Job advisers are to be embedded in GP surgeries and mental health services across England and Wales as part of a government drive to help people with long-term illnesses or disabilities back into work.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has announced funding of more than £1 billion over five years for the programme, which aims to support 300,000 people into employment by 2030. The initiative expands the existing Connect to Work scheme, which links job support with healthcare and community services in an attempt to treat employment as part of a person’s overall wellbeing.
Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden said too many people were being “written off” due to health conditions, which he argued “fails them and fails our economy”. He said the plan was designed to provide “a hand up, not a handout” and would focus on personalised support for people facing complex barriers to employment.
“Thanks to local areas hitting the ground running, it is already delivering results – proving that when we invest in people and communities, everyone wins,” McFadden said.
Growing economic pressure to cut long-term sickness
Around 2.8 million people in the UK are currently out of work due to long-term sickness, which is a number roughly equivalent to the population of Greater Manchester. The Office for National Statistics has identified rising cases of anxiety, depression, chronic pain and fatigue as major contributors to the increase in economic inactivity since the pandemic.
Under the Connect to Work expansion, specialist employment advisers will work alongside healthcare teams to provide individual coaching, guidance on training and job opportunities and help navigating workplace adjustments. The advisers are described as distinct from jobcentre work coaches and will operate within GP surgeries, mental health services and community hubs.
According to the DWP, participants will be able to refer themselves or be referred by clinicians, councils or community organisations. The scheme is voluntary, and officials insist it is designed to help those who want to work rather than to penalise those who cannot.
Concerns from health and disability charities
Disability and mental health organisations have welcomed the investment but warned that the initiative must prioritise wellbeing over targets. James Taylor, executive director of strategy at Scope, said government must ensure it is “not pressuring people who are not well enough to work”.
Mark Gale, policy manager at disability charity Sense, urged ministers to ensure the scheme is co-designed with disabled people to “bring about meaningful change” rather than “forcing people into jobs that aren’t suitable for their needs”.
The Mental Health Foundation’s director of policy, Alexa Knight, added that “when someone is both out of work and experiencing a mental health problem, the focus should always be on helping that person feel better first, before finding them a job”.
Medical professionals have also raised practical concerns. Dr Anita Raja, a Birmingham-based GP, told Good Morning Britain that most surgeries “do not have the resources or space” to accommodate employment advisers, warning that “GPs are already stretched to breaking point”.
A fine balance between care and employability
The expansion of Connect to Work comes amid rising government concern over the cost of disability and incapacity benefits, projected to reach £70 billion annually by 2029/30 if trends continue. Ministers have said that without reform, the number of people receiving long-term benefits could more than double to 4.3 million by the end of the decade.
The DWP argues that supporting people into sustainable work improves both economic output and personal wellbeing, pointing to evidence that employment can be beneficial to mental health when well-matched and properly supported. McFadden said local areas already piloting the model were “delivering results”, adding that “when we invest in people and communities, everyone wins”.
Alongside the rollout of employment advisers, the government will introduce virtual reality classrooms in areas such as Portsmouth, the North East and East Sussex to help people practise interview techniques and build confidence. Participants will also be offered workshops on communication skills and access to community-based health programmes.
Parents re-entering the workforce will be supported with help accessing affordable childcare, in recognition of the role that childcare costs play in keeping many, particularly women, out of work.
Questions over capacity and implementation
While the scheme’s ambition is broad, questions remain over whether GP surgeries can realistically accommodate employment advisers or manage the additional coordination between health and welfare services. Critics have warned that without significant investment in primary care capacity, the policy could add pressure to an overstretched NHS system.
Employment specialists and health practitioners alike will be watching closely to see whether the model can balance the government’s twin goals: easing labour shortages while genuinely improving the wellbeing and autonomy of people living with long-term health conditions.
