The Government expanding the support offered to employees with health conditions to stay in or return to work, through the expansion of the WorkWell service.
This pilot scheme will now be rolled out across England with a £259m Government investment . The scheme allows employees and those out of work to access a range of services, including physiotherapy and counselling. It also provides help with securing workplace adjustment to allow people to stay in employment.
During the pilot phase, more than 25,000 people accessed support, with almost one in two (48 per cent) seeking help for mental health problems. Nearly six in ten (59 per cent) were out of work at their first appointment, but secured employment.
WorkWell can be accessed through multiple routes, including employer referrals, GPs, jobcentres and self-referral. The Government said the expanded service is intended to reduce reliance on GP-issued ‘fit notes’, easing pressure on primary care. Doctors currently issue more than 11 million fit notes a year, typically confirming that an individual is not fit for work.
The service forms part of the Government’s wider Pathways to Work programme, designed to help disabled people and those with long-term health conditions move from welfare into employment. The rollout will apply in England only.
The expansion has been welcomed by employers and advisers. Brett Hill, head of health and protection at Broadstone, said the move could help address record levels of economic inactivity linked to long-term ill health, particularly mental health.
“By providing tailored, health-led support for people who are currently out of work, it has real potential to help more people re-enter employment who might otherwise remain excluded from the labour market,” he said. Hill added that WorkWell should complement the Keep Britain Working Review by supporting people back into work while helping employers reduce sickness absence.
Announcing the expansion, work and pensions secretary Pat McFadden said: “Too often, people with health conditions are signed off sick without the support they need to stay in or return to work—and that doesn’t help anyone.
“WorkWell changes that by giving people the help they need. Our pilot supported 25,000 people to remain in their jobs and helped others get back to work. Now we’re rolling this out nationwide—because supporting people to stay healthy and employed benefits individuals, businesses and the economy.”
