Corporate report

DESNZ: voluntary reporting on disability, mental health and wellbeing, 2025 to 2026

Published 16 December 2025

Foreword

A message from Clive Maxwell

I am proud to endorse this report, showcasing DESNZ’s commitment to promoting health and wellbeing, as a ‘Disability Confident Leader’ department.

It is important that every person in the department considers their own mental health and wellbeing and those of their colleagues around them as a priority.  

We aim to be a department that helps our staff thrive at work by creating an environment where everyone can fulfil their potential. We will continually improve awareness of disabilities to ensure those staff who need support are given the right help at the right time. 

I encourage all senior leaders to act as positive role models by championing mental health and wellbeing, supporting people to help manage and adapt in their work, and creating an open and inclusive environment.

Clive Maxwell
DESNZ Permanent Secretary

A message from Alice Hurrell

At Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) we recognise the importance of having a diverse, inclusive, accessible and innovative working environment. We place value on the importance of our staff working in a place where they feel good about the work they do, the relationships they form and their accomplishments. In order to achieve this, we place great importance on wellbeing. We need to nurture our diversity and prioritise inclusion and wellbeing as we achieve our Clean Power Mission.

Our Health, Safety and Wellbeing work alongside DESNZ HR and together with our Trade Unions, staff networks, regional offices and partner organisations to embed positive wellbeing practices and support reasonable adjustments. Along with ensuring the safety of our staff, we are also focused on raising awareness of, and support for, mental health and wellbeing.

In my role as Chief People Officer, I fully support our ambitions and our commitment to creating an environment where all colleagues can thrive.

Alice Hurrell
Chief People Officer

A message from Jane Heward

The department values its people and their wellbeing. We continuously aim to reduce the stigma around disability and mental health concerns and improve awareness of these topics. We believe in having open, engaging, supportive conversations and awareness sessions about disabilities and health conditions. We endeavour to ensure staff are given the tools and advice to help them achieve their full potential at work. 

I am pleased to be participating in the Voluntary Reporting Framework on staff disability, mental health and wellbeing to showcase some of the outstanding work that has taken place in the Department.

Wellbeing continues to be a priority for us, with consistent work being done to ensure staff have access to resources and knowledge relating to, dealing with change, Wellbeing support, Stress and more. We continue to support the training of Mental Health First Aiders and launch regular events to provide tools for staff to improve their wellbeing and resilience. We have launched and analysed the Health and Wellbeing Survey (provided by the HSE) regarding stress factors.  Following consultation and analysis of the survey bespoke plans are created to support and improve wellbeing, staff performance and reduce absences.

The Health, Safety and Wellbeing team provides expertise to the department and covers a wide area of topics within the specialism. We endeavour to improve staff wellbeing and the experience of visitors and contractors. The work strands include core health and safety, such as risk assessments and auditing of the department’s premises, advice on changes to premises and meeting legislative requirements. All these responsibilities are carried out with consideration to the welfare, inclusivity and access requirements of staff and visitors. 

My aim is that everyone can work to their potential and can access the support from our team and from our Occupational Health and Employee Assistance Programme providers.

I am proud of the work the department has achieved and the contribution it makes towards the Department’s Values.

Jane Heward
Head of Health, Safety and Wellbeing

Voluntary reporting on disability

Support for staff with disabilities and long-term health concerns

Recruitment, Talent and Development

DESNZ offers a Disability Confident Scheme (formerly the Guaranteed Interview Scheme). This scheme helps us to recruit and train great people, drawing from the widest pool of talent, securing high quality staff, who are skilled, capable and hard-working. DESNZ is a Disability Confident Leader and includes this scheme’s branding on all its job advertising. In recruitment, shortlisted applications are name-blanked to support diversity, and a guaranteed interview is offered to disabled candidates meeting the minimum role criteria.

We offer reasonable adjustments via the Health, Safety and Wellbeing Team Workplace Adjustment Passports, and flexible working to all staff who may require them. Reasonable adjustments can include providing additional equipment, supporting flexible hours or making changes to the building where practicable. The Department encourages the use of the Workplace Adjustment Passport. This is a record of adjustments intended to help staff move from post to post with ease.

The department further assists its staff through the provision of an occupational health (OH) service. This independent, confidential health service is there to support people to be well at work or return to work after experiencing ill health. The OH service is delivered by a team of health professionals specialised in occupational medicine. The service deals specifically with the relationship between your work and your health. If line managers or their colleagues, consider they need more information on health conditions or disability concerns the line manager can refer staff to OH. A referral will be carried out and a report with recommendations produced.

