New Initiative: Job Advisers to Be Placed in GP Surgeries to Help Sick and Disabled People Access Work
Bringing work and health support together but experts stress it must remain voluntary.
Helping 300,000 People into Work by 2030
GP surgeries across England could soon host specialist employment advisers as part of the government’s plan to support 300,000 sick or disabled people into work by 2030.
The advisers are part of the voluntary Connect to Work scheme, which offers tailored help for people facing complex barriers to employment due to disability or long-term health conditions.
With £167.2 million in new funding, the programme will expand to Cumbria, Oxfordshire and West Sussex (including Brighton), helping more than 40,000 additional people access targeted employment support.
Currently, around 2.8 million people in the UK are unable to work because of long-term illness. Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden said the government is determined to change this.
“Writing off people with long-term health conditions or disabilities fails them and fails our economy,” McFadden said. “We’re giving people a hand up, not a handout — helping them realise their potential and providing them with the skills to succeed as part of our Plan for Change.”
‘Joined-Up’ Support Could Drive Better Outcomes
Experts have welcomed the focus on integrating healthcare and employment advice.
Angela Matthews, director of public policy and research at the Business Disability Forum, said the scheme “has real potential to give a joined-up view of an individual’s health and their fitness to work.”
She added:
“Healthcare teams and employment advisers working together can go a long way to ensure meaningful recovery — and that no one is rushed back into work before they are ready.”
Matthews also urged that employment advice be tailored to the individual, with workplace adjustments and flexible options placed at the centre.
However, she cautioned that advisers are “no substitute for wider, ongoing support” such as condition management, social care, and an accessible standard of living.
Support Must Stay Voluntary
Disability equality charity Scope echoed that message, warning that any new employment scheme must avoid creating pressure on people who are not well enough to work.
James Taylor, Scope’s executive director of strategy, said:
“Personalised employment support is essential, but the government must make sure it’s not pressuring people who are not well enough to work. Support must be optional and flexible, not built on a culture of fear.”
Taylor also stressed that investment in employment programmes must not replace or reduce disability benefits, which remain vital to covering the extra costs disabled people face — whether they’re working or not.
A Step Forward If Done Right
As the Connect to Work programme grows, experts agree it could help many people unlock their potential and return to fulfilling work — provided it remains voluntary, flexible, and sensitive to individual needs.
