Health clinics and Bupa health insurance
UQ and Bupa have partnered together to offer insurance, clinics and access to other Bupa services to UQ staff.
Bupa health insurance
Bupa is UQ's corporate health provider. UQ has a Bupa Corporate Health Plan that allows you to explore hospital and extras cover packages that are available to UQ staff.
To find out more you can:
- access the Bupa Corporate Health Plan website (staff login required)
- call Bupa Corporate Customer Services on 134 135 and quote the UQ Corporate ID '2106859'.
Bupa home, car and landlords insurance
Bupa has now extended its corporate partnership with UQ to include home, car and landlords insurance discounts to UQ staff:
- UQ staff get 10% off^ Bupa home, car and landlords insurance
- UQ staff who are also corporate Bupa health members get a combined 15%^ off.
^Click to read and consider T&Cs and to get a quote today.
Health clinics
Health, Safety and Wellness runs Bupa health clinics for staff at a variety of UQ sites throughout the year.
In 2023, UQ Wellness will be offering limited appointments across multiple sites for skin check clinics and health essentials clinics on a regular basis.
For more information on upcoming clinics, subscribe to the UQ Wellness email list. To subscribe, email uqwellness@uq.edu.au.
Understanding modifiable health risks
The health clinics aim to help you focus on common modifiable risk factors or lifestyle conditions that you can manage or change to improve your health. These modifiable risk factors include:
Alcohol, tobacco and other drugs
Alcohol
Long term, excessive alcohol consumption can increase your chances of developing harmful health conditions.
Read the Australian Guidelines to Reduce Health Risks from Drinking Alcohol to find out more about responsible alcohol consumption and the different support options available to help manage alcohol consumption.
Other helpful resources include:
Tobacco
Tobacco smoking is a leading cause of preventable death and disease. If you are a smoker, endeavouring to quit is a positive move, and there are resources available to help you find success.
You can find support to quit smoking resources on the Smoke-free UQ site.
Other drugs
Harmful consequences of using illegal drugs can include addiction, injury, overdose and death. It can also affect work performance and relationships, and create risk for those around you.
Support and resources are available to help you succeed at quitting. UQ's Employee Assistance Program provides confidential counselling for UQ staff and their immediate families.
You can also find more information on the Department of Health's Drug Help website. Other helpful resources include:
Nutrition and weight
What we eat can have a major influence on our long-term health. In fact, extra stomach fat or larger waist circumference may indicate a greater risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease and some cancers.
Healthy eating at work can improve concentration, mood, energy levels and self-esteem. It can also help you maintain a healthy weight range and have a positive effect on your long term health.
Nutrition Australia provides more helpful information, support and guidance about nutrition and weight management.
Sedentary behaviour and physical activity
Sedentary behaviour is defined as any activity that has a metabolic expenditure (MET) between >1.0 and 1.5. Watching television or working at a computer are examples of sedentary behaviour.
Taking steps to decrease your sedentary behaviour and increase your physical activity is an effective way to improve your health. Simple lifestyle changes can help you do this:
- walk to work, or a portion of the way to work
- go for a short walk during your lunch break
- take the stairs, not the elevator
- take a short break every hour to get a drink.
Refer to Australia's Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour Guidelines: Tips and Ideas for Adults (18 - 64) for more information and tips on how to increase your daily physical activity.
Sun safety
All workplaces should make sun safety a priority. Employees need to be aware of the dangers of unsafe exposure to the sun in order to reduce their risk of developing harmful health conditions. This is especially true if you work outdoors.
Refer to the Occupational Exposure to Sunlight Guidelines [2.30.10] for more information on how to minimise your exposure to harmful UV light. Cancer Council Queensland also provides information, support and exposure prevention tips.