£6.4 million boost for businesses to support disabled people

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has unveiled a new £6.4 million online service to help businesses better support disabled people and those with health conditions in the workplace.

Businesses and disability groups have bene invited to test and shape the early test version of new Support with Employee Health and Disability service, which is aimed at smaller businesses, many of which do not have in-house HR support or access to an occupational health service.

Any employer can access the service, which provides free advice on how to manage staff who may be in or out of work with a disability or long-term health condition in a user-friendly online Q&A format.

The new service also covers potential changes an employer could make to help them return to and stay in work, supporting a government drive to boost numbers of people in employment and ensuring everyone has the opportunity to benefit from being in work.

“Since 2017 we have seen one million more disabled people in work, beating our target by five years. Now we want to go even further by giving more employers the tools and information they need to ensure disabled people and those with health conditions can succeed in the workplace,” Claire Coutinho, minister for disabled people, health and work, said.

“As the new minister for disabled people, health and work, there is no end to my ambition to build on the success of the department by making sure disabled people have the same opportunities as everyone else to start, stay and succeed in work.”

The website is the first public version of the service and is part of an almost £6.5 million programme of work to help employers support and manage employees with disabilities or health conditions.

The site is currently in test mode, with businesses and disability groups invited to have their say through a short online survey, to help shape the future of the service.

The site will be constantly updated and improved over the next three years, informed by feedback from the survey.

Once fully developed, the service will also help employers understand their legal obligations, including how to make adjustments for disabled people and those with health conditions.

The government has promised £1.3 billion investment over the next three years in employment support for disabled people and people with health conditions.