The government has announced that it will join forces with employers to tackle ill-health and keep Britain working.
This is a response to Sir Charlie Mayfield’s Keep Britain Working Review. The three-year partnership will see more than 60 major and many small employers work with the government to address ill-health that is pushing people out of work and holding back growth.
The employer-led vanguards initiative will reshape how health issues and disabilities are managed in the workplace, and focus on prevention, early support, and better returns to work, helping more people stay in employment and boosting UK disability inclusion.
The vanguards, which include British Airways, Google, Sainsbury’s, Holland and Barrett, alongside Mayoral Combined Authorities and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), will develop and refine workplace health approaches over the next three years to build an evidence base for what works. This will inform wider reform by identifying what approaches could become part of the future employment landscape and drive adoption.
Sir Charlie Mayfield, author of the Keep Britain Working Review, said: “Britain is sliding into an avoidable crisis. Ill-health has become one of the biggest brakes on growth and opportunity. Employers are uniquely placed to make a difference, preventing health issues where possible, supporting people when they arise, and helping them return to work. If we keep Britain working, everyone wins: people, employers, and the state.”
Dr Subashini M, medical director at Aviva UK Health, added: “We strongly support the report’s emphasis on prevention, early intervention, and rapid rehabilitation in the workplace. These measures are essential to tackling economic inactivity and improving the health and resilience of the UK workforce. By working together, employers and government can deliver meaningful change improving the health of the UK workforce and helping more people stay well and at work.”
Peter Hamilton, head of market engagement at Zurich UK, said: “The review makes clear the significant societal and individual costs of economic inactivity, especially lost earnings from extended absences. Positively, it also shows solutions to this problem exist.
“We’re delighted to be a vanguard employer and believe we have plenty of workplace health insight to share. The concept of identifying and sharing best practice is a practical and positive step, and recognising the shared responsibilities of employers, employees and the NHS is critical.”
Katharine Moxham, spokesperson for Group Risk Development (Grid), added: “The report recommends that more employers adopt a workplace health provision model which encompasses case management, early intervention and stay-in and return-to-work plans. It further suggests that, as currently, this should be funded by employers and delivered by the existing eco-system of providers, such as group income protection insurers. It’s encouraging that the government wants to see wider adoption of such an approach, which would benefit individuals, businesses and the wider economy.”
