Official Statistics

Work and Health Programme statistics to February 2021

Published 27 May 2021

Applies to England, Scotland and Wales

The latest release of these statistics can be found in the Work and Health Programme statistics collection.

This quarterly release of experimental statistics on the Work and Health Programme includes data up to February 2021.

Statistics covered in this bulletin include data collected during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The measures taken during the pandemic have had an impact on the delivery of the WHP and on its performance in the months since March 2020. DWP have deployed a number of measures to deal with the unprecedented levels of demand on the department. DWP’s priority continues to be ensuring people get their benefit payments and support for those who need it the most, therefore there have been lower numbers of referrals to the WHP during this time. As face-to-face meetings were also suspended, DWP provided additional online signposting to the WHP, and enabled self-referrals from individuals who were eligible. Providers took alternative routes to service delivery including digital options and providing a telephony service to ensure support continued. Additionally, some employment sectors were unable to recruit and others saw substantial reductions in job opportunities. This context should be considered when considering the success or timeliness of outcomes from the programme with regard to this period.

These are the latest statistics for the Work and Health Programme until the next release on 26th August 2021.

We are seeking user feedback on this HTML version of the statistical bulletin which replaces the PDF version. Send comments to: stats-consultation@dwp.gov.uk.

1. Introduction

The Work and Health Programme (WHP) was launched in England and Wales between November 2017 and April 2018 predominantly to help people who are disabled, as well as the long-term unemployed or those in the Early Access group to enter into and stay in work.

People are referred by jobcentres to work with organisations known as providers from the public, private and voluntary sectors. Providers are paid a service delivery fee and outcome-related payments when a person reaches either:

• a specified level of earnings once in employment
• 6 months of being in self-employment

During the COVID-19 pandemic the WHP has moved temporarily from this payment model to a “cost” payment model to allow for continued support for those customers most in need. Under this system the providers’ costs for delivering the contracted service were met, rather than paying a service fee and outcome-related payments.

2. Main Stories

The statistics show:

• as of February 2021, 210,000 individuals have been referred to the programme with 150,000 having started on the programme
• of all the individuals who have started the programme so far, 18% have achieved a job outcome by February 2021 – note that participants in more recent start months are less likely to have achieved a job outcome
• 15,000 individuals (14% of those starting on the programme up to February 2020) have achieved a job outcome within 12 months
• in the most recent 3 months the monthly performance level of the programme (actual number of job outcomes divided by expected number of outcomes) has ranged from 82% to 101%
• the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the delivery of the WHP and on its performance in the months since March 2020. Providers took alternative routes to service delivery to ensure support continued. Some employment sectors were unable to recruit and others saw substantial reductions in job opportunities

How many people have started on the WHP?

The number of starts by eligibility group from November 2017 to February 2021

Source: DWP Stat-Xplore, Starts to WHP.

160,000 individuals referred are from the disability group (76%). There are 27,000 individuals referred in the Long-term Unemployed group (13%) and 24,000 in the Early Access group (11%).

Of the people starting on the WHP, 110,000 are in the Disability group (75%), 22,000 are in the Long-term Unemployed group (15%) and 16,000 are in the Early Access group (10%).

For full data see DWP Stat-Xplore, Starts to WHP.

Who is achieving a job outcome on the WHP

The percentage of participants starting in each month that have proceeded to achieve a job outcome within 12 months, split by eligibility groups. December 2017 to February 2020: all areas

Source: DWP Stat-Xplore, Job Outcomes from WHP.

The Disability group accounts for the largest number of starts, and they also make up the majority of job outcomes (76%). The Early Access group and Long-term Unemployed groups combined account for 24% of the total number of job outcomes. From 6 months after starting the programme to 12 months after starting the programme, the percentage of outcomes more than doubles in all monthly cohorts.

For full data see DWP Stat-Xplore, Job Outcomes from WHP.

