Guidance

WorkWell prospectus: guidance for Local System Partnerships

Updated 12 March 2026

Applies to England

This revised guidance was published on 12 March 2026.

1. Introduction

1.1 This document is for Integrated Care Boards (ICBs), their designated WorkWell Local System Partnerships, Local Authorities (LAs), Mayoral Strategic Authorities (MSA) and local Jobcentre Plus (JCP) networks. WorkWell funding will be offered to all ICBs in England to design and deliver local integrated work and health support services that are well aligned to the skills support ecosystem. This guidance is also intended to provide information about WorkWell for the wider group of local organisations with whom ICBs will have the opportunity to work in partnership. This includes, but is not limited to, local employers, primary care, and voluntary and community sector organisations.

2. Emphasising the importance of Work and Health

2.1 Good quality work is an important determinant of good health^{[footnote 1]}. It provides people with income, social interaction, a core role, an identity, and purpose, among many other benefits, while economic inactivity, unemployment and long-term sickness often have a harmful impact^{[footnote 2]}. Too many people, particularly disabled people and people with health conditions are missing out on the benefits of good work.

2.2 This is a significant issue affecting a growing share of the working-age population. Recent data indicates that the disability employment gap has increased in the last year, while 36% of the working-age population report having a long-term health condition, and 1.5 million working-aged people had spells of long-term sickness absence (four weeks or more) from work as of March 2024, suggesting a large proportion of people who are in work are at risk of falling out of work due to health reasons^{[footnote 3]}. These figures highlight how health inequalities both drive and result from work outcomes and can have major health impacts, which are felt disproportionately by different cohorts^{[footnote 4]}.

2.3 These challenges highlight the importance of supporting disabled people and people with health conditions to participate fully in work. The Keep Britain Working Review has been looking at the role of employers in tackling health-based economic inactivity. Discovery phase findings indicate some of the challenges faced by those who are in-work include long waits for treatment (particularly mental health) leading to unnecessarily long periods out of work or early exits, communication breaking down while employees are absent, and employers lacking in confidence and capability to discuss health-related issues and reasonable adjustments.

2.4 Helping disabled people and people with health conditions to get into and get on in work is also a crucial part of driving economic success, improving community well-being, and reducing health inequalities. This in turn creates the conditions for a more inclusive, healthier and more productive society. This aligns with the government’s ambition to increase the overall employment rate, recognising that achieving this requires focused support for groups currently underrepresented in the labour market. Driving change in this area will require a joined-up approach right across government, the NHS, employment services, local areas, and employers to ensure a seamless integration of work, health and skills support offer for people who need it.

2.5 The health system has the opportunity to provide a unique contribution to preventing economic inactivity with its ability to spot at-risk people early. The Fit for the Future: 10 Year Health Plan for England recognises the important role of employment and good work in supporting people’s health as set out in the recent consensus statement: Good Work is a Health Outcome. The plan emphasises the importance of joining up work, health and skills support as critical to delivering on the three shifts: community-led support, digitalisation, and focusing on proactive and preventative measures, all of which can be advanced by WorkWell’s locally-led, early-intervention approach. It also introduces a commitment for all ICBs to have a specific and measurable outcome target for reducing economic inactivity and unemployment, as well as recognising the NHS’ own role as an anchor institution and employer. WorkWell is a practical mechanism to demonstrate action on inactivity and unemployment whilst bolstering the join-up and system-change needed to realise the ambition of employment advice within every neighbourhood health hub.

2.6 In November 2025, NHS England published its ICB strategic commissioning framework which establishes a shared vision for Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) by setting out the direction of travel for their role and functions. WorkWell presents an opportunity to fulfil obligations under the fourth purpose such as early intervention and integrating services to provide a seamless offer for citizens.

a. ICBs will work alongside government, including local government, to address the wider determinants of health, such as employment, in line with the government’s health mission and the fourth purpose of ICBs to support wider socioeconomic development

b. This will include assessing the impact that poor health has on children and young people’s life chances and population employment outcomes as well as using strategic commissioning to integrate work, health and skills where appropriate

2.7 As WorkWell now sits alongside locally-led interventions such as Connect to Work and Trailblazers, it becomes increasingly critical that programmes are delivered holistically and in an integrated way through joined-up governance between ICBs, MSAs, LAs, and other system partners.

