DWP launches £64m scheme to get people off sickness benefits and back into work

David Bentley
·4-min read

The Department for Work and Pensions has announced a new £64 million scheme to help more people find jobs. The move is expected to help boost Britain's economy and reduce inactivity.

The WorkWell initiative will connect people to local support services including physiotherapy and counselling. The new service - launched by the DWP and the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) - will be rolled out across parts of England from October.

Around 59,000 individuals will be offered assistance either to find work and move off benefits or stay in their current employment, minimising their dependence on long-term sickness payments. There are now 2.8 million people who are 'economically inactive' due to long-term sickness, a near-record high.

Figures released in March showed two million people claiming Universal Credit were ruled unfit for work, with 1.4 million deemed to have 'limited capability for work and work-related activity' (LCWRA), which means they get an extra £416 a month, while another 347,000 have 'limited capability for work' (LCW), which pays an extra £156 a month to those who got it before 2017. The other 272,000 were deemed unfit for work under the old rules, before work assessments and the limited capability categories were introduced

In a statement today, the Government said WorkWell had been designed for anyone with a health condition or disability, including mental health issues, who wants to work. It is a voluntary service; people can either be referred through their GP, employer or a community organisation, or refer themselves.

READ MORE:

Anyone who requests a sick note from their doctor to be signed off from working will be among those who are signposted as suitable for the WorkWell service. This follows on from Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's recent announcement of a review of the "sick note culture" after it was found that 11 million fit notes were issued last year and 94 per cent of those had completely written off the individual indefinitely as "not fit for work."

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. 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.

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 groundbreaking 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 and Social Care 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."

WorkWell could be rolled out nationally if the pilot scheme is a success. It forms part of the Government's £2.5 billion Back to Work Plan, to help up to 1.1 million people with long-term health conditions, disabilities and long-term unemployment to look for and stay in work.

The DWP says "evidence shows that work is an effective way to improve wellbeing – reducing the risk of depression, improving physical health, and building self-confidence and financial independence."

Get breaking news on BirminghamLive WhatsApp. Join our dedicated community to get the latest updates. You can find out more in our Money Saving Newsletter which is sent out daily with all the updates you need to know on pensions, benefits, finances, bills and shopping discounts.

  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next

Latest stories

  • Iran president helicopter crash: The 'butcher of Tehran' had a fearsome reputation - and many will be fearing instability

    Ebrahim Raisi was one of Iran's hardest of hardliners, a fanatical and absolute believer in the Iranian revolution and its mission. A man who launched the first direct attack on Israel in his country's history and a hardliner on whose watch hundreds of Iranians have been killed in the brutal repression of recent women-led protests, Mr Raisi had a huge amount of blood on his hands. Mr Raisi was personally involved in two of the darkest periods of Iranian repression.

  • Trump appears to freeze for 30 seconds on stage during NRA speech

    Biden and Trump campaigns continue to trade barbs over accusations candidates are senile

  • The case against Israel has just collapsed

    By rights, this should be the moment that the humanitarian case against Israel’s campaign in Gaza goes into terminal collapse. From now on, there can be no equivocation. Those who persist in opposing the war based on the number of civilian casualties are either ignorant or arguing in bad faith. Or both.

  • ‘I have never in my lifetime seen as much anger’: how Ireland’s migration system was overwhelmed

    Pub landlord Brian Moore, 54, is busy with customers enjoying a late lunch before they head out into the sunshine.

  • UK hit by highly contagious virus with 'don't go to work or school' warning issued

    The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued an urgent warning as cases of the highly contagious norovirus have spiked

  • Biden Camp Has a Field Day With Wobbly Trump at Podium

    XThe Biden campaign gleefully turned one of Donald Trump’s favorite digs against him on Saturday, branding the 78-year-old candidate as woefully geriatric in response to his embarrassing stumble at a Minnesota rally on Friday.Video from the event shared by Biden-Harris HQ on X showed Trump grabbing the lectern during his remarks on stage, after nearly toppling the podium over.A feeble Trump nearly falls down on stage after he leans on his podium too hard and then goes on an angry rant calling hi

  • Anne Diamond rushed to hospital after paramedics 'went white' when they saw her

    The GB News broadcaster has revealed she was rushed to hospital amid a terrifying health scare and gave viewers an update on her condition today (Saturday May 18).

  • Donald Trump’s lawyer fighting to stop former president from testifying in trial next week

    Donald Trump’s defence lawyer won plaudits for his aggressive handling this week of Michael Cohen, one of the key witnesses in the ongoing “hush money” case against the former president.

  • Helicopter crash could reverberate across the Middle East, where Iran's influence runs wide and deep

    The apparent crash of a helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, the country's foreign minister and other officials is likely to reverberate across the Middle East. Tensions have never been higher than they were last month, when Iran under Raisi and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei launched hundreds of drones and ballistic missiles at Israel in response to an airstrike on an Iranian Consulate in Syria that killed two Iranian generals and five officers. Israel, with the help of the United States, Britain, Jordan and others, intercepted nearly all the projectiles.

  • Trump Ends NRA Speech With ‘Horror’ Warning Set to Dramatic QAnon Music

    Justin Sullivan/Getty ImagesDonald Trump followed up his endorsement by the National Rifle Association on Saturday with a speech stoking fears of the government under Joe Biden “coming for your guns,” and a bizarre monologue set to dramatic music resembling a song favored by QAnon.Addressing thousands of members of the NRA at their annual meeting in Texas, the former president stuck to his usual talking points, hailing the reversal of Roe v. Wade as an “amazing thing,” comparing himself to Al Ca

  • Putin targets German speakers in Russia in search for cannon fodder

    Russia has launched a propaganda drive targeting German speakers for its army and Wagner mercenary force in the latest case of Vladimir Putin seeking ethnic minorities to be cannon fodder.

