People with health conditions will receive further support to
manage their health conditions at work, thanks to 19 innovative
projects set to receive millions in government funding.
Almost £4 million of funding under the new Work and Health
Challenge Fund will be shared between the successful projects.
The fund is the latest in a series of government measures which
form part of a 10-year strategy to get one million more disabled
people in work by 2027.
Projects include a new mobile phone app which aims to ease lower
back pain by giving sufferers a personalised self-management
plan; and an app to help individuals understand signs of mental
ill health, including access to a Vocational Rehabilitation
trained advisor.
The successful projects will enable people to stay in work by
helping them to manage their conditions themselves and making it
easier to access advice and support.
They will also help government and partner organisations develop
future policy by providing more personalised feedback on the
experience of disabled people in work.
Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work said:
We want to harness the power of technology to tackle the
disability employment gap, and these novel ideas will help us
to achieve our goal of seeing one million more disabled people
in work.
The Challenge Fund has given experts on the ground the
opportunity to come up with ideas on how best to support people
to manage their health conditions at work, and the financial
backing to take those ideas forward. I congratulate those
successful in securing funding and look forward to working with
them to develop these innovative ideas.
The Challenge Fund is a joint initiative between the Department
for Work and Pensions and the Department of Health and Social
Care, and has a focus on mental health and musculoskeletal
conditions - some of the most common health conditions in the
workplace.
It will ensure that people whose health conditions may have
previously held them back in the workplace or even caused them to
drop out of employment can benefit from the latest innovations
and tailored support.
Minister for Mental Health and Inequalities said:
No one should be held back at work because they are living with
mental ill-health or a long-term health condition and this fund
marks an important milestone in improving people’s quality of
life and helping them thrive in the workplace.
Physical and mental health should have parity in the workplace
and today’s announcement takes us one step closer to achieving
our ambition for better mental health for all. I look forward
to seeing how this fund transforms people’s lives by maximising
the benefits technology has to offer.
Dr Nasser Siabi OBE of Microlink, one of the bidders successful
in securing funding, said:
Individuals can sometimes face occupational disadvantages due
to a disability or health condition, and many of these
difficulties are unnecessary. With the right adjustments at the
right time, disabled people can bring talent, loyalty and
productivity to the workplace.
We are delighted to be granted this funding for the development
of this tool which will increase access to the various
environmental, technological and interpersonal supports that
will make a real difference to disabled people in work.
The initiatives will address one or more of the following four
broad areas of focus:
- Self-management support: Providing advice to individuals on
how they can self-manage their conditions to enable the
individual to retain employment
- Work capacity advice and support: identifying and exploiting
opportunities that give people high-quality, actionable advice
about their ability to do differing types of work, considering
their wider needs and barriers to work
- Adjustments to working environments: Developing new
approaches to help individuals and employers identify appropriate
workplace solutions, or alternative ways of working that
facilitate work participation
- Joining up services: Strengthening communication, liaison, or
joint action between those involved in achieving better
work-related outcomes for those with mental health and/or MSK
conditions
The 19 successful projects are:
- Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Trust (Health Innovation Network)
- The Pluss Organisation CIC – WorkFit
- Southampton City Council – Well@Work
- Microlink PC (UK) Ltd – MiGenius
- Remploy Ltd – MyWellbeing@Work
- Social Finance – The Link
- Keele University – I-SWAP
- Beatson Cancer Charity – We’re With You At Work
- Enterprise Mentoring – The Enterprise Mentoring Programme
(EMP)
- Bristol City Council – Future Bright: Health and Work
- Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust – A Whole System
Approach to Mental Health for SMEs
- Nottingham City Council – Construction Industry Peer Support
(CIPS)
- Institute for Employment Studies – Developing a Work
Instability Tool for Depression and Anxiety
- Bath Spa University – HOW (Healthier Outcomes at Work)
- Rail Safety Standards Board – Mental Health in Rail
Employment Support Service
- Possability People
- Cardiff University – Back-on-Line
- North West Boroughs Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust – Work
Wise
- Royal College of Occupational Therapists – OTVoc clinic
