Companies should give their employees free fruit to help keep them healthy and ease pressures on the NHS, Matt Hancock has said.
The measure is part of a new government plan unveiled by the health secretary to encourage employers to “help improve the health of staff and the nation”.
As well as distributing free fruit, the plan will also include workplace schemes to make counselling available and give employees loans to buy bicycles.
In addition, the strategy will include ways of improving health through environmental changes, housing and the use of technology.
Hancock said employers could learn from the military’s success rate at getting wounded soldiers back to work, telling theSunday Telegraphthat whereas soldiers have an 85 per cent return-to-work rate after a serious injury, the rate for civilians is only 35 per cent.
“The links between the employers and the NHS and people who are unwell need to be strengthened here,” Hancock said. In the Netherlands, by contrast, companies can be penalised if they don’t do enough to help sick staff recover.
Labour's shadow children's minister Tracy Brabin poured cold water on the scheme, saying it failed to address bigger issues in the employment sector.
Speaking on theBBC'sAndrew Marr Show, she said: 'It's about pay and conditions and wellbeing in the workplace. If you don't know if you're going to work tomorrow, an apple's not going to do it.'