Digital and Physical Accessibility 

Musculoskeletal health is a very important part of our internal strategy. Training for the use of Display Screen Equipment in the office or at home requires completion of a risk self-assessment. It allows staff to report concerns around their workstations and environment. All staff are enrolled onto this training and concerns that are raised are followed up which may result in recommendations for reasonable adjustments to be put in place.

Staff Disability Representation

Disability Data

Table 1 shows the proportion of employees by disability status and responsibility level. The highest proportion of employees with declared disability is at AO and EO grades.

Table 1: DESNZ employment – headcount and proportion by disability status and responsibility level

Grade	Declared disability	Declared no disability	Prefer not to say	Not known
SCS	20 (9.1%)	150 (68.2%)	20 (9.1%)	30 (13.6%)
G7 or G6	220 (9.8%)	1,530 (68.3%)	110 (4.9%)	380 (17.0%)
HEO or SEO	250 (11.3%)	1,260 (57.0%)	100 (5.0%)	590 (26.7%)
AO or EO	40 (15.4%)	130 (50.0%)	10 (3.8%)	80 (30.8%)
Total	530 (10.8%)	3,070 (62.3%)	250 (5.1%)	1,080 (21.9%)

Voluntary reporting on mental health and wellbeing

Support for staff on mental health and wellbeing 

Employee Assistance Programme and Occupational Health

As part of our commitment to wellbeing and mental health, the department offers a variety of services including the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) and Occupational Health (OH). These services complement the support provided by colleagues and the ICS department’s Health, Safety and Wellbeing team.

Our EAP provider has expanded and refreshed the range of services available. We also engaged a new OH provider, which has enhanced our ability to analyse and understand the main reasons for referrals. Mental health concerns, such as anxiety, stress, depression, and other mental illnesses which remain the most frequent reasons staff access these services.

We actively encourage staff and line managers to discuss mental health openly and to make use of the support available, including the confidential 24/7 EAP counselling service. This service can assist with both everyday challenges and more serious issues, whether work-related or personal. In addition, line managers are supported through the EAP as well.

Wellbeing Support  

The Department receives consistently strong engagement rates in activities related to campaign events. In 2025, several campaigns have been made available, including; Time to Talk Day, Mental Health Awareness Week, Winter Wellness, Autism Awareness Month, Stress Awareness Month, Save Your Vision Month, World Sleep Day, Health & Safety Campaign, and World Mental Health Day.

Alongside participation in wider national campaigns and awareness days, the team organises monthly informational sessions that cover various health conditions impacting staff. These sessions aim to raise awareness, provide guidance, and highlight available support. Topics have included Migraine Awareness, ADHD, Psoriasis, Epilepsy, Autism, and Visual Impairment.

Engagement with campaign-related activities continues to be robust throughout the Department. Staff actively connect with wellbeing champions, participate in staff networks, and join localised events and activities. Notably, interest in mental health has increased significantly, with the wellbeing resources page on the internal intranet receiving 4,110 views since the launch of the new intranets. The most frequently visited pages are those dedicated to the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP), Stress, and Mental Health First Aiders (MHFAs).

DESNZ PERMA and PROXY Results

Organisations that regularly perform checks on levels of stress in their staff and take action to prevent or reduce stress are much more likely to identify problems before they escalate to the point that they damage people’s health and result in staff absence.

DESNZ PERMA Scores

We use an index based on the PERMA framework to measure the extent to which employees are flourishing. PERMA combines measures of positive emotion, engagement, relationships, sense of meaning and sense of accomplishment from the Civil Service People Survey, a higher score is more positive. In 2024, DESNZ employees had a PERMA index score of 74%, which matched the Civil Service as a whole.

DESNZ Proxy Stress Index Results

We use something called the Proxy Stress Index to measure conditions that can contribute to stressful environments. It is based on the Health and Safety Executive stress management standards and People Survey insights, a lower score is more positive. In 2024, DESNZ employees had a Proxy Stress index score of 26%, which matched the Civil Service as a whole.

Conclusion

Following the creation of DESNZ in 2023, it has made considerable strides in achieving a more diverse and informed workforce on issues surrounding mental health and disability. We will continue to work towards breaking stigmas surrounding these areas, continue to support awareness of them, and ensure more staff feel confident to disclose any issues of concern.

Our vision is an organisation where mental health issues are widely understood and destigmatised. Our people will feel confident to talk about their mental ill-health and know that the department will help and support them. We aim to promote an inclusive culture in which colleagues feel informed, supported and empowered to look after their own mental health and support others.

We aim to ensure that continuous progress is being made in helping the department to flourish, especially in the form of raising awareness about disability and mental health issues.