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job consultant in gp surgery And virtual reality interview practice is part of efforts to get 300,000 sick or disabled people into work by 2030 Government Pledge to give people a “hand up, not a handout”.
Work and Pensions Secretary, many people suffering from health problems are being thrown out of jobs Pat McFadden It’s something that “fails our economy,” he said.
Over £1 billion of funding England And wales The goal is to bring thousands more people to work in the next five years.
There are currently around 2.8 million people unemployed in the UK due to long-term illness – a figure roughly equivalent to the population of Greater Manchester.
Benefit claimants can be supported in a variety of ways by work coaches at job centres, including offering advice and referring them to job opportunities.
But the government said specialist employment advisers, which it described as distinct from job trainers, were now being integrated into health care teams, including GP surgeries and mental health services, to ensure job support was considered as part of the holistic care on offer.
It is understood that people will receive intensive, personalized support, including personal coaching, from employment experts who understand the complex barriers to work.
Mr McFadden said: “Rejecting people with long-term health problems or disability fails them and fails our economy.
“We are helping people, not helping, realize their potential and giving them the skills to succeed as part of our transformation plan.
“Thanks to the activism of local areas, it is already delivering results – proving that when we invest in people and communities, everyone wins.”
The schemes are part of the Connect to Work scheme, which is voluntary and open to people who are disabled, have a poor health condition, or face complex barriers to work.
The £167.2 million expansion of the program in areas including Cumbria, Oxfordshire and West Sussex and Brighton is expected to support more than 40,000 sick or disabled people into work.
Unemployed people and those who are in work but at risk of losing their job because of barriers arising from their health conditions can self-refer for support or be referred by health care professionals, councils or community organisations.
Disability campaigners welcomed the extra support for people but warned that the new measures should not force people into work.
James Taylor, executive director of strategy at the disability equality charity Scope, said the government should “ensure it is not putting pressure on people who are not well enough to work”, while Mark Gale, policy manager at Sense, said “It is vital that these measures are designed and delivered with disabled people in mind to deliver meaningful change, and are not simply used to force people into jobs that are not suitable for their needs.” are not or may even be harmful to their health”.
As well as the availability of employment advisers, people in areas including Portsmouth, the North East and East Sussex will have access to virtual reality immersive classes to help with interview practice, workshops to improve confidence and communication skills and community-based health programmes.
The Department for Work and Pensions said parents would also be helped to access affordable child care so they can return to the workforce.
The Government has previously warned that if the welfare system is not reformed, the number of working-age people on disability benefits will more than double this decade to 4.3 million, and spending on working-age disability and disability benefits will rise to £70 billion a year by the end of this Parliament in 2029/30.