Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to help support people with musculoskeletal issues into work.

The Government is taking several steps to help support people with musculoskeletal (MSK) issues into work.

In the spring Budget the Government set out a package of measures to provide an extra £406 million over the next five years to tackle the leading health-related causes keeping people out of work, which includes investment targeted at services for MSK conditions.

As part of this, the Government will pilot integrating vocational advice within MSK services to ensure people can access holistic support locally, scale up MSK Hubs in the community and ensure digital resources, such as apps for management of MSK conditions, are readily available, so that more people can easily and quickly access the support that is right for them.

We also have a new online service, which is currently in live national testing, offering tailored guidance to help employers better support disabled people and those with health conditions in the workplace: Support with Employee Health and Disability service.

In October 2022, we published the Musculoskeletal (MSK) Health Toolkit for employers and further education institutions, which encourages employers to support adolescents and young adults with MSK conditions. The Musculoskeletal health toolkit for employers was developed in partnership with Business in the Community and provides practical information for employers of all sizes to address MSK conditions in the workplace for the working age population.