Healthcare teams support people back to work

GP practice staff are supporting people to get a job, or to keep their job after going off sick, through a pilot scheme in two areas of Chesterfield that have high levels of health inequalities.

The Work With You scheme is funded through the government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

It provides individual, tailored, support to people who have been unable to get work due to disability, or who risk losing their jobs because of a change in their health.

It is designed to target a wider range of people than existing employment support programmes by helping people with a wide range of conditions including anxiety, neurodiversity, or physical symptoms such as back pain or arthritis.

Participants can identified by social prescribers, who work as part of GP practice teams, as well as local “community connectors” – who are people who work with local voluntary organisations.

“The individual must be motivated to get a job, or to keep a job they might be at risk of losing,” says Fiona Bolstridge, NHS Derby and Derbyshire programme manager.

“It’s a voluntary scheme that works by tailoring the support to the person’s interests and skills.

“The employment skills expert will get to know the person they are supporting, understand what interests and motivates them, and then provide advice and guidance to help them apply for jobs they are more likely to succeed in.

“They may also help with advice on benefits, so the person doesn’t lose out, or on asking for reasonable adjustments to manage a health condition or disability.”

The scheme is operating in the Rother area of Chesterfield and in nearby Barrow Hill.

Both have high levels of deprivation and high levels of health inequalities.

The social prescribers and employment expert can draw support from healthcare colleagues in a multi-disciplinary team where the goal is to help the individual into work.

Chesterfield Borough Council has appointed the Shaw Trust to run the pilot scheme, working with 20 people, most of whom will be out of work, while the rest may be at risk of losing their job because of their health.

Learning from the scheme will help inform delivery of a much larger scheme for the whole of Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire that is being commissioned by the East Midlands Combined Authority.

Dr Alice Fenton, who is population health lead for Chesterfield area, is providing clinical advice on the pilot.

She said: “We know that good work is good for health. That means having a stable, fairly paid and rewarding job. Too many people don’t have that opportunity and their physical and mental health worsens as a result.

“We also know those issues are worse in our most deprived neighbourhoods.

“However, with support people can manage or overcome common mental health issues such as anxiety or physical disabilities such as back pain.

“Healthcare professionals have a key role in identifying the issues that prevent people from working and in putting in place tailored support to help people find and keep a job that is good for them.

“Getting people who are out of work back into a job, and preventing people from losing a job they have, is absolutely key to tackling health inequalities.

“It also makes people better off and it reduces demand on NHS services.”

Councillor Tricia Gilby, Leader of Chesterfield Borough Council, and Vice Chair of the Chesterfield Skills and Employment Partnership said: “This is a really important programme that will provide the support people need to find work or maintain their current role.

Employment can help improve people’s health and wellbeing by giving them a space to socialise with others, earn money to pursue their passions and can help create a sense of purpose.

This support is one of several initiatives we have introduced to help ensure that everyone in our borough has the opportunity to improve their quality of life.”

Funding for the Work With You scheme has been successfully secured from the Government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

Chesterfield Borough Council has been awarded a further £1.1m through the UKSPF, to deliver a range of projects until March 2026. The funding was allocated to the council by the East Midlands Combined County Authority.