Of those starting in February 2020, 12% have gone on to achieve a job outcome within 12 months. The proportion of those starting on the WHP from December 2017 to February 2020 who have achieved a job outcome is:

• 23% of the Early Access group
• 21% of the Disability group
• 16% of the Long-term Unemployed group

3. What you need to know

Definitions

The following definitions are used in the statistics:

Participants

The WHP, launched in England and Wales between November 2017 and April 2018, aims to provide support to help people find and keep a job. It is available to the following 3 eligibility groups:

1. Disability group – voluntary for disabled people as defined in the Equality Act (2010). This is the main group that the WHP is aimed at
2. Early Access group – voluntary and aimed at people who may need support to move into employment and are in one of a number of priority groups (for example homeless, ex-armed forces, care leavers, refugees)
3. Long-term Unemployed group – mandatory for Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) or Universal Credit (UC) claimants who have reached 24 months of unemployment

WHP participants may or may not be in receipt of certain means-tested benefits such as JSA, UC, Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) and Income Support (IS). Alternatively, participants can be signposted to WHP by approved organisations (for example, community and voluntary groups).

Providers

The WHP is delivered across England and Wales by 5 providers across 6 areas, known as Contract Package Areas (CPAs). In some CPAs, the government has designed WHP in consultation with Local Enterprise Partnerships and city regions (partnerships between local authorities and businesses). These are known as Devolved Deal Areas (DDA). These areas have a strong voice in the ongoing monitoring of the performance on the programme in their areas.

In London and Greater Manchester, where devolution deals are in place, the WHP is commissioned and contract managed by the local authorities, known as Local Government Partners (LGP), who are match-funded by the European Social Fund (ESF). See the background information note for more information.

Map showing LGPs and CPAs in England and Wales

The administration of the WHP is split into multiple areas within England and Wales Contract Package Areas (CPAs). England is split up into 5 areas, whilst Wales is a single area. Within London and Manchester DWP has devolved the WHP to the Local Authorities known as Local Government Partners (LGPs). For Manchester this is considered a unitary area, whereas London is split up into 4 separate areas (West London, Central London, South London and Local London).

Referrals

Work coaches in jobcentres will send details of a person wanting to join the WHP to a provider. When a provider acknowledges the referral and contact has been established with the participant, this is called a referral. WHP participants can be referred more than once. Figures presented in this publication do not include cancelled or rejected referrals.

Individuals referred

Since one individual can have multiple referrals, individuals referred is the number of individual people referred. This means only the first referral per person is counted.

Starts

A start on the programme is recorded when a WHP participant attends the initial face to face meeting with the provider and agrees to participate. During the COVID-19 pandemic (ongoing), these meetings can be held remotely either digitally or via a phone call. The vast majority of starts should take place within 15 working days, although starts outside this window may occur if the customer does not attend the initial meeting within this time frame.

Cohort

A group of participants who all start on the WHP in the same month.

First earnings from employment

The point at which a participant achieves their first earnings from their first employment whilst on the programme. A participant may not necessarily go on to achieve a job outcome. Statistics on first earnings from employment do not include earnings from self-employment.

Job outcomes

A provider is classed as achieving a job outcome when a participant reaches either:

• a specified level of earnings once in employment (which varies across the different areas - see background information note for details)
• 6 months of being in self-employment

The earnings threshold for a job outcome for the National WHP and the majority of LGPs is 16 hours per week for 26 weeks at the National Living Wage, however the threshold for the West London Alliance is the same number of hours but at the London Living Wage and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority at the Real Living Wage.

Read the background information note for further information on WHP policy and definitions.

Expectations

The expectations used in the WHP statistics are the expected number of job outcomes for the programme either as a whole, split by eligibility groups or split by providers. For more information on the background to these expectations and to understand how they were created, see our background information note. Users can interpret these as the number of job outcomes anticipated when the WHP was rolled out.

Timeline of WHP progress

Timeline of the roll out of the WHP from November 2017 to February 2021

Referrals to the Early Access and Disability groups began in November 2017, and in March 2018, the WHP became available to all areas of the country. Long Term Unemployed referrals began in April 2018.

During the UK-wide lockdowns, beginning in March 2020, the face-to-face delivery of the WHP by providers was suspended. This meant that providers took alternative routes to service delivery including digital options and providing a telephony service to ensure support continued. This context should be considered when considering the success or timeliness of outcomes from the programme with regard to this period. During this period the programme moved temporarily from a performance by results payment model to a “cost” payment model to allow for continued support for those customers most in need. Under this system the providers’ costs for delivering the contracted service were met, rather than paying a service fee and outcome-related payments. For the LGP areas there are a number of different temporary cost models in place.

