The healthcare group is responding to increasing demand for workplace mental health support and is planning to open 70 mental health centres by the end of 2027.
International healthcare group Bupa is to open 70 mental health centres across the UK in response to increasing demand for workplace mental health support.
The healthcare charity Mind estimates that one in four adults experience some form of mental health concern each year, which rises to one-third of UK employees. A quarter of UK workers reported a deterioration in their mental wellbeing over the past year, while a third (33%) of those affected did not seek any form of assistance, according to insurance company Unum.
Professional services firm Deloitte has estimated that this costs UK companies £51 billion each year due to the impact of employees’ mental ill health.
This rising demand is reflected in claims trends from Bupa customers. Since 2020, there has been a 20% annual increase in people seeking access to mental health support, while a 2024 analysis of 58,000 Bupa Health Assessments revealed that 44% of people were at risk of poor mental health.
Since 2020, Bupa UK Insurance has seen a 20% year-on-year rise in claims for mental health services. It plans to open 20 mental health centres – called Mindplace – across the UK this year with a further 50 to open by the end of 2027.
Fast access to care
Initially accessible to Bupa’s four million UK insurance customers, Mindplace centres will offer access to face-to-face talking therapies including counselling, psychology, psychotherapy and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). They will become available to self-pay customers shortly after.
“Mindplace centres will help people get fast access to face-to-face care,” said Carlos Jaureguizar, chief executive for Bupa Global, India & UK.
The first Mindplace centres will open in Guildford, Reading and Bristol; areas identified with the highest demand for dedicated support. By the end of 2025, 17 more will open. A further 50 Mindplace centres will open through 2026 and 2027 to meet the rising demand for mental health support across the country.
The firm says that there will be 200 Mindplace centres across Bupa’s global locations by the end of 2027.
