Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the value of the contribution of occupational health in delivering public health support to employees.

Expert led work and health services such as Occupational Health, provided by employers for their employees, can play an important role in supporting employees to thrive at work and live healthier more independent lives.

In order to ensure that occupational health is a trusted partner, and a key part of a preventive, organisation-wide approach to health and wellbeing, a national programme of support for occupational health, Growing OH, has been launched. The NHS are working with key partners in the Occupational Health community to understand and help shape the future of OH provision going forward.

The Health is everyone’s business consultation, published in July 2021, set out proposals to increase access to quality occupational health services particularly focussed at SMEs and the self -employed.