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3h ago

UK Expands Connect to Work With £167m to Place Job Advisers in GP Surgeries

Ministers describe a voluntary, locally designed service that links employment help to clinical care to reach 40,000 more people as part of a £1bn push to support 300,000 by 2030.

The government wants to take a more holistic approach to healthcare and work. Image: Pexels
Over one in four people out of work cite sickness as a barrier to employment - up from one in ten in 2012 (Photo: Getty)
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Overview

  • Nine additional delivery areas in England will join the programme, including the North East, South Midlands, Devon–Plymouth–Torbay, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, West Sussex and Brighton, Berkshire, Cumbria, and York and North Yorkshire.
  • Specialist advisers will be embedded in GP practices, mental health teams and community partners, with access by self‑referral or referrals from healthcare professionals, councils or community organisations.
  • Funding allocations include up to £49.7m in the North East to support about 13,800 people, £32m in the South Midlands for 8,050, and £22.8m in Devon, Plymouth and Torbay for 5,950.
  • Participants will receive tailored support such as job coaching, employer engagement, virtual reality interview practice, confidence workshops, community health links and help accessing affordable childcare.
  • Disability and health charities welcome targeted help but warn that advisers in healthcare settings could deter people from seeking treatment or pressure those not well enough to work, with groups urging a health‑first approach.