Government must learn from past mistakes about how to tackle health-related work inactivity, says IES

IES led the evaluation of the Fit for Work (FFW) service, a caseworker-led model initiated under the last Labour Government to help those off sick return to work, but which was scrapped because of low uptake.

Dr Sally Wilson, IES’s head of workplace health and wellbeing said: “A key issue was that many employers and employees didn’t fully understand what FFW would deliver: some employers expected full medical assessments, while some employees confused the service with a work capability assessment for DWP.”

“The pilots also struggled to address the complex needs of individuals with mental health issues. This complexity made it challenging to provide effective support.”

Many employers didn’t understand how the government's last long-term sickness solution, called Fit for Work, worked so didn't use it. Photograph: iStock

Wilson said that the profile of long-term conditions has also changed since those times. Fluctuating and new conditions such as Long Covid have emerged. There is also the increased prevalence of mental health and neurodiversity diagnoses, particularly in young people.

Looking ahead to the final report of the Mayfield Review – an initiative commissioned by the Government to consider ways to tackle health related inactivity and the employers’ role – and which is expected in November, she said it must reflect these needs and learn lessons from the past.

“We hope [Mayfield’s] conclusions prompt initiatives that build on past learning about individualised support and ensure that it is delivered to the people who will benefit most. The real question is not whether we can afford to provide tailored services of this type for at-risk individuals, but whether we can afford not to.”

Wilson was writing in IOSH’s report, Fixing sick Britain: getting people back to work through good occupational health and safety. The report presents twenty essays from organisations from across health and wellbeing to set out how they believe the UK’s OSH and OH systems can be strengthened.