Government publishes details of its WorkWell programme

The Government has published details of its £64m WorkWell programme which aims to reduce the number of people claiming long-term sickness benefits.

The Government states that the voluntary programme will “support and drive a strategic approach to integrating work and health services at place level”.

Between 2024 and 2026, it envisages that around £57 million will be made available through a grants competition for approximately 15 areas, including Cornwall, Birmingham and Solihull, to design and deliver WorkWell Vanguard Services.

These pilots may also take part in testing future government work and health initiatives, for instance, to support the work to test proposed reforms to the fit note process for those with disabilities and health conditions, such as mental illness.

The guidance says that Vanguard Partnerships will design and deliver an early-intervention work and health assessment service which “will provide participants with light-touch holistic support for their health-related barriers to employment, and a single, joined-up view and pathway into the services that are available locally to tackle their specific needs”.

The service will be available to anyone with a disability or health condition who needs support to remain in work; needs support managing a condition in order to return to work from sickness absence; or needs support to start work.

The Government says that WorkWell services could work in particular with individuals with mental health and musculoskeletal conditions.

It is expected that the service will be based on the principles of personalised care and that the initial WorkWell point of contact will be a work and health coach, who will have similar skills to social prescribing link workers and health and wellbeing coaches. They will assess the individual’s barriers to employment, set out a plan to help them stay in or return to work, liaise with employers, advise on workplace adjustments and suggest personalised work and health support.

Each WorkWell team will choose the specialists it needs. They do not have to include clinicians such as occupational therapists. The guidance states: “There is no requirement that WorkWell MDTs deliver clinical services. Although local areas should consider opportunities for integration with wider health and care services or assets, and may include clinical roles if they consider it an effective route to achieving WorkWell objectives, WorkWell is not intended as a service to address unmet clinical need.”

They can refer people to health and other services, including debt advice and Job Centre Plus services.

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