2.8 This builds on the ambition set out in the Get Britain Working White Paper which provides over £240 million to tackle economic inactivity caused by ill health by supporting disabled people and people with health conditions get back into or get on at work. Schemes such as the Health and Growth Accelerators, delivered in three ICBs are an important part of this ambition; insights from both this scheme and the WorkWell pilot can be used to support local service development.

2.9 WorkWell partnerships should take account of wider proposals which may impact on individuals, such as those set out in the Pathways to Work Green Paper. This proposes to establish a new guarantee for disabled people and those with health conditions who want to get into or back into work and is backed by £1 billion of new funding by the end of the decade.

2.10 The work, health and skills strategies, funded both through WorkWell and local Get Britain Working plans, can be enablers to help provide direction for designing local WorkWell services in a way which meets the needs of local communities.

2.11 We recognise that this is a time of reform and evolution across ICBs. Whilst this comes with challenges, WorkWell presents a timely and practical opportunity to accelerate the integration and alignment of local services with co-designed, person-centred solutions across work, health and skills systems. As it expands to cover the whole of England, WorkWell will scale this integrated approach, enabling local systems to deliver earlier, more personalised support. This will enable more people to get into and get on at work, live healthier working lives and contribute to economic growth.

3. WorkWell – the story so far

3.1 Starting in 2024, the first phase of WorkWell enabled 15 ICBs to pilot WorkWell services for their local populations, and supported all areas to develop work, health, and skills strategies through targeted leadership funding.

3.2 WorkWell was born out of a recognition that reversing the trend in inactivity cannot be achieved by programmes acting in siloes - it requires an integrated whole systems approach to addressing health-related barriers to work at a local level.

3.3 WorkWell is already helping to facilitate the meaningful collaboration needed to integrate employment and health support. As a pilot, it has brought together government departments, the NHS, LA’s, employment services, and the voluntary sector to deliver more joined-up early intervention and preventative support. WorkWell has already demonstrated its value as a vehicle for integration, creating the space needed for local systems to innovate, test what works, and build collective ownership around shared outcomes.

3.4 In areas without a WorkWell pilot, the current picture of integrated working on work and health is variable. There are, however, several excellent examples of innovation across the country demonstrating the success of delivering work and health interventions in driving positive employment outcomes. Emerging insights from the WorkWell pilot phase supports the assertion that health-led integration of the local work and health infrastructure and providing a joined-up view of the support available locally can help to meet people’s specific needs.

3.5 WorkWell empowers areas to design services that intervene at the earliest possible point, as evidence shows this is the most effective way of helping people to stay in work or go back to work. As a result, it is expected that the majority of people who will benefit from WorkWell are those whose employment is at risk due to a health condition, and those recently unemployed with health conditions. The service will also, crucially, sit at the heart of the local work and health system, connecting the wider support and services available to meet participants’ needs.

4. WorkWell for all local communities across England

4.1 The government has committed to expand WorkWell to cover the whole of England, backed by £259 million of investment over three years. Funding will be made available to all ICBs from April 2026 to enable provision in existing pilot areas to continue, and support non-pilot ICBs to design new services and begin delivery from November 2026.

4.2 Once national central costs have been accounted for, the total funding pot will be apportioned between ICBs using a WorkWell-specific adaptation of the weighted capitation methodology used by NHS England. Under this formula, each ICB will be allocated funding in proportion to the size of its working-age population, weighted by a need index which is composed of scores for five constituent metrics (disability, unemployment and economic inactivity, deprivation, selected specific health conditions, and benefit claimants).

4.3 Where formal mergers of ICBs are confirmed to be taking effect from April 2026, the funding allocation for the new, larger ICB will take account of these boundary changes. Where ICBs are now part of an informal clustering arrangement, funding will be apportioned to each existing ICB separately, with the option to pool funding to deliver a single WorkWell service across the combined geography if suitable for that local area. As is already the case, there is flexibility to implement different delivery models in different localities under the umbrella of a single WorkWell service.

4.4 ICBs will be asked to sign an agreement governing the allocation of this funding. To offer greater financial certainty and the flexibility to plan ahead, subject to meeting core minimum standards (which will be set out in a performance management framework), ICBs will be entitled to spend their full allocation on eligible activity.

4.5 This funding provides ICBs the opportunity to support the ambition of helping disabled people and people with health conditions across England by enabling:

a. An early-intervention work and health assessment service with a focus on prevention, which includes holistic support for their health-related barriers to employment.

b. A joined-up view and gateway into the services that are available locally to tackle their specific needs. This could include healthcare professionals, community sector services, health promotion programmes, more intensive employment support, skills support and much more.

