City to trial work and health support scheme as PM pledges to tackle UK’s ‘sick note culture’
LEICESTER is to trial a new government scheme aimed at getting those with long-term illnesses back to work.
The WorkWell programme is part of Whitehall’s broad welfare revamps which include a review of payments to individuals with mental health conditions.
The move has sparked allegations of a “full-on assault on disabled people”.
Beginning in October, the pilot programme will link people suffering from health conditions or disabilities with local physiotherapy and counselling services, with the aim of helping them to either stay in or return to the workforce.
It will also affect sick notes. Under the scheme, people who request them will “have a work and health conversation and are signposted to local employment support services so they can remain in work”.
Leicester is one of 15 areas where the scheme, launched by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and the Department for Health and Social Care, will be piloted.
Other areas include Birmingham, Solihull, Greater Manchester,
Cambridgeshire and selected regions of north London and South Yorkshire.
WorkWell bridges medical support with guidance on adjustments within the workplace.
For example, a GP may direct a patient suffering from severe back pain to WorkWell; an advisor could then liaise with the patient’s employer to implement adjustments such as flexible working hours or an office moved to the ground floor, all while facilitating the patient’s access to physiotherapy.
Work and Pensions Secretary Mel
Stride said: “We are rolling out the next generation of welfare reforms so that thousands more people can gain all the benefits work brings.
“Too many today are falling out of work in a spiral of sickness that harms their finances, their prospects and ultimately their health, where with the right workplace adjustments and help, this needn’t be the case.
“And so we have designed WorkWell, a ground-breaking new service, that will for the first time integrate health and work advice at the local level, as part of our plan to stem the flow into economic
inactivity, grow the economy, and change lives for the better.”
Health Secretary Victoria Atkins said: “Too often, people with disabilities or poor health fall out of work with no support. We have a plan to change that and improve lives so everyone has the opportunity to find fulfilling work.
“This service will help tens of thousands of people, who will receive joined-up work and health support, tailored to their individual needs.
“This service, alongside a faster, simpler and fairer health service, will build a healthier workforce, and a stronger economy.” The service is voluntary, allowing individuals to self-refer or to be referred by an employer or a support organisation.
Additionally, ministers are keen to streamline the process of issuing fit notes with WorkWell. Under the new system, those requesting a fit note will “have a work and health conversation and are signposted to local employment support services so they can remain in work”, according to the DWP.
Last month, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak put forward a proposal suggesting that so-called specialist work and health professionals should take over the responsibility of issuing fit notes from GPs, aiming to tackle the “sick note culture”.
He said the current system failed to adequately focus on the types of work individuals might still be capable of doing.
A proposal to reform personal independence payments, a non-means tested benefit paid to disabled people to help with the extra living costs caused by longterm disability or ill health, was described by disability equality charity Scope as “a full-on assault on disabled people”.
Labour said it would “look closely” at any programme supporting people into work.
Acting shadow work and pensions secretary Alison McGovern said: “With a record number of people out of work due to sickness and millions of people on spiralling NHS and mental health waiting lists, we need a long-term plan to fix our NHS and get Britain working, not more pilots skirting around the edges.
“Labour’s plan to get Britain working will drive down NHS waiting lists, reform job centres, make work pay, and support people into good jobs across every part of the country.”