Archived

What works to support people to remain in work, or once on sick leave, to return to work? Who is best placed to deliver this support?

Background

We want to better understand transitions and fluctuations in health and disability over people’s lives and how they affect people’s employment, wellbeing and the support they need. We want to improve our understanding of the challenges disabled people and those with health conditions face in finding and/or sustaining employment. We also want to learn more about what roles different partners should play in providing an integrated approach to improving health and work outcomes, including employers and health professionals. We would like to better understand how we can best identify and support those who are unable, temporarily or permanently, to work

Next steps

Send correspondence and further questions to evidence.strategyteam@dwp.gov.uk.

Source

This question was published as part of the set of ARIs in this document:

DWP Areas of Research Interest 2019 GOVUK

Related UKRI funded projects


  • MICA: Supporting Older People into Employment (SOPIE): Identifying factors influencing return to work in the over 50s.

    This research will be undertaken by a unique partnership between Ingeus, a welfare-to-work provider, and an academic team led by the University of Glasgow and will study the Ingeus workless clients including those with h...

    Funded by: MRC

    Lead research organisation: University of Glasgow

    Why might this be relevant?

    This project specifically focuses on supporting older people, including those with health problems, to return to work and sustain employment, which directly addresses the question.

  • Tackling health inequalities and extending working lives (THRIVE)

    The policy issue: In Europe and Canada, policymakers are facing particular challenges related to rising life expectancy, a shift in the age profile of the population and the consequent increase in the prevalence of chron...

    Funded by: ESRC

    Lead research organisation: University of Liverpool

    Why might this be relevant?

    This project aims to understand the impacts of health inequalities on the opportunity to work later in life and develop strategies and policies for extending working life, which partially addresses the question.

  • Impact of interventions and policies on prolonging working life in good health: an international study

    European governments have developed policies to keep workers stay in employment until older age, yet many workers leave work earlier than expected due to illness, disability or poor health. Despite the societal implicati...

    Funded by: ESRC

    Lead research organisation: King's College London

    Why might this be relevant?

    This project aims to identify policies and interventions that can help workers maintain employment and improve overall health, which partially addresses the question.

  • Work, Health and Well-being: an interdisciplinary approach to managing health in the workplace

    In general, work is seen as good for health and well-being and an aid to maintaining independence over the life course. Over the last few years more attention has been paid towards how people can continue to work from mi...

    Funded by: MRC

    Lead research organisation: Keele University

  • Caring For Carers: Innovating For Workplace Health And Wellbeing Support

    Against the backdrop of the UK's ageing population and workforce, there is widening economic and social concern about high rates of economic inactivity (early retirement) among people aged 50+. Around a fifth of those wh...

    Funded by: ESRC

    Lead research organisation: University of Edinburgh

  • Disabled People Work and Small-Medium-Size Enterprises

    The UK Government aims to get one million more disabled people into paid work by 2027. Small and medium size enterprises (SMEs) dominate the UK business population and have been a more robust employer of the unemployed c...

    Funded by: ESRC

    Lead research organisation: University of Leeds

  • Beyond the 10 000 steps: Managing less visible aspects of healthy ageing at work

    Working with employers, employees, professional bodies and other key stakeholders this project will co-design innovative workplace interventions to support the health and well-being of older workers (aged 50+), enabling ...

    Funded by: ISCF

    Lead research organisation: University of Edinburgh

    Why might this be relevant?

    This project specifically focuses on supporting older workers to remain in work and improve their well-being, aligning with the question's focus on supporting people to remain in work.

  • WorkWeLCC™ platform to improve access to OH services and improve worker health and work participation in SMEs

    The unique solution combines the use of the only technology to objectively assess the worker's ability to cope with job demands, with an accessible digital referral platform for SME managers and the self employed, and co...

    Funded by: Innovate UK

    Lead research organisation: OXFORD MEDISTRESS LTD

  • Top Doctors Occupational Health Portal

    WorkFIT is an online platform designed specifically to support employees of small and medium-sized businesses and the self-employed in the UK to prevent and treat ill health to avoid long-term absences from work. The pl...

    Funded by: Innovate UK

    Lead research organisation: TOP DOCTORS UK LTD

  • What is 'incapacity'? The role of working conditions & job availability in incapacity claims, & whether these should be part of incapacity assessment

    Over a million older people (aged 50-64) claim incapacity benefits in Britain, on the grounds that their health or disability stops them from working - four times as many as those claiming unemployment benefits, despite ...

    Funded by: ESRC

    Lead research organisation: University of Kent

    Why might this be relevant?

    While this project does not fully answer the question, it addresses the concept of incapacity and the role of working conditions in preventing individuals from working, which is partially relevant to the question.