WorkWell partnerships for delivery

4.6 The remainder of this document sets out the ambition for WorkWell Local Partnerships to support with planning and design activity. Further detail will be provided in the supporting documentation.

4.7 Funding for WorkWell will support the development and sustainment of WorkWell Local Partnerships comprising the key partners in local communities to provide integrated work and health support.

4.8 Partnerships should include, but are not limited to, ICBs, JCPs, and LA’s. These partnerships should work together with community groups and people with lived experience to design a holistic work and health service.

4.9 Local partnerships should consider the mechanisms available to them to deliver the specific suite of services offered through their proposed WorkWell service. Each ICB is encouraged to use arrangements under section 75 of the NHS Act 2006 to pool responsibilities and/or funding with LAs where appropriate. ICBs may be able to vary an existing arrangement in place with an LA, such as an agreement for the Better Care Fund. We will offer additional guidance on these arrangements to support local partnerships.

4.10 WorkWell Partnerships will be responsible for engagement within their local area to ensure continuous improvement of the integrated service, for example in optimising processes for referrals into and onwards from WorkWell. This will involve engagement with the local JCP network, NHS, LAs including district councils, local employers, employer bodies, youth and skills support services, LA public health services, Adult Social Care, Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) services, and the communities of current or potential WorkWell participants themselves.

4.11 The flexible approach to WorkWell development enables local partnerships to design services in a way that meets the needs of their cohorts and makes the best of the assets within their communities. For example, where a local Get Britain Working Plan or WorkWell partnership identifies youth as a key priority group, the service may design a delivery model that integrates closely with existing local resources, such as Youth Hubs.

4.12 This approach also gives areas a strong basis to engage with emerging work, health and skills developments. For example, innovations in the fit note space, embedding employment support within clinical settings. It is worth noting that delivering WorkWell will not preclude any of the partners in the ICB from accessing these opportunities.

Early intervention support

4.13 It is recognised that people with health and disability-related barriers to employment need a variety of support. WorkWell funding is intended to support a holistic, early-intervention work, health and skills service aimed at people who are in work or who could move into work with the right support. It will provide participants with a personalised assessment of their barriers to employment and holistic support

4.14 The service will be available to anyone with a disability or health condition for whom the ICB has responsibility in its area: 

• who needs support to remain in work; or 

• who needs support managing a health condition to return to work from sickness absence; or 

• who needs support to start work; and for whom a low-intensity support offer is the most suitable provision

Holistic Support

4.15 The core WorkWell offer will be available for all eligible cohorts across the ICB. ICBs are encouraged to use their local knowledge to design services that reflect community needs. The form this takes can be locally determined such as promoting WorkWell to marginalised communities or working with specific employers.

4.16 WorkWell pilots have successfully been delivering holistic support for participants that integrates work and health with wider support services. Some examples follow:

• roving community model to engage hard-to-reach groups in non-clinical settings such as food banks, women’s hubs and men’s sheds

• co-designing interventions with businesses to align workforce wellbeing with business need

• community rooted delivery, co-location arrangements with existing embedded services. Flexible approaches to reach rural areas

• connecting to a wider multi-disciplinary team, with condition specific expertise and utilising digital to enhance wellbeing support

4.17 Earlier this year ICBs were offered funding for work, health and skills strategy development. We want to acknowledge that WorkWell remains a key component of the systems change journey that has been supplemented by the leadership funding for work, health and skills strategy development. As provision and support landscape evolves, we want to empower ICB’s to develop their WorkWell offer accordingly. Whilst there is a requirement that WorkWell services must include an element of health support, the exact nature of the holistic support offer will remain at local discretion in a way that makes the most of available existing community assets.

4.18 WorkWell services must also be delivered in line with the NHS constitution, ensuring that support or treatment is not prioritised for WorkWell participants or those closer to work.

Who could refer participants into WorkWell?

4.19 WorkWell partnerships will be well placed to engage actively with the local partners within the work, health and skills ecosystem to encourage referrals into the service from a variety of applicable pathways. The service will have multiple, clear and accessible referral routes for people both in work and those who have recently fallen out of work. WorkWell has the potential to alleviate pressure on primary care services in areas covered by ICBs, by providing a specialist referral route for patients through GPs, primary care teams, community care teams or social prescribing link workers.

