A new programme is being launched in Sussex to support people whose health is affecting their ability to work.<\/p>\n
The initiative, called WorkWell, will focus on mental health and musculoskeletal conditions \u2013 two of the leading causes of long-term sickness and unemployment.<\/p>\n
It aims to offer earlier help and better coordination between health and employment services, especially in areas with higher levels of health-related joblessness.<\/p>\n
Dr David Fox, clinical director at Hastings and St Leonards Primary Care Network, said GPs had a key role to play in supporting “more people to stay in work or get the care and support they need to get back to work”.<\/p>\n
The programme is part of wider government plans to improve public health and boost employment, and supports the NHS’s long-term strategy to move care closer to communities.<\/p>\n
WorkWell is being delivered by NHS Sussex in partnership with Health Innovation Kent Surrey Sussex. <\/p>\n
Rebecca Sharp, associate director at Health Innovation KSS, said the organisation was looking forward to seeing the impact of the WorkWell initiative in East Brighton, Crawley, and Hastings.<\/p>\n
Workwell forms part of the Government’s Get Britain Working agenda and the NHS’s 10-Year Health Plan, which prioritises prevention and community-based care.<\/p>\n
To prepare for the rollout, a detailed review was carried out in Hastings, East Brighton and Crawley \u2013 areas identified as having greater need. <\/p>\n
More than 80 interviews were conducted with local residents, health professionals, and employment support staff.<\/p>\n
The review found several barriers to accessing support, including long waiting times, digital exclusion, unclear referral routes, and inconsistent help from employers. <\/p>\n
It also highlighted a lack of awareness among GPs and primary care teams about local employment services.<\/p>\n
Despite these challenges, the report identified strong local services that could be better connected.<\/p>\n
It recommended more joined-up, person-centred care at neighbourhood level, and suggested integrating the fit note process into referral pathways to help people get support earlier.<\/p>\n
Dr Vandana Verma, clinical director, Deans and Central Brighton PCN, said: “We know that being in good, meaningful work has benefits that go far beyond the economic. <\/p>\n
“It supports mental and physical wellbeing, restores confidence, and fosters a sense of belonging. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A new programme is being launched in Sussex to support people whose health is affecting their ability to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":194954,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[49,48,84,392],"class_list":{"0":"post-194953","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-healthcare","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-health","11":"tag-healthcare"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/194953","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=194953"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/194953\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/194954"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=194953"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=194953"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=194953"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}