Key Summary
- The WorkWell project is expected to support up to 56,000 disabled people and people with health conditions return to work by spring 2026
- Patients will receive targeted and timely support to manage their health condition while exploring realistic options for staying in or returning to work
- Last year, of the 11 million fit notes issued across England, 93 percent were declared ‘not fit for work’, offering no constructive alternative or support pathway
The government will roll out a pilot programme, covering 15 regions, to support people with health conditions back to work.
The WorkWell Primary Care Innovation Fund, backed by £1.5 million across 15 regions, will combat the practice of immediately writing people off with a fit note and instead explore ways to help them get back to work.
WorkWell project, jointly run by the Department for Work and Pensions and the Department of Health, is expected to support up to 56,000 disabled people and people with health conditions into work by spring 2026.
Of the 11 million fit notes issued electronically in primary care across England last year, 93 percent of people were declared ‘not fit for work’, offering no constructive alternative or support pathway.
The new funding will enable WorkWell sites, funded by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), to connect patients with local support services.
Patients will receive targeted and timely support to manage their health condition while exploring realistic options for staying in or returning to work.
WorkWell's interventions could include hiring work and health coaches, social prescribers or occupational therapists for GP teams to refer patients to for holistic support.
It will support and upskill occupational therapists or physiotherapists to issue fit notes and improve the quality of work and health advice given to a patient.
It will also upskill GPs to improve their ability to support patients with local work and health advice.
Health secretary Wes Streeting said this pilot aims to transform a broken system "that’s been failing people for years."
"We can’t afford to keep writing people off. Every person we help back into work isn’t just transforming their own life - they’re contributing to our communities, our economy and breaking the cycle that’s been holding Britain back."
He pointed out that last year 90 per cent of fit notes, issued electronically in primary care in England, were issued by doctors - adding to GP workload pressures.
Instead of GPs spending time on administrative tasks, WorkWell sites will use this funding to explore how specialist professionals like pharmacists and occupational therapists can provide comprehensive support that benefits patients and employers.
Work and Pensions secretary Liz Kendall said the current system is holding too many people back.
"WorkWell is transforming lives by helping people stay in and get back to work, and this significant investment will help even more people unlock good jobs and boost living standards," she said.
With 2.8 million people currently out of work due to health conditions, this pilot will take a crucial step toward breaking the cycle of poor health and poverty.
The initiative supports the commitment in the government’s 10-Year Health Plan to embed employment advice within new neighbourhood health services, shifting care from hospitals to communities.
