The Department for Work and Pensions and Department of Health and Social Care have announced a £64m plan, as part of the WorkWell scheme to get people back into work.
The funding is for a new work and health support service to help people with health conditions back to work. The programme will provide “tailored support for people in their local area so people can stay and progress in work”. From October 2024, the scheme will connect 59,000 people to local support services including physiotherapy and counselling.
The WorkWell pilots will be rolled out across 15 areas of England:
- Birmingham and Solihull
- Black Country
- Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire
- Cambridgeshire and Peterborough
- Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly
- Coventry and Warwickshire
- Frimley
- Herefordshire and Worcestershire
- Greater Manchester
- Lancashire and South Cumbria
- Leicester, Leicestershire, and Rutland
- North Central London
- North West London
- South Yorkshire
- Surrey Heartlands
The WorkWell service provides a single, joined-up assessment and gateway into employment support and health services locally to help people manage their conditions and to identify workplace adjustments or support that would enable them to stay in work or return sooner.
Participants do not need to be claiming any Government benefits and will receive personalised support from a Work and Health Coach to understand their current health and social barriers to work and draw up a plan to help them overcome them.
WorkWell is for anyone with a health condition or disability, including mental health conditions, who wants to work. It is a voluntary service, so people will be able to self-refer, or may be referred to WorkWell through their GP, employer or the community sector.
These professionals will also provide advice on workplace adjustments, such as flexible working or adaptive technology, facilitate conversations with employers on health needs, and provide access to local services such as physiotherapy, employment advice and counselling.
The initiative builds on the Government's £2.5 billion Back to Work Plan aimed at helping up to 1.1 million people with long-term health conditions, disabilities, and long-term unemployment to find and stay in work.
Integrated Care Systems in England were invited last year to apply for funding to deliver WorkWell: Workwell guidance for local system partnerships.