4.20 Employers are encouraged to engage with WorkWell both in a referring and case-management capacity. To facilitate this, we expect partnerships to include local employer bodies and to capitalise on pre-existing relationships where possible. We suggest utilising local DWP networks to aid this process. WorkWell has potential to realise benefits outlined in the Keep Britain Working Review^{[footnote 5]} discovery phase, such as early and sustained contact and communication, supporting managers with conversations around appropriate adjustments and improving understanding and access to local support for their staff.

4.21 Referring parties will include:

• GPs, and Primary Care services

• Employers in the area

• Jobcentre Plus (JCP)

• Self-referral

4.22 Referring parties could also include, but are not limited to:

• Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) services

• Secondary care services

• Education, skills and training organisations

• Local Authorities

• Social workers

• Link workers including social prescribers

• Other health related services in the area

What type of support can WorkWell provide?

4.23 WorkWell is centred on holistic biopsychosocial support. There is good evidence that we can support faster returns to work through interventions that take a holistic view of the barriers an individual experiences through their physical health, their psychological situation and their social situation – often referred to as biopsychosocial interventions^{[footnote 6]}.

4.24 WorkWell services are based on the principles of personalised care and delivered by a multi-disciplinary team (MDT). The overall composition of the MDT for each ICB will be determined by individual Local Partnerships, subject to it falling within their scope. Factors for Partnerships to consider could be local population needs, workforce availability, and viable pathways to local service partners as well as any decision to enact Section 75 arrangements.

4.25 Generally, it is expected that the initial WorkWell point of contact will be a non-clinical Work and health coach. We see Work and Health Coaches as key partners in:

• carrying out an initial assessment (which is evidence-based, person-centred, and holistic) of barriers to employment

• developing return-to-work/thrive-in-work action plans, reflective of individuals work, health and skills requirements with clear objectives that address physical, psychological and social needs

• orchestrating engagement with the wider multi-disciplinary team and employing the principles of clinical wraparound care to ensure plans are flexible and dynamic as wider input received. This can include but not limited to Mental Health professionals, physiotherapists, cardiovascular clinicians

• liaising with employers if the participant consents – the employer can be contacted to share the work plan and provide advice

• advising on workplace adjustments, supporting participants with disabilities and/or health conditions to make best use of available resources such as Access to Work with the aim of sustainable employment

• personalising work and health support with follow-up as required, including ongoing support in the form of locally determined appointments to take stock of progress and recommend further actions and activities

4.26 WorkWell partnerships will be provided with learning from the pilots on the role of the Work and Health Coach, including the training provided. The partnerships will have responsibility for sourcing and providing both health and employment training to their Work and Health Coaches. This should include building an awareness of the local labour market landscape and the opportunities for successful job placement for workers with disabilities and/or health conditions.

4.27 In addition to the Work and Health Coach role, the MDT may include a mix of non-clinical or clinical roles. This composition will be for individual local partnerships to determine, based on a consideration of what overall skills mix is needed for its WorkWell MDTs to most effectively deliver their plans.

4.28 For example, clinical roles in the wider MDT could include (but are not limited to) occupational health clinicians, occupational therapists, vocational rehabilitation professionals, physiotherapists, or talking therapists. Local partnerships will need to provide appropriate clinical governance and oversight for their service, including the MDTs they plan to employ and will need to align with NHS best practice on clinical governance. Regular supervision for Work and Health Coaches is expected as per the local governance.

4.29 Taken as a whole, including the Work and Health Coach role, the non-clinical roles within the MDT will need to draw principally on two key capabilities. First, they should look to the kinds of skills and expertise needed to effectively assess a participant’s needs and confidently address their barriers to employment. Second, they will need to draw heavily on existing local expertise in connecting individuals with a wide range of relevant support, including forms of employment support as well as support for mental and physical health and wellbeing and social needs. Taken together, it is expected that the expertise found, for example, among social prescribing link workers, occupational health specialists, and employment experts with specialist knowledge of health and disability issues would form a valuable non-clinical core of the WorkWell MDT.

4.30 A WorkWell Toolkit available on Futures will provide insight into how WorkWell pilot areas have approached the recruitment and development of their Work and Health Coaches which can help guide your strategy.

Who could WorkWell refer or signpost participants onwards to?

