"We are talking in very large numbers here, and behind every one of those is an individual tragedy of somebody who might not be able to find the support and the information that is right for them to get them into the opportunity that may want and need." Rt Hon Chloe Smith at #WorkHealthSummit

"One of the things we are seeing is the amount of time spent out of out work and entrenched inactivity. Early intervention is something we see in other areas, and we have got to get to a system where people get meaningful support very early." Fiona Monahan at #WorkHealthSummit

"The sort of jobs that are often available particularly to people with a disability or a long-term health conditions will be lower-paid jobs. They often have less flexibility." Dame Clare Moriarty at #WorkHealthSummit

"If people have fallen out of the labour market due to ill health, then being able to access the health services that will help them is something that cannot be taken for granted. If you can’t get an appointment, that is going to be a barrier." Dame Clare Moriarty at #WorkHealthSummit

"Employers should be paying more attention to retention and not just to recruitment, because every time you have a retention problem, you have a big recruitment problem. " Rt Hon Alan Milburn at #WorkHealthSummit

"We have to think about job design more actively, and we have to think about how there is an opportunity for good work that fits people’s circumstances. It is a responsibility for employers." Rt Hon Alan Milburn at #WorkHealthSummit

Rt Hon Alan Milburn has the politician’s gift for a pithy phrase (not derogatory, in his case).

“We used to have a cyclical unemployment problem, now we have a structural worklessness problem”.

“The Gvt needs to look at this through an economic lens, not just a fiscal lens”.

#workhealthsummit

We're about to enter the second half of the #WorkHealthSummit, as we shift the focus to supporting people back into sustainable work

Sir Charlie Mayfield’s thinking has clearly advanced since he visited us 6 weeks ago.

But the really interesting stuff - the proposed solutions - are yet to come.

He hinted a bit at incentives for individuals to engage in support, & also talked about “systems”. Lots on SMEs. #workhealthsummit

You can have the most amazing policies and procedures within an organisation — but if you have managers who aren't aware of them or don’t understand them, it can severely impact disabled workers. Disability inclusion training is essential for every workplace. #WorkHealthSummit

It’s time to shift the conversation from support to prevention. To build healthy workplaces and healthier societies, we need a cultural change. We don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Let’s look at the policies we already have and focus on prevention at the core. #WorkHealthSummit

Tackling ill health and employment? Participation is key. We can’t simply copy policies from countries like Denmark and the Netherlands, but we can learn a lot from their inclusive approaches to keeping people in — or helping them return to — work. #WorkHealthSummit

Great to support AYPH Young Trainers to share their perspectives on of health and employment at the #WorkHealthSummit today.

www.lancaster.ac.uk/work-foundat...

Economic inactivity due to ill health is nearing record levels — 2.78 million people are currently out of work. 1 in 17 workers say they’re likely to leave their job within the next year because of health issues. 1 in 5 report being in poor health overall. #WorkHealthSummit

Great to be at the @workfoundation.bsky.social's Work and Health Summit this afternoon. #WorkHealthSummit

@cipd.bsky.social are here at the #WorkHealthSummit discussing the importance of how to support people back into the workplace who have been ill or how to support people in the workforce that are unwell.

In light of these findings, the Work Foundation suggests the following policy priorities.

These results will be launched at the Work and Health Summit 2025. Follow the conversation at #WorkHealthSummit (7/7).

We will be covering the Summit on LinkedIn, Bluesky and Twitter using the hashtag: hashtag#WorkHealthSummit

For more information about the Summit, please see (2/2): www.lancaster.ac.uk/work-foundat...