NHS England, along with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and the Department of Health (DH), is to invest £70 million over the next four years ‘to test different ways to support people with a disability or long-term condition to get in and stay in work’.
To kick-start the programme, NHS England, DH, and DWP, will be working with Sheffield City Region and the West Midlands Combined Authority to develop trials to test new ways of supporting people as they enter, re-enter, and stay in work.
Sheffield City Region and West Midlands Combined Authority will receive financial investment, and access to expert support, to progress the design of their trials, which will focus on mental health and musculoskeletal conditions, the two conditions most commonly reported by those out of work.
West Midlands Combined Authority’s trial will look to expand Individual Placement and Support (IPS) services for those with severe mental health, and to trial IPS in new settings for those with more moderate mental health conditions and musculoskeletal conditions.