Bosses to recommend jogging and gardening clubs in bid to get long-term sick back to work

30 December 2023, 11:01

Bosses will be told to recommend jogging and gardening clubs in a bid to get people who are signed off sick back to work.

Job centres and employers will also be encouraged to refer people to therapy and life coaching under government plans to create a national occupational health service.

It comes in a bid to tackle long-term sick leave, with Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride saying the NHS is not doing enough to deal with record levels of absence.

Community activities such as singing and gardening clubs will be recommended through NHS "social prescribing" initiatives.

Pilot schemes will begin in 2024, with 15 areas set to test a service known as WorkWell that recommends work coaches, physiotherapy and mental health treatment. 

Following the trials, there are plans to expand the scheme nationally from 2025.

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Mr Stride and Health Secretary Victoria Atkins said the scheme is not a "one size fits all" but they believe it will work alongside other services.

"We know the longer someone spends out of work, the harder it becomes for them to find a job," they wrote in the Times.

They continued: "We also know that one in five of those claiming the highest level of health benefits want to work and feel they could do so with the right support."

Mr Stride and Ms Atkins went on to say: "From work coaches to clinicians, therapists to running clubs, we will bring together the interventions that we know work to change lives and help people bounce back.

"Where someone could fall out of work and on to long-term sickness benefits, WorkWell is designed to swoop in and provide the support that people need to stay in work, or return as soon as possible."

But shadow employment minister Alison McGovern said the scheme was "all too little and it’s far too late".

The number of people on long term sick leave reached 2.6 million in September and there are 2.2 million people claiming Universal Credit with no work requirements.