4. Joining the Work and Health Programme

The number of monthly starts increased to a peak of 5,600 in March 2019. A decrease was seen in the months impacted by the start of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. By July 2020 the number of monthly starts had returned to similar levels to those seen before the pandemic and reached 6,000 for the months of November 2020 and January 2021, an all-time high.

Since the start of the programme, within England and Wales, there have been a total of:

• 250,000 referrals (this counts each referral for individuals referred multiple times)
• 210,000 individuals referred (this counts only unique referrals so that each individual is only counted once)

Monthly number of individuals referred and starts, November 2017 to February 2021

Source: DWP Stat-Xplore, Referrals to WHP – Individuals and Starts to WHP.

Please note in the May 2020 publication, methodology was improved to more accurately record the number of starts. We now account for the 15 days allowed after referrals to input start activity therefore the most recent month of starts data (February 2021) is incomplete.

The total number of monthly individual referrals and starts was on an upward trend from March 2018 (when the programme was available to all areas of the country). Referrals from the Long-term Unemployed group started in April 2018. From April 2019 both the number of monthly individual referrals and starts was on a downwards trend, before the impact of the start of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and the first UK-wide lockdown was seen in March 2020.

In April and May 2020 both the number of monthly individual referrals and starts continued to fall. From June 2020 the number of monthly individual referrals and starts returned to similar levels to those seen before the pandemic and both reached all-time high levels in November 2020.

During the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic DWP has deployed a number of measures to deal with the unprecedented levels of demand on the department. DWP’s priority continues to be ensuring people get their benefit payments and support for those who need it the most, therefore there have been lower numbers of referrals to the WHP during some of this time. As face-to-face meetings were also suspended, DWP provided additional online signposting to the WHP, and enabled self-referrals from individuals who were eligible.

Overall, the proportion of individuals referred that have started is 72%.

Starts by eligibility group, November 2017 to February 2021

Source: DWP Stat-Xplore, Starts to WHP.

On average, across the duration of the WHP:

• 75% of starts come from the Disability group
• 10% of starts come from the Early Access group
• 15% of starts come from the Long-term Unemployed group

In the latest month, February 2021:

• 81% of starts were from the Disability group
• 16% of starts were from the Early Access group
• 3% of starts were from the Long-term Unemployed group

During the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic mandatory referrals to the WHP for the Long-term Unemployed group were paused which may have had an effect on the recent figures for this group. We are currently working on reinstating mandatory referrals to WHP, working extensively with DWP Service Delivery colleagues and our external providers.

For more information see DWP Stat-Xplore, Starts to WHP.

Distribution of all WHP individual referred and starts across areas, November 2017 to February 2021

Source: DWP Stat-Xplore, Referrals to WHP and Starts to WHP.

Table: Number of referrals and starts by area, from November 2017 to February 2021 by order of rollout (earliest listed first)

Area	Provider	Date of Rollout	Referrals	Individuals referred	Starts	% of starts to individuals
North West	Ingeus	27th November 2017	18,800	15,700	11,700	75%
Wales	Remploy	1st December 2017	14,900	13,300	10,400	78%
Central	Shaw Trust	15th January 2018	32,100	26,500	19,100	72%
North East	Reed In Partnership	15th January 2018	43,100	38,400	28,700	75%
Southern	Seetec Pluss	15th January 2018	32,000	27,400	19,700	72%
Home counties	Shaw Trust	15th January 2018	19,800	16,800	12,100	72%
Greater Manchester Combined Authority	Ingeus and The Growth Company	29th January 2018	24,800	20,500	14,500	71%
West London Alliance (WL)	Shaw Trust	26th February 2018	12,600	10,600	6,700	63%
Central London Forward (CL)	Ingeus	1st March 2018	26,400	21,600	14,400	66%
South London Partnership (SL)	Reed In Partnership	1st March 2018	6,500	5,500	3,500	64%
Local London (LL)	Maximus	1st March 2018	14,200	12,600	9,300	74%

Source: DWP Stat-Xplore, Referrals to WHP and Starts to WHP.

