People with health conditions will receive further support to manage their health conditions at work, thanks to 19 innovative projects set to receive millions in government funding.

Almost £4 million of funding under the new Work and Health Challenge Fund will be shared between the successful projects. The fund is the latest in a series of government measures which form part of a 10-year strategy to get one million more disabled people in work by 2027.

Projects include a new mobile phone app which aims to ease lower back pain by giving sufferers a personalised self-management plan; and an app to help individuals understand signs of mental ill health, including access to a Vocational Rehabilitation trained advisor.

The successful projects will enable people to stay in work by helping them to manage their conditions themselves and making it easier to access advice and support.

They will also help government and partner organisations develop future policy by providing more personalised feedback on the experience of disabled people in work.

Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work Sarah Newton said:

We want to harness the power of technology to tackle the disability employment gap, and these novel ideas will help us to achieve our goal of seeing one million more disabled people in work.

The Challenge Fund has given experts on the ground the opportunity to come up with ideas on how best to support people to manage their health conditions at work, and the financial backing to take those ideas forward. I congratulate those successful in securing funding and look forward to working with them to develop these innovative ideas.

The Challenge Fund is a joint initiative between the Department for Work and Pensions and the Department of Health and Social Care, and has a focus on mental health and musculoskeletal conditions – some of the most common health conditions in the workplace.

It will ensure that people whose health conditions may have previously held them back in the workplace or even caused them to drop out of employment can benefit from the latest innovations and tailored support.

Minister for Mental Health and Inequalities Jackie Doyle-Price said:

No one should be held back at work because they are living with mental ill-health or a long-term health condition and this fund marks an important milestone in improving people’s quality of life and helping them thrive in the workplace.

Physical and mental health should have parity in the workplace and today’s announcement takes us one step closer to achieving our ambition for better mental health for all. I look forward to seeing how this fund transforms people’s lives by maximising the benefits technology has to offer.

Dr Nasser Siabi OBE of Microlink, one of the bidders successful in securing funding, said:

Individuals can sometimes face occupational disadvantages due to a disability or health condition, and many of these difficulties are unnecessary. With the right adjustments at the right time, disabled people can bring talent, loyalty and productivity to the workplace.

We are delighted to be granted this funding for the development of this tool which will increase access to the various environmental, technological and interpersonal supports that will make a real difference to disabled people in work.

The initiatives will address one or more of the following four broad areas of focus:

• Self-management support: Providing advice to individuals on how they can self-manage their conditions to enable the individual to retain employment
• Work capacity advice and support: identifying and exploiting opportunities that give people high-quality, actionable advice about their ability to do differing types of work, considering their wider needs and barriers to work
• Adjustments to working environments: Developing new approaches to help individuals and employers identify appropriate workplace solutions, or alternative ways of working that facilitate work participation
• Joining up services: Strengthening communication, liaison, or joint action between those involved in achieving better work-related outcomes for those with mental health and/or MSK conditions

The 19 successful projects are:

• Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Trust (Health Innovation Network)
• The Pluss Organisation CIC – WorkFit
• Southampton City Council – Well@Work
• Microlink PC (UK) Ltd – MiGenius
• Remploy Ltd – MyWellbeing@Work
• Social Finance – The Link
• Keele University – I-SWAP
• Beatson Cancer Charity – We’re With You At Work
• Enterprise Mentoring – The Enterprise Mentoring Programme (EMP)
• Bristol City Council – Future Bright: Health and Work
• Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust – A Whole System Approach to Mental Health for SMEs
• Nottingham City Council – Construction Industry Peer Support (CIPS)
• Institute for Employment Studies – Developing a Work Instability Tool for Depression and Anxiety
• Bath Spa University – HOW (Healthier Outcomes at Work)
• Rail Safety Standards Board – Mental Health in Rail Employment Support Service
• Possability People
• Cardiff University – Back-on-Line
• North West Boroughs Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust – Work Wise
• Royal College of Occupational Therapists – OTVoc clinic

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People with health conditions will receive further support to manage their health conditions at work.

After 5 successive years of holding the ‘Workplace Charter on Domestic Violence’ Gold Award, this year MDP Northern Ireland collected the Platinum Award.

The award recognises the work that the MDP has delivered in this field over several years, and especially during the past 12 months, by developing, reviewing and renewing policy and working with other agencies that seek to support, protect and reassure victims of domestic violence.

Chief Inspector Simon Munro, from HQ Frontline Operations, who collected the award certificate from sponsors ONUS; specialist trainers and consultants for professional services dealing with domestic violence and abuse, commented:

It is my pleasure to visit Northern Ireland and collect this award on behalf of my officers for the work that they have done over the last few years, culminating in the recognition this platinum award provides.

It is significant that I collect this award alongside Brigadier Jon Swift, 38 (Irish) Brigade, as an example of partnership working and the MOD’s commitment to work positively to protect victims of domestic violence. This work will continue.

Collette Stewart, ONUS NI, stated:

In the years that ONUS and MDP have been working together, there has been so much progress in how we perceive and respond to domestic abuse in society. We recognise that if we are serious about creating a society without domestic abuse, we need to work together in partnership, bring together our respective understanding and through that develop new and better practice.

The MOD and MDP have been proactive in developing policy and training staff to recognise and respond to domestic abuse through Onus Pathways’ initiatives and have developed excellent working relationships with support services such as Women’s Aid and the Men’s Advisory Project.

We have improved how we understand and respond to families experiencing domestic abuse and now, as a Safe Place Partner, we have plans with other Safe Place partner organisations to create additional initiatives,

said Collette.

We will also challenge the myth that domestic abuse is not our problem, domestic abuse impacts upon all of us as a society, and we need to come together, challenge that myth and be prepared to work for change.

Minister of State for the Middle East at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Alistair Burt said:

The UK was among the first countries to recognise Lebanon’s independence 75 years ago, and remains a staunch supporter of its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The relationship between our two countries has never been stronger. The UK is proud of our partnership with Lebanon, as we work together to build strong, legitimate state institutions, secure Lebanon’s borders, support Lebanon with its refugee crisis, and boost our nations’ prosperity.

The UK looks forward to the early formation of a Lebanese government, a government with which the UK can continue to strengthen its partnership. On behalf of Her Majesty’s Government I am delighted to send my congratulations to President Aoun, Prime Minister-designate Hariri, Parliamentary Speaker Berri, and the Lebanese people as they mark this momentous anniversary.

Published 21 November 2018

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