The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has announced plans to establish the United Kingdom’s inaugural Workplace Health System, aiming to support employees living with health conditions and disabilities. Unveiled on Wednesday 23 September, this new system is designed to reduce the high number of people who leave work due to health-related issues each year, currently around 300,000.
Data highlights a critical window for employee retention: individuals absent for four to six weeks have a 96% chance of returning to work, but after a year, fewer than half manage to do so. The newly proposed system seeks to create better and more inclusive workplaces, enhance workplace health provisions, and offer improved support to help employees maintain employment and successfully return after periods of absence.
Sir Charlie Mayfield, Co-Chair of the Keep Britain Working programme and author of the Keep Britain Working Review, emphasised the significance of this development. He stated that economic inactivity has been mischaracterised as solely a welfare issue, whereas it represents a major opportunity for growth. Despite the National Health Service operating for nearly 80 years, the UK has never had a dedicated Workplace Health System to connect welfare, health services, and productivity initiatives.
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Sir Charlie noted that development over ten months with employers, mayors, providers, unions, and disabled individuals has clarified the necessary changes and reinforced confidence that a new system capable of driving economic growth is achievable. He added, “The task now is to build it.”
To support this vision, an employer standard is being developed in partnership with the British Standards Institution. This includes affordable support options tailored for smaller businesses, using pooled buying and insurance mechanisms, ensuring quality workplace health support is accessible beyond large companies.
Labour Party Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden highlighted that many people leave employment due to health issues that might have been addressed earlier. He explained that the programme collaborates closely with employers, mayors, and local leaders to extend effective workplace health care across all regions and company sizes, fostering growth nationwide.
Additionally, the programme is focusing on enhancing employer access to data and insights. Currently, few employers can accurately track whether staff with health conditions remain in work over time or evaluate the effectiveness of retention efforts. To tackle this, a new employer data project and work and health prototype are set to be introduced this autumn, aimed at bridging these knowledge gaps and supporting preventative strategies.
These initiatives represent a comprehensive approach to transforming workplace health in Britain, with the goal of preventing health-related job loss and promoting sustained economic participation for people with health challenges.