For full data see DWP Stat-Xplore, Referrals to WHP and Starts to WHP. In this figure, referrals, individuals referred and starts are rounded to the nearest 100.

See the background information note for maps of Greater Manchester and London LGP areas.

The WHP has been available to all areas since March 2018. Up until February 2021, 72% of individuals referred have started on the programme. Figures vary across areas due to size and when service rolled out, however cumulatively, the highest rate of individuals referred to starts is in Wales (78%) and the lowest is in West London (63%).

5. First earnings from employment and job outcomes from the Work and Health Programme

The flow of participants referred to the WHP

Source: DWP Stat-Xplore, Referrals to WHP and Starts to WHP.

Overall, 68% of the individuals referred by August 2020 have started the programme, whereas 32% have not; this may, for example, be due to the participant not attending their initial meeting with the provider.

Of the individuals who have started the programme so far, 18% have reached the job outcomes earnings threshold or 6 months of being in self-employment by February 2021. Participants who started the programme earliest have seen the highest level of outcomes as they have had longer to reach the earning threshold or 6 months of being in self-employment.

Of the 82% of participants who have started but not reached a job outcome by February 2020, some may still go on to achieve this. Referrals after August 2020 are not presented, as it is less likely these participants have had enough time and support on the programme to reach the job outcomes earnings threshold (which varies across the different areas) or 6 months in self-employment. Those who were referred before August 2020 have been engaged with the programme for longer and have received more support making job outcomes more likely.

First earnings from employment by month, November 2017 to February 2021 for all areas

Source: DWP Stat-Xplore, Employment First Earnings from WHP.

Note that a seasonal effect is seen that has an impact on the data shown here for the months of January and February each year.

Job outcomes by month, November 2017 to February 2021 for all areas

Source: DWP Stat-Xplore, Job Outcomes from WHP.

First earnings in employment is the point at which a participant achieves their first earnings from their first employment while on the programme. Subsequent employments are not included in the first earnings statistics.

February 2018 saw the first participants achieve first earnings from employment. In March 2018, the first participants reached the job outcomes earnings threshold or 6 months of being in self-employment.

The number of participants achieving first earnings from employment and job outcomes saw a decrease as the impact of the start of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and the first UK-wide lockdown was seen. In more recent months the number of first earnings has increased to a level just higher than that seen before the pandemic. The number of job outcomes continued to decline until the more recent data, from which a general increase can be seen from November 2020 onwards.

As of February 2021, 46,000 participants have achieved first earnings from employment, 1,400 of these were achieved in the most recent month. Over the same time period 24,000 participants have reached the job outcome earnings threshold or 6 months of being in self-employment, 1,100 of these were achieved in the most recent month.

For full data see DWP Stat-Xplore, Employment First Earnings from WHP and Job Outcomes from WHP.

Participants leave the programme by either:

• Achieving a job outcome
• Being on the programme for a full 21 months

Percentage of participants that have started on the programme who have achieved first earnings and job outcomes, by number of months since starting

Source: DWP Stat-Xplore, Job outcomes from WHP and Starts to WHP.

For full data see DWP Stat-Xplore, Job outcomes from WHP and Starts to WHP.

Figures suggest that while not everyone goes on to achieve a job outcome, a higher proportion have earned from employment while on the programme. For participants who have been on the programme for 24 months 36% have achieved first earnings and 22% have achieved a job outcome. Note that the first earnings in employment figures do not include those in self-employment. Support to participants on the programme ends after 21 months and time to accumulate earnings to achieve a job outcome finishes at 24 months.

First earnings from employment – standardised monthly performance measure at 6 and 12 months

Percentage of starts achieving first earnings from employment within 6 months of starting by eligibility group, December 2017 to August 2020

Source: DWP Stat-Xplore, Employment First Earnings from WHP and Starts to WHP.

For full data see DWP Stat-Xplore, Employment First Earnings from WHP and Starts to WHP.

