Britain's first Workplace Health System plan unveiled

Sir Charlie Mayfield, the former John Lewis chairman and co-chair of the government’s Keep Britain Working programme, has published plans for Britain’s first Workplace Health System, bringing together employers, the NHS, councils and support services.

Around 300,000 people with a health condition leave work every year, and the number of working-age people out of work due to ill health has risen by 800,000 since 2019, costing the economy about £212 billion a year. Someone absent for four to six weeks has a 96 per cent chance of returning; after a year, fewer than half do.

Eleven regional Vanguards — nine Mayoral Strategic Authorities plus Cornwall, Hull and Worcestershire councils — and more than 200 Vanguard organisations testing the system across all four UK nations. Liverpool City Region is trialling draft return-to-work plans; Hull City Council’s Resilience Hub with provider Latus gives SMEs occupational health at corporate prices; South Yorkshire is testing part-time caseworkers inside businesses.

An employer standard is being developed with the British Standards Institution, alongside pooled buying and insurance routes for smaller firms. The work sits within a £3.5 billion employment support package: WorkWell is backed by £259 million and Connect to Work will reach 300,000 people.

In an interview with The Times, Mayfield warned of “perverse incentives” to be off sick. His report says 16 to 34-year-olds reporting work-limiting health conditions rose 77 per cent between 2015 and 2024 to 1.2 million, nearly half of them for mental health.