Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps the Joint Work and Health Unit is taking to support people to start, stay and succeed in work.

The joint DWP and DHSC Work & Health Unit (now Directorate) was set up in 2015 in recognition of the significant link between work and health. The existence of the Joint Work and Health Directorate reflects the importance of the shared agenda on employment for disabled people and people with health conditions and work as a wider determinant of health.

A range of Government initiatives are supporting disabled people and people with health conditions, to start, stay, and succeed in work.

These include:

• Increasing Work Coach support in Jobcentres for people with health conditions receiving Universal Credit or Employment and Support Allowance;
• Disability Employment Advisers in Jobcentres offering advice and expertise on how to help disabled people and people with health conditions into work;
• The Work and Health Programme and Intensive Personalised Employment Support, providing tailored and personalised support for participants;
• Access to Work grants towards extra costs of working beyond standard reasonable adjustments;
• Disability Confident, encouraging employers to think differently about disability and health, and to take positive action to address the issues disabled employees face in the workplace;
• The Information and Advice Service, providing better integrated and tailored guidance on supporting and managing health and disability in the workplace; and
• Support in partnership between the DWP and the health system, including Employment Advice in NHS Talking Therapies, which combines psychological treatment and employment support for people with mental health conditions.

To tackle rising economic inactivity due to long-term sickness, we announced a wide-reaching package at the Spring Budget to support disabled people and people with health conditions to work. New investment will provide faster access to joined-up work and health support, including for mental health and musculoskeletal conditions; the two leading causes of economic inactivity due to long term sickness.