The Connect to Work funding will support over 85,000 people who are sick, disabled or face complex barriers to work in 15 areas across England.

Work and pensions secretary, Liz Kendall, said: ‘For too long, millions of people have been denied the support they need to get back to health and back to work.

‘It's bad for their living standards, it's bad for their families, and it's bad for the economy.

‘That's why we're taking decisive action by investing millions of pounds so sick or disabled people can overcome the barriers they face and move out of poverty and into good, secure jobs as part of our Plan for Change.'

Around 300,000 people across all of England and Wales are set to benefit from Connect to Work over the next five years. To access support, sick and disabled people and those facing complex barriers to work can self-refer or can be referred through various routes, including healthcare professionals, local authorities and voluntary sector partners.

The UK has 2.8m people out of work due to ill-health – one of the highest rates in the G7.

The Government aims to deliver an 80% employment rate by overhauling job centres, tackling economic inactivity through local plans and delivering a Youth Guarantee so every young person is either earning or learning.

The new funding builds on WorkWell, a joint programme by DWP and DHSC, which went live in October 2024, backed by £64m funding.

WorkWell is designed help people with health conditions back into work through better integration between health services and employment support, and will reach 56,000 people across the 15 pilot sites by spring 2026.