The DWP will implement PIP crackdown changes in Greater Manchester later this year

Britain is experiencing a rise in illness and disability, with almost a quarter of working-age people reporting a disability and more than three million people out of work due to a health condition, while waiting lists for NHS stay for years and more and more people are being diagnosed. with mental health conditions.

As part of major changes announced by the Prime Minister last month, many claimants are to receive intensive support to get them back into the workforce amid this sharp rise in economic inactivity. Greater Manchester is one of the key areas taking part in the ‘WorkWell’ trial, which is due to start in October.

Announcing the reform of disability and sickness benefits, which many experts doubted would actually happen, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: “The proportion of people who are economically inactive in the UK is still lower than our international peers and lower today than in any year under the last Labor government”.

READ MORE: DWP payments worth £737 unclaimed by millions of people with common conditions

He went on to say: “But since the pandemic, another 850,000 people have joined this group due to long-term illnesses. This has destroyed a decade of progress in which the rate has fallen every year.”

In Greater Manchester as a whole, the highest number of unfit notes to any NHS care board in the country was issued last year – with 744,442 notes issued by GPs declaring someone too ill to work. As part of the reform, the Prime Minister wants other health and work professionals to issue these notes.

The trial, which will take place later this year, will work to find ways to get someone back into work, which could include adaptive technology in the workplace, flexible working hours and recovery-based methods such as intensive physical therapy or counseling.

WorkWell is for anyone with a health condition or disability, including mental health problems, who wants to work. It is a voluntary service, so people will be able to self-refer or be referred to WorkWell by their GP, employer or community sector. Those seeking a medical certificate from their GP to be excused from work and to claim incapacity benefits will be referred to the service to help them overcome any health-related obstacles.

Under the WorkWell system, which is apparently coming to the region in October, a work and health coach would do this assessment, with a focus on getting sick or disabled people back to work. The Department for Work and Pensions provides this as an example of someone’s journey through the WorkWell process.

• The user is employed, but their chronic back pain and depression means they have been put off work and are considering stopping altogether, leaving them financially vulnerable.

• They are referred to WorkWell by their GP, employer or local service.

• They meet with a work and health coach for a work and health assessment to understand their health and social barriers to work and develop a plan to overcome them.

• They are referred to WorkWell in-house services – four sessions with a physiotherapist, one meeting with a counselor and one meeting with an HR adviser for employment advice.

• Their plan also includes referrals to other relevant local services that will enable them to overcome their barriers to work. This includes training opportunities to help them explore new career opportunities; social prescription for a support group that combats loneliness; and speaking to the Citizens Advice Bureau for financial advice.

• Thanks to their plan, they can stay in work and continue to meet with their WorkWell health and work coach, who checks their progress and continues to provide work and health advice as needed.

Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said: “It’s fantastic that 15 ICSs can now start rolling out their WorkWell plans to provide more intensive, early intervention support to their populations.

“ICS leaders know that with the right support, people living with poor health and long-term conditions can find that good quality work helps them to stop feeling worse. This helps people live fuller lives, which in turn reduces the strain on health. Services.”