Dave Capper, CEO at Westfield Health, shares his thoughts on the ‘Get Britain Working’ plan with a focus on tackling long-term sickness, a main cause of economic inactivity in the UK:
“The government’s ‘Get Britain Working’ plan is an important step in addressing the UK’s economic inactivity crisis. The £240 million initiative aims to reform jobcentres, expand work and learning opportunities for young people and reassess the role of employers in ensuring work is accessible to individuals with disabilities and health conditions. Economic inactivity and long-term sickness are two of the biggest challenges facing the country today, and these reforms are crucial measures that have the potential to make a real impact — if they’re implemented in the right way.
While we welcome the decision to help more people back to work with increased mental health support and NHS funding, we are wary that without a more robust system for rehabilitation and a real commitment from workplaces to prioritise employee health, these new measures could fail to tackle the root cause.
It must be recognised that employers have a crucial role to play here, by fostering wellbeing-first work environments and offering support that’s tailored to their workers’ health needs. Workplace health and wellbeing must be at the centre of any response to the long-term sickness crisis. Research shows that a wellbeing culture helps people to thrive at work — leading to happier, healthier, and more productive teams. Failure to recognise this is a missed opportunity, leading to lower economic growth and wasted potential.
Employers must have clear guidance on how they can support their employees’ physical and mental health. So, the government’s plan to set up an independent review for employers is a step in the right direction. Ideally, we’d like to see this in the form of a legally binding and regulated framework, as well as clearer routes to access for employees.
While developing a robust policy is important, the bigger picture must be considered. A holistic approach will be key to keeping people in work — with action from across society, including the NHS, local government, businesses, and individuals. Businesses across the country should consider preventative healthcare to be the cornerstone of their workplace wellbeing strategy, especially with so many struggling to access NHS services via their GP.
Wellbeing training for managers is another key area for businesses to invest in. No matter the size of the business, line managers should have the skills and confidence to identify mental and physical health challenges, so they can signpost to first-line support and reduce the long-term impact. Organisations may also need to revisit and revise their internal policies to help colleagues return to work following sickness — as this is another area where a flexible, person-centric approach can provide invaluable support for those with long-term health challenges.”