4.31 As part of the initial triage, participants should be assessed to consider if WorkWell is the most appropriate service for their needs. Onward referral routes from WorkWell will be dependent on the local work, health and skills strategies in the ICB footprint, the partnerships formed and what services are available locally.

4.32 Partner services could include, but not be limited to:

• VCS services

• LA services

• Health promotion programmes

• Debt advice/financial health support

• JCP services

• GP, where clinical assessment is required (or other relevant healthcare professional such as mental health professionals)

• Educational training

• Skills provision

• Adult social care

• Ongoing referral to other or more intensive employment support, e.g. Access to Work, Connect to Work, and Restart

4.33 A WorkWell partnership will also serve as a triage function, connecting participants into the rest of the local work, health and skills infrastructure through signposting and referral. In general, where there are needs or requirements of the participant that go beyond what can be offered by the MDT, WorkWell will connect them to whatever other local service they need and follow up to ensure that support they receive elsewhere is fully integrated into their return-to-work or thrive-in-work plan.

4.34 DWP will use its JCP network to raise awareness of WorkWell and strengthen local connections, ensuring quality referrals and a streamlined participant experience. Heads of Employer and Strategic Partnerships (HESPs) will be the key link into local JCP networks and an ongoing contact to help encourage appropriate referrals into the service. To aid identification of supportive employers, they can help connect WorkWell partnerships with existing local employer bodies and networks. HESPs can also support delivery of local WorkWell communications strategies through their connections to local teams and help promote join-up of work, health and skills services in line with the government’s localism strategy.

5. Support to design and deliver WorkWell

The National Support Offer

5.1 ICBs will receive national and regional support through a National Support Offer (NSO). Local areas will commit to working with the NSO, recruiting a Learning and Change Manager (LCM), and being part of a regional/national learning network to share good practice, with support to evolve their WorkWell offer.

5.2 The NSO will work in partnership with local systems to help accelerate the delivery of WorkWell. It will also support WorkWell partnerships to develop their wider integrated work, health and skills strategies, while facilitating cross-system learning at both national and regional levels.

5.3 The NSO will include provision across three tiers, all of which will provide ongoing points of engagement with WorkWell partnerships:

• National Support Team (NST)

• Regional Programme Advisors (RPA)

• Local area Learning and Change Managers (LCM)

5.4 The National Support Team will provide programme-wide support to WorkWell services to establish their integrated partnership. They are a national team of experts who will work closely with the Regional Programme Advisors to:

• provide strategic leadership support, for example, facilitating a self-assessment process for determining system maturity, as a basis for cross-system planning and delivery

• ensure evidence-based planning and delivery for WorkWell

• develop tools and resources to support local systems in line with identified need, including data products and support where required

• support a programme of national and regional cross-system learning, via an active shared learning network for all local systems. This will utilise learning from all WorkWell sites to deliver a bank of delivery experience and expertise that ensures all areas can benefit

5.5 Regional Programme Advisors will provide support to navigate system complexity around work, health and skills. They will:

• support all WorkWell partnerships to achieve cross-system join-up on work, health and skills, particularly for WorkWell, but also on other key work, health and skills programmes

• assist system implementation to deliver on WorkWell objectives and support adherence to management information (MI) requirements

• work alongside regional work and health leads in the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID), with other relevant regional leads such as DWP HESPs, to support wider work, health and skills delivery

5.6 Local area LCMs will act as the local ICB champions for WorkWell and strategic advisors to the local system within a WorkWell partnership. Each WorkWell partnership will receive funding to identify and recruit for one of these roles.

5.7 This senior, strategic role is intended to secure wider NHS and partner agency support for the programme locally and will influence the alignment of ICB activities with the work and health objectives of WorkWell. To deliver on this ambition, it is essential that the LCM is positioned within the system in a way that provides the right levers for influence and collaboration. The role should be situated within a team or function that provides access to senior ICB leadership, data and insight capability, and cross sector partnership. Being positioned in a strategically connected team enables the LCM to influence decision making, convene the right partners, and move work forward at pace. The role has the potential to provide a range of enabling and strategic functions such as:

• shaping collaboration between ICB, ICS, employment support and the wider system to create a coherent ecosystem

• facilitating system-wide learning and change in relation to WorkWell

• inter-agency training and capability building for work and health support

• leading strategic communication and engagement to build alignment, shared purpose and visible support for WorkWell across partner organisations

• develop senior stakeholder relationships that will encourage appropriate referrals to the service

• oversee effective programme learning to ensure user voice, in the design and delivery

5.8 DWP and DHSC, together with NHS England and the NHS Confederation, have launched the NHS Work and Health Network. The network complements the WorkWell NSO as a programme agnostic space for WorkWell and non-WorkWell systems to co-design the NHS’s role in reducing economic inactivity with other local and national leaders.

