff, including around 500 operational firefighters plus 50 control room staff, delivering services across a population of over 1 million residents in Surrey. This scale of workforce, combined with the physically and mentally demanding nature of firefighting roles, reinforces the need for accessible and timely healthcare support to maintain operational capacity and resilience. The workforce requires flexible and accessible healthcare provision to support different working patterns.

The Council is seeking to explore a Workforce Healthcare Benefit that is tailored to the needs of its firefighter workforce. The proposed service is intended to support SFRS employees, with a primary focus on operational firefighters, and the Council is looking for a provider to deliver the following outcomes:

• Support staff to remain fit for operational duties, particularly in physically demanding roles

• Enable early access to healthcare, reducing delays in diagnosis and treatment

• Improve return-to-work times and reduce reliance on long-term absence

• Provide targeted support for physical and mental health needs, recognising the demands placed on frontline roles

• Enhance overall staff wellbeing, morale, and retention

• Deliver a solution that is accessible, flexible, and easy to use, including a mix of in-person and remote access, to meet the needs of a diverse and operational workforce, including both wholetime and retained firefighters

• Demonstrate measurable and reportable improvements, with clear evidence of outcomes resulting from service delivery and intervention

The Council is particularly interested in solutions that recognise the specific needs of emergency service personnel, including rapid access pathways and support aligned to fitness-for-work requirements.