A trailblazer programme has been launched in Barnsley, designed to get people back to health and back into work.
South Yorkshire is one of nine areas with 'inactivity trailblazers', backed by £125 million. The aim is to help areas with the highest levels of economic inactivity as part of the wider Plan for Change.
South Yorkshire will receive £18 million and is planning a dedicated new service with employers to hire those with health conditions, and a new “triage” system to make it quicker and easier to connect people to employment, health, and skills support.
An NHS programme will prevent people falling out of work completely due to ill health, working with people with conditions ranging from cardiovascular disease to diabetes. This could include voluntary work as a stepping stone to paid employment or helping people receive the right treatment early so they can remain in a job.
Work and pensions secretary, Liz Kendall MP said: "For too long, whole areas of the UK have been written off and deprived of investment. We are turning the tide on this – as we believe in the potential of every single person across our country and that they deserve to benefit from the security and dignity that good work affords.
"This is why we’re investing £125 million into nine local areas to get Britain back to health and back to work – with our new approach making it quicker and easier for people to access the support they need to stay in work if they have a health condition or return to work.
"South Yorkshire is the first to kick off their innovative plans – backed by £18 million – and we will be launching more areas in the coming weeks as we put more money in people’s pockets, boost living standards and Get Britain Working under our Plan for Change."
South Yorkshire aims to reduce inactivity from 25.5 per cent in 2023 to under 20 per cent by the end of 2029 – equivalent to helping 40,000 people across the area.
South Yorkshire Mayor, Oliver Coppard said: "We know that South Yorkshire’s industrial past has left a legacy of poor health and low skills that holds people back right across our communities; holding people back from accessing good work, making the most of their potential or living their fullest lives.
"That’s why we developed the pioneering Pathways to Work approach here in Barnsley, and why we’re now working with the Government to roll that programme out across the whole of South Yorkshire. From today people will receive tailored support, bringing together the health system, the skills and employment system, to truly help people back into decent work.
"I’m really pleased that South Yorkshire is now leading with the first inactivity trailblazer and NHS growth accelerator to launch in the UK, because it means we can help people more quickly and more effectively, and in a more tailored way. That’s not just the right thing to do for those people locked out of finding good work, it’s the right thing for our economy too, helping us to create the bigger and better economy we need and deserve here in our region."
Similar schemes are due to launch in: Greater Manchester, North East, York and North Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, Wales; and three in London (West London, South London and Local London).
Eight youth trailblazer areas will also launch across mayoral authorities in England, £45 million funding in the coming weeks, to ensure all 18–21-year-olds have access to education, training, and employment opportunities.
Minister for Public Health and Prevention, Ashley Dalton MP added: "Poor health is holding back too many people across the country, keeping them languishing on waiting lists when they could be getting back to their jobs and lives. Innovative services like these are critical to tackling economic inactivity.
"This support will get people working again, which is vital because we know being in work leads to better overall heath and helps grow the economy.
"Though the Plan for Change we will make people healthier, reduce pressure on the NHS, all while helping them into fulfilling and rewarding careers."