System transformation and learning

5.9 WorkWell partnerships will be required to enter into a Data Sharing Agreement with the Department for Work and Pensions. This is critical for enabling a programme of national and regional cross-system learning and evidence building, supported by the WorkWell National Support Offer, to provide a bank of delivery experience and expertise that ensures all areas can access the benefits of WorkWell.

5.10 WorkWell partnerships will be expected to collect MI as part of its delivery and be prepared to participate in evaluation activity. As WorkWell continues to evolve as a vehicle for integration, all ICBs will play an active role in both national and local evaluation, which is vital in building an evidence base supporting health-led approaches to joined-up work, health and skills support. We are working to align MI data access for work and health programmes where appropriate to make it easier for local areas to collect data if they contribute to multiple work and health initiatives.

5.11 The proposed service model will be designed to include close collaboration with a wider group of local and system stakeholders in work, health and skills, including local employers, primary care, adult social care, council services and voluntary and community sector organisations. A central feature of the WorkWell programme is that design and delivery decisions are locally driven by a partnership of organisations across the work, health and skills ecosystem. In recognition of this, we will require an explicit role for partners into the governance of the WorkWell service. It will be for individual WorkWell Partnerships to determine which governance approach is most appropriate for their partnership. It should be noted that data sharing agreements with key partners will take time, and this will need to be factored into plans.

Performance Management

5.12 The funding agreements signed by ICBs will detail minimum performance expectations for their WorkWell service, and key national programme requirements (including data-sharing requirements). The NSO will support ICBs to meet these standards, which are being developed with consideration of feedback received from existing WorkWell pilot areas and will seek to place a minimal administrative burden on ICBs wherever possible.

6. Evaluation and Management Information

6.1 WorkWell will be subject to a full evaluation as a part of ongoing HM Treasury and Central Government conditions. The evaluation will assess process and implementation (what worked well/less well, for whom and how), impact (what is causing what impacts and for whom) and will aim to provide an assessment of value for money (what are the main costs/benefits and are they as expected).

6.2 The current evaluation of the pilot is externally commissioned to a research consortium comprised of IFF Research, York Health Economics Consortium and Centre for Evaluating Complexity Across the Nexus (CECAN Ltd.). This will aim to produce a final report in Autumn 2028. Evaluation of the new phase of WorkWell will be re-tendered in line with open competition and commercial guidelines.

6.3 During the pilot phase, areas have been provided with an Evaluation MI guidance template that details the information that is required at monthly intervals; this process will continue in the next phase of WorkWell. Data Sharing Agreements will be in place between ICBs and DWP outlining the data sharing arrangements. This data will be used within the evaluation to assess the effectiveness of WorkWell and build the evidence base for embedding employment and skills support in health systems. the next phase of WorkWell is ongoing.

7. Next steps

7.1 Existing WorkWell sites will need to determine if elements of the national model for the next phase of WorkWell will require any adaptations to the approach taken in the pilot phase in their area.

7.2 There will be a lot of activity that new WorkWell areas will need to consider, which may include:

• utilising existing ICB network events such as the NHS Work and Health Network

• engaging with Regional Programme Advisors (RPAs) and with the National Support Team for advice and guidance

• engaging with WorkWell pilots of similar size and demographics

• becoming familiar with the WorkWell toolkit (working draft available on the Futures platform, and final version due in May 2026) – sign up to the WorkWell workspace on Futures using this link

• undertaking warm-up activities and early-engagement with potential key stakeholders, local employers and employer bodies – it is vital to build a clear understanding of local labour market and the opportunities for viable, sustained employment for disabled people and those with health conditions

• beginning to develop local data sharing agreements informed by examples in the toolkit – these usually take a long time to put together and agree with partners, and it is recommended that work commences on these processes at the earliest opportunity

• considering recruitment approaches, informed by toolkit advice to develop your job descriptions

• WorkWell-related enquiries should be sent by email to DHSC.WorkWell@dwp.gov.uk

7.3 Prior to go-live, all WorkWell ICBs will be required to provide details of their WorkWell design approach for review by the WorkWell policy team. This will be used to ensure consistency with policy intent and local confidence to deliver. Aspects likely to be covered will include:­­

• leadership and resources – are key roles filled?

