One thousand work coaches will help sick and disabled people back into work under Government plans.

The plans have been brought forward ahead of a wider reform package for the welfare system due to be announced by work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall in the coming weeks.

Kendall said: ‘We're determined to fix the broken benefits system as part of our Plan for Change by reforming the welfare system and delivering proper support to help people get into work and get on at work, so we can get Britain working and deliver our ambition of an 80% employment rate.'

The plans will see 1,000 work coaches in 2025/26 provide tailored and personalised employment support for around 65,000 sick and disabled people, including writing CVs and supporting interview techniques. They will also access a range of DWP employment programmes to help claimants back to work.

The move came as a survey showed nearly half of disabled people and those with a health condition saying they don't trust DWP to support them.

Over a third (35%) of disabled people and people with a health condition believe the DWP does not provide enough support to people of working age who are out of work.

In addition, 44% of disabled people and people with a health condition don't trust the DWP to help people reach their full career potential. 

Furthermore, nearly two in five (39%) disabled people and people with a health condition do not trust DWP to take its customers' needs into account in how it provides services. 

There are over 3m people on Universal Credit with no obligation to engage in work-related activity, despite over a quarter (27%) of health and disability benefit claimants believing that work could be possible in the future if their health improves and 200,000 saying they would be ready to work now.

The number of working-age people on the health element of Universal Credit or claiming Employment Support Allowance has soared by 319% since the pandemic to 3.1m.