As reported by National Health Executive, more than 60 major employers across the UK have joined a new government initiative to curb rising ill health that is forcing people out of work and hindering economic growth
The move follows Sir Charlie Mayfield’s Keep Britain Working Review and aims to help people stay healthy, remain in employment, and build more resilient workplaces.
Under the plan, the government and employers will launch “Vanguards” – early adopters that will test and refine workplace health strategies over the next three years. Their findings will shape future policy, inform workplace standards, and strengthen the evidence base for what works.
Participating employers will also sign up to the Healthy Working Lifecycle, which focuses on cutting sickness absence, improving return-to-work rates, and increasing employment opportunities for disabled people.
Officials say the programme could boost productivity, create more secure and better-paid jobs, ease pressure on the NHS, and reduce welfare costs. The government hopes to evolve the scheme into a voluntary certified standard by 2029.
The initiative builds on a wider £1bn-a-year investment in disability employment support by the end of the decade, designed to help people move from poverty into sustainable, well-paid work.
Be the first to comment