• governance, risk and fraud – has the appropriate governance been undertaken, risk assessment completed, and robust data protection policies and fraud safeguards put in place?

• shared vision – has buy-in been secured from leadership across the partnership to enable joint delivery across LAs, health systems, and employment partnerships?

• user centred approach – are referral routeways designed and ready? Will participants be able to access and progress through WorkWell with ease?

• communications – are relevant stakeholders aware of the service and how to refer? Have publicity materials been designed ready to be made available?

• commercial – are contractual arrangements and data-sharing agreements or memoranda of understanding (MOUs) in place where required?

• evaluation strategy – are controls in place to monitor performance?

8. Appendix A – Typical User Journey

This user pathway provides an overview of some key potential components of a generic local system intervention through WorkWell Services. WorkWell Partnerships would tailor their approach to reflect local needs and build on existing community assets across work, health and skills.

In line with the ethos of WorkWell, this means taking a flexible and innovative approach, drawing on what is already available – such as youth hubs or inactivity trailblazers – while forming new partnerships where needed. This helps to avoid duplication, capitalise on existing assets within the community, and strengthen local collaboration.

View the WorkWell typical user journey

1. Participant

The participant will be one of the following 2 types.

1. A person in work with a health condition or disability, and either:

• struggling with health barriers, or
• on sick absence and at risk of falling out

2. A person out of work with a health condition or disability, and either or both of the following:

• likely with low level needs
• recently out of work

2. Referred by

Referring parties could include, but are not limited to:

• GP or primary care settings (including social prescribing)
• local authority (for example, social workers)
• voluntary or community sector
• local health services
• local employer
• Jobcentre Plus
• self-referral

3. Support offer

Initial assessment with work and health coach of barriers to employment, experienced through physical health, mental health and social situation.

Return to Work Plan or Thrive in Work Plan agreed.

The following may be recommended.

a. Multi-disciplinary in-house support

May include:

• employer liaison
• work and health coaching
• advice on workplace adjustments
• regular low-intensity follow up on Return to Work Plan or Thrive in Work Plan with work and health coach

b. Triage, signposting and referral

May include:

• GP or healthcare professional – for further medical treatment
• health promotion programmes
• community services
• council services
• debt advice or financial health support
• Jobcentre Plus services
• educational training
• ongoing referral to more intensive support, for example Universal Support, Access to Work, IPSPC, Restart

Participants draw on both components a and b, and move between the WorkWell service and external services.

4. Completion

Support ends when the participant achieves the goals set in their individualised Return to Work Plan or Thrive in Work Plan. Example outcomes may include:

• return to work
• remain in work
• reduced health barriers to working or looking for work

1. Gordon Waddell and A Kim Burton, Is Work Good for Your Health and Wellbeing?, London: The Stationary Office, 2006, pp. vii-ix. ↩

2. Fair Society, Healthy Lives: strategic review of health inequalities in England post-2010, London: The Marmot Review, 2010, pp. 68-71. ↩

3. 5.6 million disabled people were in employment in the UK in April to June 2024 and the disability employment rate was 53.1% compared to 81.6% for non-disabled people. The latest quarterly data for July to September 2025 shows that since the same quarter in 2024, the disability employment rate has decreased by 2.2 percentage points, and the disability employment gap has increased by 2.7 percentage points to 30.1 percentage points. See – The employment of disabled people 2024 – GOV.UK ↩

4. In the period between 2013/2014 and 2024/2025, the increase in the number of people being classed as disabled has been greater for females (54.3%) compared to males (41.3%) and younger people aged 16-34 (94.9%) compared to older people aged 35-64 (33.3%). The greatest increase across age, sex and health condition were for females aged 16-34 with a mental health condition (as their main condition) who saw an increase of 490,00 (189.4%). The number of disabled people with a mental health condition as their main health condition has increased 94.4% between 2013/2014 and 2023/2024. see The employment of disabled people 2024 – GOV.UK ↩

5. Keep Britain Working Review: Discovery – GOV.UK ↩

6. Gordon Waddell, et. al., Vocational Rehabilitation: what works, for whom, and when?, London: The Stationary Office, 2013. ↩