The individual eligibility groups broadly mirror the same pattern. More recent start months are more likely to report lower levels of first earnings from employment and job outcomes as participants have not had as much time on the programme.

Over time, the proportion of participants achieving first earnings from employment within 6 months of starting the programme has ranged between:

• 14% and 32% for those from the Disability group
• 15% and 30% for those from the Early Access group, with the exception of an initial peak of 48% for those that started in the first month of the programme (December 2017)
• 3% and 22% for those from the Long-term Unemployed group

Referrals for the Long-term Unemployed group began in April 2018, therefore there are no job outcomes for Long-term Unemployed cohorts starting before this date.

The Early Access group shows more change in percentages over time due to lower volumes of starts and first earnings from employment. This is most apparent for the December 2017 cohort.

Percentage of starts achieving first earnings from employment within 12 months of starting by eligibility group, December 2017 to February 2020

Source: DWP Stat-Xplore, Employment First Earnings from WHP and Starts to WHP.

For full data see DWP Stat-Xplore, Employment First Earnings from WHP and Starts to WHP.

Over time, the proportion of first earnings from employment achieved within 12 months of starting the programme has ranged between:

• 26% and 41% for those from the Disability group
• 27% and 41% for those from the Early Access group, with the exception of an initial peak of 61% for those that started in the first month of the programme (December 2017)
• 19% and 38% for those from the Long-term Unemployed group

The proportion of first earnings from employment achieved by the Disability group within 12 months closely mirrors the total number of first earnings from employment achieved within 12 months of starting.

The Early Access group shows more change in percentages over time due to lower volumes of starts and first earnings from employment. This is most apparent for the December 2017 cohort, where at the start of the WHP, volumes were particularly low.

The Long-term Unemployed group began accepting referrals in April 2018, therefore there are no first earnings before this point.

Job Outcomes – standardised monthly performance measure at 6 and 12 months

Percentage of starts achieving a job outcome within 6 months of starting by eligibility group, December 2017 to August 2020

Source: DWP Stat-Xplore, Job Outcomes from WHP and Starts to WHP.

For full data see DWP Stat-Xplore, Job Outcomes from WHP and Starts to WHP.

Over time, the proportion of job outcomes achieved within 6 months of starting the programme has ranged between:

• 3% and 12% for those from the Disability group
• 0% and 11% for those from the Early Access group, with the exception of an initial peak of 26% for those that started in the first month of the programme (December 2017)
• 0% and 7% for those from the Long-term Unemployed group

The Early Access group shows more change in percentages over time due to lower volumes of starts and job outcomes. This is most apparent for December 2017 and June 2018 cohorts.

The Long-term Unemployed group began accepting referrals in April 2018, therefore there are no outcomes before this point.

The measure of participants in employment within 6 months of starting to WHP does not allow much time for participants to achieve their job outcome. Therefore, the proportion of claimants achieving a job outcome within 12 months of starting provides a clearer picture.

Percentage of starts achieving a job outcome within 12 months of starting by eligibility group, December 2017 to February 2020

Source: DWP Stat-Xplore, Job Outcomes from WHP and Starts to WHP.

For full data see DWP Stat-Xplore, Job Outcomes from WHP and Starts to WHP.

Over time, the proportion of job outcomes achieved within 12 months of starting the programme has ranged between:

• 11% and 19% for those from the Disability group
• 12% and 24% for those from the Early Access group, with the exception of an initial peak of 39% for those that started in the first month of the programme (December 2017)
• 6% and 20% for those from the Long-term Unemployed group

The Early Access group shows more change in percentages over time due to lower volumes of starts and job outcomes. This is most apparent for the December 2017 cohort.

As the Long-term Unemployed group only began accepting referrals in April 2018, there are no outcomes before this point.

6. Demographics of the Work and Health Programme

Percentage of WHP job outcomes by age group and area, November 2017 to February 2021

Source: DWP Stat-Xplore, Job Outcomes from WHP.

Starts to the WHP for the 35 to 39 and 40 to 44 age groups account for the lowest proportion at 9%. The highest proportion of starts come from the age group 18 to 24 at 15%. Those aged over 60 account for 10% of starts. There are regional differences in the proportions of participants starting across age groups, notably London regions show relatively lower proportions of 18 to 24 year olds starting the programme and relatively higher proportions of 60+ year olds starting. Regions other than London show less variation in the proportion of participants starting across age groups.

