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Optima Health plc

("Optima", the "Company", and, together with its subsidiaries, the "Group")

Optima Health to deliver medical services to the UK's Armed Forces partnered with Serco

·    Optima Health to deliver medical services to the UK's Armed Forces partnered with Serco and their specialist delivery partners in support of the Armed Forces Recruitment Service

LONDON, UK, 6 February 2025, Optima Health (AIM: OPT), the UK's leading provider of technology enabled corporate health and wellbeing solutions, today announces that Serco, the international provider of critical government services, has been selected by the UK Ministry of Defence as its partner to provide recruitment services for the UK's Armed Forces, a joint recruitment service including the Royal Navy, the British Army, and the Royal Air Force (the "Contract"). This Contract was tendered as a consortium 'TEAM Serco' of specialist delivery partners, with Optima Health being the exclusive medical assessments provider.

The AFRS contract, which is expected to be signed in the coming days, will be for seven years, plus options for a further three one-year extensions.  The component subcontracted to Optima Health has an estimated value of £210m over the initial seven-year term and £290m if all the options to extend the contract are exercised. A 21-month mobilisation period is expected to begin in April 2025 with the new service commencing in early 2027.

Under the Contract, Optima will provide medical assessment services in support of the end-to-end solution delivered by TEAM Serco, from candidate attraction, through to assessment and enlistment and into initial training.

Jonathan Thomas, Chief Executive Officer of Optima Health, said: "We are delighted to be selected as part of TEAM Serco to deliver recruitment services for the UK's Armed Forces.

Optima Health brings specialist medical expertise and extensive track record of delivering government services at scale and to a high quality.  By partnering with Serco and TEAM Serco specialist delivery partners, we believe we have a compelling solution which will modernise and transform Armed Forces recruitment.  

The award of this contract is an exciting milestone aligned with our overall strategy of growing our industry leading medical solutions on a broader scale."

About AFRS

The Armed Forces Recruitment Service (AFRS) is a partnership between the Ministry of Defence and TEAM Serco, collaborating to achieve the right quality and quantity of recruits (regular and reserve forces) into Phase 1 training to achieve the workforce demands of each of the armed services. 

The principal members of Team Serco are:

·    Serco - will be responsible for integration of all programme activities to be undertaken and will lead on transition from the current recruitment arrangements, providing career advice, a new contact centre, asset and fleet management, and estate management.

·    Pegasystems - specialises in enterprise transformation and platform solutions, empowering leading organisations worldwide. They are the current provider of the Recruiting Information Technology System for the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy. By leveraging intelligent automation and insights, Pega has revolutionised and automated various stages of the recruitment process, modernising and improving the candidate experience.

·    Adecco - With a presence in 60 countries, Adecco is a global leader in workforce solutions, supporting 3.5 million careers daily. It has provided innovative recruitment services to the UK public sector for over 30 years and is the appointed prime partner of the tri-Service Australian Defence Force Recruiting contract.

·    Akkodis - As Adecco's in-house technology business, Akkodis specialises in Talent Management Digital Solutions, with 20+ years supporting the UK Ministry of Defence.

·    TMP - the largest UK recruitment marketing agency, with over 80 industry awards for creativity and effectiveness. Their attraction and awareness campaigns utilise 1,200 media channels to recruit hard to fill roles across the public and private sector, plus the early careers space.

·    Optima Health - the UK's leading provider of employee health assessments, supporting over 10% of the entire UK working population. With a team of over 1,600 employees, including over 800 clinicians, they deliver over a million clinical assessments each year throughout the UK, including at over 50 clinics. 

·    PA Consulting - works across the defence and security ecosystem, helping it to innovate and transform. Their people are experienced industry professionals and leaders in building innovative systems and solutions, using their experience and relationships to challenge conventional thinking, foster ingenuity and deliver rapid results.

·    Military Preparation College for Training- MPCT is a leading provider of vocational education and training for people aged 16+ in the UK. With a focus on fitness, vocational qualifications, and employability skills, MPCT prepares learners for rewarding careers in the Armed Forces or uniformed services.

Enquiries

About Optima Health

Optima Health is the UK's leading provider of occupational health and wellbeing services, directly influencing and improving people's lives for 25 years. Optima Health's incredible team of professionals quickly and effectively encapsulate client's needs, supporting organisations of all shapes and sizes. Through tailored solutions and innovative systems, Optima Health offers unparalleled clinical expertise to its clients. These solutions ensure that processes are simple and allow its clients to spend more time focusing on their employees driving a healthy, high-performing workplace. For more information visit www.optima health.co.uk