Government plans to get long term sick back to work.

[Miley1967]

Does anyone have any information about how the Government are planning to get long term sick/ disabled back to work? I have read there is a paper being published/ announced this week. In my local area ( East Midlands) I have seen jobs advertised this week ( multiple jobs) for health and work coaches but employed through the NHS and based in Gp surgeries, so it does seem as though they are already taking steps to implement this.
Just a bit worried for some of my clients( I work in benefits advice work ) as to whether this is going to be pushed on them or if it's a scheme they will choose to be part of and just wondering what it is going to entail, will these coaches be working with employers who are genuinely going to be able to support this group of people into work?

It will be the usual crap. Sanctions for people on benefits and demonising disabled people via the Daily Mail.

People will be sanctioned until they are forced into unsuitable jobs. And we ALL know they will be unsuitable, it's happened before, no lessons were learned, it will happen again. Just look at ATOS and Capita.

Eventually Ms Kendall said that 'if people repeatedly refuse to take up the training or work responsibilities there will be sanctions on their benefits'.
Pressed if that meant they will 'lose benefits', the minister replied: 'Yes.'

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14119947/Cabinet-minister-young-people-benefits-jobs-training-Starmer-welfare.html

Somehow I doubt it will be tax breaks or funding for employers to get them to take on people who may not be as able as regular staff.

No, that would be too much of a sensible realistic idea that may actually work.

Far better just to employ a small army of even more public sector workers to pretend they're doing something.

It's the Labour way!

NHS health and well being coaches aren't necessarily 'pushing people into work' jobs. We have them in our PCN and the remit is just to encourage and support those who want it, to make changes to their lifestyles, or think about health and wellness

Referral is through GPs not DWP.

This may be a new role but certainly, our lot would never force anyone into anything

That's good to hear. I've never seen these jobs advertised in my area before so assumed it was a new role, I guess they are just expanding.

Yes, there's a whole Personalised care Team system going on now - mainly to ease pressure on Gps and nurses. We deal with social issues rather than medical.

I've been dsperately trying to get back to work after a year off sick. I need an urgent hip replacement. Im working from home as a stop gap.
Ive been fucked about from pillar to post by the NHS (who I work for). The errors and lack of communication have been epic.
I even got my MP involved. Until medical care becomes more effective and streamlined I very much doubt anything will improve.

So like social prescriber roles?

Whilst I have concerns about people being forced into unsuitable work, we could do with starting with education of those without disabilities. Like, for example, teaching them that someone who has a disability is not then automatically "less able". Many people with disabilities work and perform just as well as those without disabilities. It is this kind of mythology - that somehow we are less able - that means many people are excluded from work, or, where they can do so, they hide their disability.

I said “may be less able”. I am aware that many people with disabilities work thank you.

However if you are on long term sick and have not worked in a long time there is likely to be a reason.

A lot of workplaces are not “employee friendly” to people who are on long term sick (or disabled) and this needs addressing.

Yes. Social Prescribers, Care Co-Ordinators, H and WB Coaches, some have community matrons, community paramedics...

My daughter would love to be able to work. She would love to have a life. She has ADHD, PTSD, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Clinical Anxiety, and severe asthma. At 27, she is stuck in her life. It has been an exhausting battle to get her to be properly looked after by the medics. Her ADHD meds are not available and the replacements don't work. She gets 1 night a week sleep as that is the maximum Zopiclone that she is allowed. She did volunteer at a charity shop but it set her back and the CFS clinic said that she can't do that anymore.
If they try to force her into unsuitable work she will it cope. Therefore she will have to stop getting disability benefits. I'm 62 and would need to them completely support her. Her mental health would get worse than it is.
I am so so worried about this.
People will die if they try to force disabled people into unsuitable roles and then sanction them when they can't do them.

I don't even think the government know what their plan is yet!

True.

I’ll be interested to see what the actual outlined plans are. From the information that was given previously they were saying the focus would be on creating more jobs, fixing the NHS and reforming employment support among other things. If that does end up being the case I do think that it would help many people who are on long term sick back into work, I know I have worked with multiple people who were absolutely desperate to get back to work but couldn’t until they had a surgery/treatment which they were having to wait months for, or for those off struggling with mental health they may be back at work far quicker if they could see a GP and be able to start counselling with a few weeks rather than being placed on a wait list which in our area can easily be 12+ months meaning by the time you do see someone things are so so much worse and you’ve potentially been off work for months and months. It would be great if we had a system, especially for mental health, whereby people can quickly access support BEFORE they reach absolute breaking point and that alone would probably reduce the amount of people off long term with mental health. And as others said, funding and support, as well as education, for employers would also go a long way to helping this situation.

If done right I do think it could make a big difference, but if it is just going to be sanctioning those already struggling without any actual support in place to solve the issue then it will do more harm than good.

One of my family members was long term unemployed due to mental health issues and a social prescriber has been really helpful in connecting him with sources of support. He's recently got back into work again and is doing well. When this sort of support is done holistically and properly, it can be very beneficial. (Do agree that the previous ATOS approach was utterly inhumane though.)

I hope it will be a sensible one.
On the sick back to work, I am hoping for those waiting forever for surgeries to actually have that surgery!
My DH is waiting for full knee replacement. He cannot walk more than a few steps. He does want to get to full time work.
There are so many in these type of waiting lists!

We do our best!!! Unfortunately, our waiting lists are getting longer and longer as all services are, but me and my colleagues really do want to help people with their problems

Pretty sure every government have said the same thing, yet the number off on sick leave seems to constantly increase not decrease

Squeaky bum time amongst the feckless and workshy, I would imagine.

Yes there was an interview today on sky with one of the ministers, the pp who said they’d never do that, possibly isn’t aware, as that is exactly what they will need to do, and yes it’s sanctions based, they will create the opps and people need to take them and if they don’t they will sanction their benefits.

starmer is out there tough talking too, he’s cracking down on benefits. Apparently he’s going to force many to go and work for the nhs, I assume admin, cleaning , lgostics etc if they are not qualified.

No no government has ever said what starmer and the health sec has just said.

The NHS is key to this, at least for those who have physical problems getting in the way of getting back to work.
Let's get their health and mental health care right and done and I am sure we will see those job opportunities taken.
50% people of my age I talk to have one issue or another they are waiting on doctors for.

Every Conservative Government since 2014 has said they will get people back to work and sanction benefits. It's really not a new thing

https://news.sky.com/story/rishi-sunak-pledges-to-remove-benefits-for-people-not-taking-jobs-after-12-months-13118419

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-12486158

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/oct/01/time-to-withhold-benefits-from-those-who-wont-look-for-work-jeremy-hunt