Overall job outcomes follow a similar trend: 35 to 39 and 40 to 44 age groups account for 10% and 9% of job outcomes achieved on the programme respectively, the second lowest proportion. The lowest proportion of job outcomes however is seen for the 60+ age group which account for 6%. The highest proportion of job outcomes, as for starts, come from the 18 to 24 age group at 16%.

Job outcomes for regions other than London are highest for the 18 to 24 age group ranging from 15% to 19%. London regions show a different distribution. In Central London and West London regions job outcomes are highest for the 50 to 54 year olds and 45 to 49 year olds, both at 15%, partially reflecting the different starting demographics.

For further age breakdowns see DWP Stat-Xplore, Starts to WHP.

WHP starts and job outcomes by gender, November 2017 to February 2021

Source: DWP Stat-Xplore, Job Outcomes from WHP and Starts to WHP.

Males have accounted for the majority of starts to the programme (61%) compared to females (38%). The proportion of job outcomes are split very similarly with males accounting for the higher proportion (63%) compared to females (36%). 17% of all males who have started the programme have gone on to achieve a job outcome, whilst 15% of all females who have started the programme have gone on to achieve a job outcome.

For full data see DWP Stat-Xplore, Job Outcomes from WHP and Starts to WHP.

7. Performance levels

Expectations

The expectations used in the WHP statistics are the expected number of job outcomes for the programme, either as a whole, split by eligibility groups or split by providers. For more information on the background to these expectations and to understand how they were created, see our background information note. Users can interpret these as the number of job outcomes anticipated when the WHP was rolled out.

Actual job outcomes as a percentage of expected job outcomes, by outcome month: September 2018 to February 2021

Source: WHP statistics data tables.

Note: the dashed orange line at 100% signifies where actual job outcomes equal the expected number of job outcomes. Nationally, overall performance of actual job outcomes against expected job outcomes fluctuates between 49% and 109% across the period September 2018 to February 2021. Job outcomes are measured by outcome month. For example, the 81% figure for September 2018 indicates that, across all cohorts combined, the actual number of job outcomes for September 2018 was 81% of the expected number of job outcomes for this month.

The expected number of job outcomes were defined before the COVID-19 pandemic began. The reduction in performance in the affected months should be considered in this context.

Number of actual job outcomes achieved compared to expected number, by outcomes month for September 2018 to February 2021

Source: WHP statistics data tables.

The actual number of job outcomes has fallen in the months since December 2019, whereas the expected number of job outcomes continued to rise slightly until the impact of the start of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and the first UK-wide lockdown was seen. Since then both actual and expected job outcomes have fallen until the most recent month of data, November 2020, saw an increase. This explains why the proportion of actual against expected job outcomes drops for the period December 2019 onwards, before increasing again in the most recent month.

Actual job outcomes as a proportion of expected job outcomes, for each eligibility group, by outcome months: September 2018 to February 2021

Source: WHP statistics data tables.

Nationally the three eligibility groups have performed similarly for data up to September 2020. This suggests that the WHP was achieving a similar proportion of expected outcomes for each eligibility group, taking into account the respective sizes of the groups. Recent months have shown an increase in the performance for both the Disability and Early Access groups, but not for the Long-term Unemployed group. During the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic mandatory referrals to the WHP for the Long-term Unemployed group were paused which may have had an effect of the recent figures for this group. There is a lot of volatility on a month-to-month basis.

Provider context

There are key contextual differences to take into account between providers and Local Government Partners (LGPs). Participants must earn above a fixed threshold to achieve a job outcome through any provider nationally or in an LGP area. However, the thresholds used by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) and West London Alliance are greater than those used by other LGPs and by the national providers of the WHP. LGPs, as solely urban areas, have different demographics to Contract Package Areas (CPAs). Therefore, the demographics of eligible cohorts may be different to those of the national CPAs. LGP services started about four months after the national CPAs.