  • Home Office in threat to deport disabled man to Nigeria after 38 years in UK

    Anthony Olubunmi George, 61, has been refused leave to remain despite living most of his adult life in Britain

  • UK owes Caribbean nations £205bn in reparations, says Cambridge academic

    Britain owes Caribbean nations more than £200 billion in slavery reparations, a leading academic has claimed.

  • Remainers are incapable of admitting the truth about the EU, and Europe’s shift Right

    Suppose that David Cameron had returned from Brussels in February 2016 with something tangible. Perhaps he had acquired the right to deny benefits to new EU immigrants. Or perhaps he had recovered control of fisheries policy. Or maybe Britain had opted out of the EU’s criminal justice system.

  • Emily Andre shares adorable video of baby girl Arabella Rose from lavish family home

    Emily Andre welcomed her third child with her husband, Peter Andre just weeks ago and shared an adorable new video of her precious bundle on Saturday. See video.

  • Ukraine launches 'co-ordinated strikes' against glide bomb Russian airbase - military source

    Ukrainian forces have launched "co-ordinated strikes" against an airbase in southern Russia that is used to unleash glide bomb attacks on Ukraine, a military source has said. The operation, which took place overnight on Saturday, had "significantly reduced" Moscow's ability to use glide bombs against frontline Ukrainian positions, according to the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The Ukrainian military source claimed this would "seriously impact" a Russian attempt to advance on the battleground town of Chasiv Yar, in the east of Ukraine.

  • MAGA Republican Elise Stefanik loses it with Fox News host: ‘This is a disgrace!’

    New York congresswoman is one of several Republicans thought to be vying to become Donald Trump’s running mate

  • Stefanik Loses It When Fox News Host Reminds Her She Called Trump a ‘Whack Job’

    "It's a disgrace that you would take a New York Times article and just read negative quotes," the congresswoman said to host Shannon Bream

  • Spain recalls its ambassador to Argentina over 'insult'

    Spain said Sunday it was recalling its ambassador from Buenos Aires after Argentine President Javier Milei, speaking at a far-right gathering in Madrid, called Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's wife "corrupt".The European Union also stepped into the row, its foreign policy chief Josep Borrell condemning Mile's remarks.The anti-establishment Argentine was the star speaker at a meeting of global far-right leaders organised by Spain's Vox party, which also featured Italy's Giorgia Meloni and France's Marine Le Pen.During his speech, Milei referred to Sanchez's wife, Begona Gomez, as a "corrupt woman". He did not identify Sanchez or his wife by name. But he did allude to a cooling-off period that Spain's Socialist premier took last month to decide whether to resign after a court opened a preliminary probe into his wife for suspected influence peddling and corruption.Sanchez has dismissed the allegations against her as part of a campaign of political harassment by the right."The global elites don't realise how destructive it can be to implement the ideas of socialism... even if you have a corrupt wife, let's say, it gets dirty, and you take five days to think about it," Milei said.Just hours later Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares announced Madrid would recall for consultations its ambassador to Argentina, and demanded a public apology from Milei."It is unacceptable that a sitting president visiting Spain should insult Spain and the Spanish prime minister, a fact that breaks with all diplomatic customs," Albares said in a televised address.The recall of an ambassador for consultations is one of the strongest measures in diplomacy and the final step before the severing of diplomatic relations.- 'Satanic' socialism -"Attacks against family members of political leaders have no place in our culture: we condemn and reject them, especially when coming from partners," the EU's Borrell wrote on social network X.Milei began his visit to Spain on Friday, was not scheduled to meet Sanchez or King Felipe VI during his stay as is usual during a visit by a foreign leader.During a speech on his first day in Spain, Milei denounced what he called "satanic" socialism."Let us not let the dark, black, satanic, atrocious, horrible carcinogenic side that is socialism prevail over us," he said, in a talk about his books on libertarian ideas.He picked up the theme again on Sunday during his address to the rally at Madrid's Vistalegre congress centre, which was attended by some 11,000 people according to Vox."I will lead by example and show the world that a government with our ideas can succeed. It is up to me to show them how sinister and nefarious socialism is," he said.The event came ahead of elections to the European Parliament from June 6-9.Surveys suggest those will result in major gains for Europe's far right, giving it more influence in Brussels.- 'Benefit a few' -Milei, a self-declared "anarcho-capitalist" won elections last November vowing to reduce the Argentine deficit to zero.To that end, he has instituted an austerity programme that has seen the government slash subsidies for transport, fuel and energy.Le Pen, France's far-right standard-bearer and former presidential candidate, stressed the need for tighter limits on immigration in her speech, a central theme of European far-right parties."Entire areas of my country, France, are being submerged by immigration," she said.In video messages, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban urged "patriots" to "occupy Brussels", while Meloni, Italy's premier, called for a "mobilisation" to bring about "change in Europe".In a message posted on X, Sanchez said the "international far-right" was meeting in Madrid "because Spain represents what they hate: feminism, social justice, labour dignity".Hundreds of people, many holding up signs that read "no fascism!" protested in Madrid's central Plaza de Colon against the gathering.Among them was 27-year-old Argentinian Marisel Cherasco who criticised Milei's policies because they "benefit a few at the expense of the well-being of the majority".al-vab/ds/jj

  • Nicola Sturgeon: I was part of the problem on trans issues

    Nicola Sturgeon has said she was “part of the problem” on transgender issues and this was partly why she stood down as first minister.