ICMIF member and affordable healthcare provider Benenden Health (UK) has announced a significant increase in engagement from its 870,000+ members, after its first full year using new democratic processes.

In 2023, all members of Benenden Health were invited to vote on Society resolutions and Board, Executive and Director elections for the first time. At the mutual healthcare provider’s June 2023 Conference, nearly 4% of Benenden Health members chose to vote on matters, up from just 0.4% involvement in democratic processes in 2022. Benenden Health has also recently announced a 26% increase in engagement with its services in 2023.

As well as gaining an 8.9/10 satisfaction score from its members, the ‘Best Healthcare Service’ 2023 winner says it also met a 26% increase in service use for its membership, during in a time when access to the National Health Service (NHS) was at its lowest.

2023 was a significant year for Benenden Health’s democratic structure, as the healthcare provider invited its entire membership to vote on Society resolutions, as well as Board, Executive and Director elections, for the first time.

Previous to 2023, Benenden Health’s member voting was conducted through a ‘branch network’ which engaged just 0.4% of its membership. Under the new democratic and engagement structure, nearly 4% of the membership voted in 2023, showing an 845% increase year-on-year.

Benenden Health’s new ‘Online Community’ platform, which was also launched in 2023, will support the mutual organisation in increasing member voting numbers in the future. The platform allows all members the opportunity to have their say, encourages a more diverse discourse, allows members and the business to make decisions quicker, and more sustainably.

Benenden Health’s Company Secretary, Richard Johnston commented, “I’m proud of the response this year from our new democratic and engagement structure, and we will support it fully into 2024 and beyond to allow it to bed in successfully.

“Introducing our Member Council, for example, who worked alongside our Board to act as a constructive challenge to important decisions such as our member contribution rate, as well as relaying other members’ ideas, questions and concerns was beneficial to both parties.

“We have also seen our Online Community grow to 5,500+ members in its first nine months, discussing topics such as our Gender Health Gap campaign, new product and service development and wider health, wellbeing and lifestyle topics.

“Through this new structure and interaction, we aim to get to know our members better and use that information to make sure we serve them well in the future,” Johnston concluded.

For more information on Benenden Health, visit: www.benenden.co.uk.