DWP has outlined new measures to help more disabled people and those with long-term health conditions find and stay in work
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has announced it is implementing a £1 billion-a-year ‘Pathways to Work Guarantee’ together with a £240 million employment initiative to assist more disabled people in securing and maintaining employment.
Employment Minister Dame Diana Johnson set out a range of measures that will help boost employment rates amongst disabled people and those living with long-term health conditions. In a written reply to DUP MP Jim Shannon, who enquired ‘what steps are being taken to boost disability employment, the DWP Minister emphasised a combination of current support programmes and new long-term funding pledges designed to integrate health, skills and employment support.
£240m ‘Get Britain Working’ initiative
Dame Diana stated the ‘Get Britain Working White Paper’, unveiled in November 2024 and supported by £240 million, is targeted at addressing economic inactivity throughout the UK, reports the Daily Record.
The approach concentrates on people who are unemployed owing to health conditions or disability, with DWP maintaining that “good work is good for health”.
Within the proposals, disabled people and those with health conditions can obtain support including:
- Work Coaches in Jobcentres
- Disability Employment Advisers
- Access to Work grants for practical workplace support
- Employment Advisers embedded in NHS Talking Therapies
- Individual Placement and Support in primary care
- The WorkWell programme
The DWP also announced it is introducing ‘Connect to Work’, a supported employment scheme targeted at disabled people and those encountering more complex obstacles to employment.
£1bn-a-year ‘Pathways to Work Guarantee’
Dame Diana also mentioned proposals in the Pathways to Work Green Paper, which outlined plans for a new Pathways to Work Guarantee. The guarantee is anticipated to be supported by £1 billion annually in additional funding by the decade’s end.
Once fully implemented, the DWP stated it expects the offer will include:
- A personalised support conversation
- One-to-one caseworker support
- Ongoing engagement
- Access to specialist long-term work, health and skills support
Dami Diana explained the objective is to provide bespoke assistance for disabled people and those with health conditions who are claiming out-of-work benefits.
Connecting health and employment
The department also referenced the UK Government’s 10 Year Health Plan, published in July, which aims to better integrate health services with employment support.
Under the proposals, neighbourhood health services will collaborate more closely with job and skills systems to address the “multiple complex challenges” that can prevent people from entering or remaining in work.
The Employment Minister stated this cross-system approach acknowledges that barriers to employment often extend beyond a person’s condition and can include wider social and economic factors.
The UK Government has repeatedly emphasised rising levels of economic inactivity linked to long-term sickness. For disabled people already navigating the benefits system, the key question will be how these commitments translate into practical, accessible support on the ground.
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