LGPs have also secured extra funding from the European Social Fund to increase participant numbers. This is not the case for national WHP providers. Actual job availability in different areas does not necessarily scale in line with the increase in participant numbers. More detail explaining these principles, their effects and other important contextual information may be found in our background information note.

Actual job outcomes as a proportion of expected job outcomes for each region (and provider), September 2018 to February 2021

Source: WHP statistics data tables.

Across all regions and providers, overall performance of actual job outcomes has been between 53% (Central London Forward, Ingeus) and 95% (Wales, Remploy) of the expected number of outcomes, when summed across period September 2018 to February 2021. Note that these figures include all participants who have started the programme within these periods. Those who have started more recently have not had as much time to achieve job outcomes, and may still go on to do so.

Users should take into account the WHP is delivered across England and Wales by 5 providers across 6 areas, known as Contract Package Areas (CPAs). However, in London and Greater Manchester, where devolution deals are in place, the WHP is commissioned and contract managed by the local authorities, known as Local Government Partners (LGP). As a result, comparisons between regions should be made with great care and the contextual differences between CPAs and LGPs should be considered. See the background information note for more information.

Job outcome performance against expectations for the latest 6 and 12 months, split by region (and provider)

Source: WHP statistics data tables.

Performance over the latest 6 and 12 months for each provider is in line with performance over the 24-month period December 2018 to February 2021.

8. About these statistics

This statistical summary gives an overview. Key points and trends are presented using charts and commentary. The information underlying the charts is available as supporting tables.

In line with our publications strategy, we aim to release additional breakdowns in future publications.

Details will be announced, in advance via StatsUserNet and the DWP statistics calendar.

Rounding

Volumes and amounts have been rounded as detailed in the background information note. Percentages are calculated using numbers prior to disclosure controls and/or rounding, and rounded to the nearest whole percentage point. For these reasons some totals may not sum to 100.

Status

Work and Health Programme statistics are official statistics that are experimental. They are published in order to involve users and stakeholders in their development and as a means to build in quality at an early stage. All Official Statistics should comply with the UK Statistics Authority’s Code of Practice for Statistics which promotes the production and dissemination of official statistics that inform decision making.

Changes to this publication

Current release

There are no major changes that have been made to this publication’s format in comparison to the previous release.

Future releases

As part of our planned ongoing development of the WHP Official Statistics we intend to in introduce a new 24 month measure of the programme’s outcomes in the next quarterly release, which will be in addition to the current 6 and 12 month measures. As part of this change there will be some adjustments to the presentation of the data. This development will improve the quality of the publication by giving a view of the long term outcomes from the programme, in addition to the currently presented short and medium term views, and by providing a clearer picture to users of the programme’s outcomes for different eligibility groups over the different timescales. These changes have been developed with internal and external stakeholders and approved by the DWP Chief Statistician.

Where to find out more

Read the WHP background information note for more Information about the statistics.

The Work and Health Programme provider guidance is used by programme providers.

Information on the Work Programme, a programme which aimed to get unemployed people into sustained employment can be found in the collection of Work Programme statistics.

Information on Work Choice, a programme which aimed to help disabled people find, keep and progress in a job, can be found in the collection of Work Choice statistics.

Information on Specialist Employability Support, a voluntary programme which is aimed at helping disabled people with complex barriers that other support is not suitable for to find a job, can be found in the collection of Specialist Employability Support statistics.

Information on the Access to Work provision, which is aimed to support people who have a disability or long-term health condition start or stay in work, can be found in the collection of Access to Work statistics.

Users can also produce their own tables and access demographic breakdowns using Stat-Xplore.

Contact information and feedback

Authors: Michael Willows, Martyn Rath, Jonathan Thompson and Caitlin Rice

Lead Statistician: Tracy Hills

For more information on WHP statistics, contact the EPASS Team.

DWP would like to hear your views on our statistical publications. If you use any of our statistics publications, we would be interested in hearing what you use them for and how well they meet your requirements. Please send your comments by email to: stats-consultation@dwp.gov.uk.

Users can also join the ‘Welfare and Benefit Statistics’ community at StatsUserNet. DWP announces items of interest to users via this forum, as well as replying to users’ questions.

ISBN: 978-1-78659-335-1