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Work Programmes are Working for Long Term Sick and Disabled People

DEPARTMENT FOR WORK AND PENSIONS News Release (DRC-077) issued by The Government News Network on 27 May 2008

More long term sick and disabled people are finding work, and getting into work faster - thanks to the Government's Pathways to Work programme, which is now available across the whole of Great Britain.

New findings show that taking part in a Pathways programme significantly increases the chances of long-term sick and disabled people finding work, with more people finding work more quickly than those who have not taken part in the scheme at all. The early success shows that Pathways to Work has a vital role to play in future welfare reforms.

So far 64,000 people have been helped into jobs through the Pathways to Work programme, which provides support from highly skilled personal advisers from the public, private and voluntary sectors to ensure that the long-term unemployed receive the specialist help they need to get back to work.

Early indications found that individuals and society as a whole are better off overall as a result of Pathways. Pathways saves the taxpayer money. It is estimated for every million spent on the programme £1.5 million is returned through a reduced benefits burden and increased tax contributions.

Ministers are committed to ensuring that future welfare reforms continue to transform inactive benefit recipients into active jobseekers by engaging with programmes such as Pathways to Work and through initiatives such as patients having access to personal advisors in GPs surgeries.

Minister for Employment and Welfare Reform Stephen Timms said:

"I am impressed by the success of the Pathways programme - it proves that with the right support we can make a difference even with long-term benefit claimants, which is a group of people usually considered harder to help."

Also published today are findings on a pilot, begun in 2006, where Jobcentre Plus personal advisers were placed in GP surgeries to give employment advice to people on Statutory Sick Pay and long-term Incapacity Benefit. This research showed that 59 per cent of the patients who had interviews with an advisor in a GP surgery were sick or disabled and not attached to work.

Stephen Timms said:

"This early intervention with patients attending GPs' surgeries is also proving highly productive. Findings from our pilot showed that 91 per cent of patients who had access to an adviser said that it motivated them to think about work and that they felt they had been listened to."

Notes to Editors:
1. The research documents; 'The Pathways Advisor Service: Placing an employment Advisor in GP surgeries' - 'Evidence on the effects of Pathways to Work on existing claimants' and 'Evidence on the cost and benefits of Pathways to Work for new/repeat claimants.' are published at http://www.dwp.gov.uk.

2. The national roll-out of Pathways to Work was completed at the end of April (2008).

3. The Pathways service delivers specialist advice, giving support and opportunities to people with health problems and disabilities to help them move into work.

4. The Pathways to Work programme support consists of:
* 6 mandatory work focused interviews with a specialist incapacity benefit personal adviser. These are highly skilled people from the public, private and voluntary sectors who will ensure that the long-term unemployed receive the specialist help they need to get back to work, including one to one work-focused interviews and in-work assistance;
* a condition management programme helping customers to manage and cope with their health condition in a work context (delivered in partnership with health professionals);
* work with local GPs and employers to ensure people on incapacity benefits are not discouraged from working again.
* a Return to Work Credit of £40 per week paid for 52 weeks to IB customers who start work and earn less than £15,000 pa

Website http://www.dwp.gov.uk