Statutory guidance

Annex F: Access to Work MHSS Specified Standard

Updated 20 August 2026

1. DWP is keen to ensure that the quality of Mental Health Support Service (MHSS) Access to Work provision provided by the Provider is exemplary.

2. The Provider is responsible for ensuring that Customers have access to suitable and high-quality support in a way that provides a good service and an excellent Customer experience. For Access to Work MHSS to offer the most effective support possible to Customers, a number of key features are integral to delivery. In providing the Services the Provider is required to:

• focus strongly on returning MHSS Reports within the contracted timescales;
• provide accurate MHSS Reports;
• demonstrate a sound understanding of the breadth of mental health issues which may be experienced by the Customer and the appropriate support to address the Customer’s workplace-related mental health needs.

3. In particular, the MHSS Reports shall contain the content specified below and be fit for purpose. It must be:

• legible and in plain language
• checked for grammar, spelling and punctuation
• well-presented and of good quality
• in 12-point Arial font (unless alternative requirements are needed due to the Customer’s disability)
• logically sequenced, clear, informative and complete
• fully detailed and consistent (please note it will be seen by the Customer)

4. It is important that the MHSS Reports are of good quality in accordance with the standard in this Annex F and the AtW Service Delivery Team will define whether they are to the ‘specified standard’, based on the criteria below.

5. An MHSS Report may be deemed not to the standard specified in this Annex F and therefore rejected and returned for Rework if one or more of the following reasons applies:

• incorrect information is reported
• no confirmation of whether Customer is or is not in employment
• there are spelling and/or grammatical errors
• there is no full justification or insufficient detail for the support recommended/provided
• there is insufficient detail on the progress of the customer throughout the Support Period or Sustainment Period (as applicable)
• there is no explanation of how the support will address the Customer’s support needs
• it contains personal/confidential information reported to the Provider that the Customer requested to be confidential and did not want to be disclosed on the report

6. The MHSS Coach should ensure that they advise the Customer that they will report anything they tell them unless otherwise stated.

7. If the MHSS Coach wants to make the AtW Service Delivery Team aware of any issues, a separate document can be added to the MHSS Report for the AtW Service Delivery Team.

8. If an MHSS Report has been rejected, the Provider will be notified by e-mail within five (5) Working Days of the receipt of the MHSS Report.

9. If the AtW Service Delivery Team decides that an MHSS Report is not to the standard specified in this Annex F, the Provider will be notified of the reason and will be required to review and resubmit the report within one (1) Working Day of its return.

10. If the Provider is concerned about an MHSS Report that has been returned for Rework, they should refer to the Single Point of Contact in the AtW Team (as designated by DWP from time to time). In the absence of the SPOC, the Provider should contact the AtW Business Support team atwprovider.contractcorrespondence@dwp.gov.uk to determine the appropriate action to take.

11. The AtW Service Delivery Team will monitor the quality of the MHSS Reports and the number returned to the Provider as unacceptable on a monthly basis.

12. This information will be discussed formally as part of regular performance reviews led by the AtW Performance Manager.

Good Practice Recommendations which will support the Performance Compliance Officer (PCO) checks 

13. The report should:  

• provide quality work-related reports that are specific, measurable and timebound (SMT) to ensure the Customer has a direction and clear next steps

• reflect each Customer’s unique situation and goals

• demonstrate a sound understanding of the breadth of mental health conditions which may be experienced by AtW MHSS Customers

• provide appropriate work-related support options to address Customers’ mental health needs in the workplace

• maintain a strong emphasis on producing reports that are accurate, timely, and high quality. Reports should be fully completed with all relevant dates and information, and each section should contain the required details

The following bullets are examples of good practices to support consistency and quality of reports:

• recommendations are focused on work-related support

• keep content Customer-focused and solution-oriented 

• avoid clinical or diagnostic language – this is a non-clinical work-related mental health support

• include quotes with quotation marks to represent the Customer perspectives throughout the report

• clear structure – break issues into aims and milestones and show progress logically

• resource and signposting - with brief explanations

• mental health impacts – describe work-related mental health support considerations accurately

• Customer empowerment – guide Customers to self-help resources

• crisis advice – if a Customer enters crisis during their time on the programme, you will safeguard them and signpost to appropriate support  

• logical flow – ensure reports are structured and reflect progress. 

Note: this list is not exhaustive.

Further information is provided in the following table.

Clear and Understandable​	Work-Focused​	Non-Clinical Advice​
Keep the narrative simple​	Separate Headings for Workplace and General (narrative for each)​	Rating scales should be clear it is for general wellbeing advice​
Anyone should be able to read and understand the annexes​	Explain how support strategies will help in the workplace​	Use quotations to show the customers words or statements​
No abbreviations or acronyms​	Keep cross-referencing Customer issues with workplace barriers​	Use simplified medical terms for customer understanding​
Clear ownership (who owns the task)​	Break down needs/barriers with adjustments (clearly set out)​	CBT/DBT references should be  very clear  this is for general wellbeing, not clinical​
Avoid large blocks of text with no spacing​	Tasks are broken into smaller steps rather than the end-goal impact​	Therapeutic Support should be clear this is for general wellbeing, not clinical​
Use SMT:​  Specific, Measurable, Timebound​	Responsibilities are clear – Customer, Line Manager, HR​	Avoid clinical assumptions e.g. “this may be contributing to….”​
Personalise the narrative to the Customer​	Advice is broken into quick wins and longer term​	Avoid clinical judgement e.g. “…given the nature of customer’s trauma”​