The UK Government has announced £58million of funding to help get people with health conditions back into work, but only for those in England. The Department of Work and Pensions said that it was estimated the funding would help 25,000 people south of the border with mental or physical health conditions to start or stay in jobs by March 2025.
Those on the scheme, called the 'Individual Placement and Support in Primary Care (IPSPC)' programme, will be given employment support alongside their normal health treatment. The support will cover 12 areas across 41 local authorities in England, and participants will be referred to the service by healthcare professionals such as GPs.
It forms part of the UK Government’s plan, outlined by Chancellor Jeremy Hunt in his Spring Budget, to get disabled people and those with long-term health conditions back into work.
The scheme was first launched in April to support 12,700 people across South Yorkshire, Greater Manchester, west London, Norfolk, Cheshire West and Chester, and the West Midlands - at a cost of £27.9million.
A further £31million has now been invested by the DWP and the Department of Health and Social Care to support up to 12,900 people in Enfield, Essex, Newham (Newham, Hackney, Waltham Forest, Tower Hamlets), Nottingham (Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, Derby), Slough and Surrey.
Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work Tom Pursglove said: “In our Health and Disability White Paper, we highlighted the importance of employment support for disabled people and people with health conditions, so it is absolutely right to expand the proven successful model of supported employment further.
“I’m delighted that we’re already seeing this approach boost participants’ employment prospects, wellbeing, self-confidence, and motivation to return to work.
“What we learn from supporting people through IPSPC will pave the way to Universal Support, which, when fully rolled out, will offer people personalised support to help them flourish in work.”
Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride said: “We know that work has a positive impact on people’s health and wellbeing and this pioneering programme will help thousands more people reap the benefits of fulfilling employment with the right help.
“This is a significant milestone in our commitment to invest in employment support for people with health conditions.
Through the reforms we set out earlier this year, we will continue to provide even more inclusive employment opportunities across the country as part of our efforts to unlock people’s potential and grow the economy.”
DWP said that eligible people will be able to opt into Universal Support to receive up to 12 months of support, helping them to move quickly into suitable work and followed with wraparound support to help them to sustain that employment for the longer-term.
Associate director of primary care at NHS Bassetlaw Place Andrew Beardsall said: “The expansion of IPSPC is great for patients and for primary care professionals.
“GPs often report that in trying to deal with patients’ physical and mental health issues they are often only treating a small part of their patients’ overall problems, which cannot be tackled in isolation.
“IPSPC offers the chance to break the spiral between ill health, employment and quality of life. It is simply a good idea and warmly welcomed.”
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