Harbour Energy: Detecting illness earlier, improving workforce health and bringing people back to work

Operating across offshore platforms, onshore sites and remote locations, Harbour Energy recognises that many serious health conditions can develop silently. Employees may have little or no access to routine healthcare, making early intervention even more important.

As part of its Global Health Strategy, Harbour Energy introduced Bluecrest health assessments to help employees better understand their health, while giving the organisation valuable insight into workforce wellbeing.

A preventative approach to workforce health

“We were conscious that many of the biggest health risks our people face, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity, can develop quietly over time. Often there are no obvious symptoms until it’s too late. We wanted to find a way to help our people spot potential risks earlier, when small changes can make a big difference,” says Dr David Leiper, Health and Wellbeing Manager at Harbour Energy.

The programme forms part of Harbour Energy’s wider ambition to build a culture where employees feel supported to take care of their health while enabling the business to target wellbeing initiatives based on real workforce data.

As David explains: “Ultimately, this isn’t about ticking a box. It’s about creating a culture where our people feel supported to take care of their health, can perform at their best and go home safely to their families.”

Harbour Energy needed a provider capable of delivering high-quality health assessments consistently across a geographically dispersed workforce.

Bluecrest’s nationwide coverage, broad range of health assessments and focus on early identification of risk aligned closely with Harbour Energy’s priorities around prevention and long-term workforce health. The accessible booking process, clear communication and personalised health reports also gave the organisation confidence that employees would actively engage with the programme.

“It felt like a good fit,” says David. “A provider that could meet our operational needs while supporting our broader ambition to take a more proactive and preventative approach to workforce health.”

Rolling out a health assessment programme across multiple locations required careful planning, but Harbour Energy found the implementation process straightforward.

“Overall, the onboarding process was smooth and well supported from start to finish,” says David. “From the outset, Bluecrest were responsive and easy to work with, taking the time to understand our organisational structure and the practicalities of rolling out a programme across a varied workforce. Communication was clear throughout, with a structured approach to planning, timelines and delivery. This made it straightforward for us to coordinate internally and align the rollout with our wider health and wellbeing initiatives.”

Employees have responded positively to the programme, describing the experience as straightforward, accessible and professionally delivered. Clinical staff have been consistently praised for being approachable and reassuring, while the personalised reports have helped employees understand their results and identify practical steps they could take to improve their health.

For many employees, the assessments provided an opportunity to identify health risks they were previously unaware of and encouraged positive lifestyle changes.

Delivering measurable outcomes

The programme has delivered significant clinical and organisational benefits.

Bluecrest assessments have identified multiple cases of high blood pressure, poor lipid profiles and pre-diabetes in employees with no symptoms.

Most notably, the assessments detected ten cases of cancer in employees who were completely unaware they were unwell. All ten received treatment successfully and have since returned to work.

“That just speaks volumes to the benefits of programmes like Bluecrest,” says Dr David Leiper.

Harbour Energy has also seen wider improvements across workforce health. Sickness absence has reduced, mental health medevac rates have fallen from 10 per cent to 2 per cent, long-term absence has decreased and the organisation is seeing the benefits of earlier intervention through reduced long-term insurance claims.

As David explains: “If we’re picking things up early, it’s usually simpler to treat, there’s less sickness absence, people return to work faster, and hopefully fewer long-term claims. Our results demonstrate that.”

Alongside supporting individual employees, the programme has provided Harbour Energy with valuable workforce health data that is helping shape its wider wellbeing strategy.

“It provides us with a much clearer understanding of the underlying health risks within our workforce,” explains David. “Where we see higher levels of cardiovascular risk, obesity, or other modifiable risk factors, we are able to focus our efforts on initiatives that are most likely to deliver meaningful impact.”

The data is also informing conversations with HR and senior leadership, helping ensure future wellbeing initiatives are evidence-based and aligned with the needs of the workforce.

“Over time, as the dataset becomes more mature,” says David, “we expect this insight to play an even greater role in guiding both targeted wellbeing initiatives and, where appropriate, policy development.”

Reflecting on the programme, David believes health assessments should form part of any preventative wellbeing strategy.

“We would absolutely encourage other organisations to consider offering health assessments as part of their wider wellbeing strategy. They provide a practical and accessible way to support early identification of health risks and encourage employees to take a more proactive approach to their health. The key is to position health assessments as part of a broader, preventative approach rather than a standalone initiative. When embedded within a wider wellbeing programme, they can play a valuable role in driving engagement, increasing health awareness, and supporting long-term behaviour change.”

For Harbour Energy, investing in preventative health has strengthened both employee wellbeing and business performance, demonstrating the value of detecting health risks before they become health crises.