Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care about ensuring that people with arthritis are signposted to employment support at the point of diagnosis.

Through the joint work and health directorate the Department for Work and Pensions and Department for Health and Social Care work collaboratively together to support people who are managing health conditions, helping them to get into, stay, and thrive in work.

The government recognises that musculoskeletal (MSK) problems were one of the leading causes of sickness absence in 2025, whereby an estimated 27.3 million days were lost as a result of them.

The Government is committed to supporting disabled people and people with health conditions, including arthritis and MSK conditions, at all points of their employment journey. We therefore have a range of initiatives available, including support from Work Coaches and Disability Employment Advisers in Jobcentres and Access to Work grants, to more specialised locally commissioned and delivered support such as WorkWell.

We are working to deliver the Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) MSK Community Delivery Programme. GIRFT teams are working with health system leaders to reduce community MSK waiting lists and transform community services to support people with MSK conditions to get into and remain in employment.

People with MSK conditions can get access to support from WorkWell which provides integrated holistic early help for people with health-related barriers to work, such as arthritis and MSK conditions. WorkWell will be expanded to delivery across all of England backed by up to £259m over the next three years.

WorkWell is led by Integrated Care Boards and accepts participants from a range of sources including local health services which can allow for signposting at the point of diagnosis. Participants receive a range of support based on their needs and can include advice on workplace adjustments, access to physio services and employer liaison. Over one fifth of all WorkWell participants during the pilot phase (22%) consider their primary health barrier to be MSK related.