06 Feb Work and Health Are Inseparable: NWL Model to Shape £259m National Rollout of WorkWell
The Government has confirmed a £259 million investment to roll out WorkWell across England, adopting the integrated, prevention-focused model first demonstrated in North West London.
This marks a decisive shift in national policy: employment support now belongs inside primary care, not as a referral to somewhere else. The success of North West London’s approach has been central in proving that work and health must be treated together, from the very start of someone’s journey.
Proving the Case: Work Is a Health Issue
In North West London, WorkWell challenged the long-standing divide between health and employment services. The programme embedded Employment Support Specialists directly within neighbourhood and primary care teams, recognising that economic inactivity and ill health are two sides of the same issue.
Since launching in October 2024, NWL’s WorkWell has supported 3,600 residents and shown what becomes possible when the NHS is equipped to intervene early. West London Alliance provided the commissioning coordination and “single front door” that made integration across eight boroughs possible, bridging NHS, local authorities, Job Centre Plus, and our delivery partners, Shaw Trust.
“Work is a health issue,” said Ann Waugh, WorkWell Learning and Change Manager, West London Alliance. “The first month of absence is the critical window. After a year, someone’s chance of returning to work drops below 20%. WorkWell gives clinicians a way to act early and prevent that spiral.”
Across NWL’s eight boroughs, 132,000 working-age adults are economically inactive due to long-term sickness, with mental health conditions, MSK issues, and chronic conditions driving both primary care demand and entrenched health inequalities.
WorkWell has reached those most affected:
- 55% female
- 70% Asian or Black ethnicity
- 47% aged 35–54
Early evaluation shows fantastic impact: the programme has delivered £6,113 in net primary care savings in a single quarter, alongside clear improvements in wellbeing, confidence, and stability for participants.
The Innovation: Integration Within Primary Care
What set North West London’s pilot apart – and what the national programme will now adopt – is its deep integration within neighbourhood care.
Work and Health Coaches were not running a standalone employment service. They were part of the multidisciplinary team around a patient: GPs, social prescribers, physiotherapists, mental health practitioners, welfare advisors, community organisations.
Jonathan’s story
Jonathan, 59, came through North Kensington Jobcentre Plus after years of CPTSD, chronic gastrointestinal issues, and knee pain. The WorkWell team connected him to OP-Courage for veteran mental health care and funded a specialist colitis dietitian — support he had never previously been able to access.
“Jonathan’s progress shows what coordinated, person-centred support can achieve,” said Seth Johnson-Shaw, his Work and Health Coach.
Moska’s story
Living with anxiety, depression, fibromyalgia, and arthritis, Moska struggled even to walk for 20 minutes. Through integrated physiotherapy, mental health support and employment coaching, she gradually built activity and confidence, and is now employed in a local primary school.
“It feels good to support my family,” she said. “Even with long-term conditions, I can now look after others too.”
These stories, and thousands like them, demonstrate that when support is wrapped around a person through their GP and neighbourhood team, outcomes change dramatically.
The Model Goes National
In announcing the national expansion, ministers highlighted exactly what the NWL experience has shown.
Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall MP said:
“Too often, people with health conditions are signed off sick without the support they need to stay in or return to work. WorkWell changes that by giving people the help they need.”
Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting added:
“We’re issuing millions of fit notes dismissing people as simply ‘not fit for work’. By combining health and employment support locally, WorkWell can give people back their confidence, purpose and wellbeing.”
The national programme will support up to 250,000 people and will be delivered through NHS Integrated Care Boards working with local authorities, Jobcentre Plus, and VCSE partners, mirroring the partnership architecture developed in North West London.
Next steps for North West London
With confirmed funding for continuation, NHS North West London will focus on deepening integration with neighbourhood health teams and expanding referral pathways from primary care. The programme forms a core part of the ICB’s strategy to reduce health inequalities, shift care upstream, and embed prevention within neighbourhood models of care.
To access WorkWell in North West London:
– Phone: 0808 196 2386
– Email: workwellwest@shaw-trust.org.uk
– Web: shawtrust.org.uk/workwell-north-west-london
WorkWell is available to anyone aged 16 or over who lives in or is registered with a GP in Brent, Ealing, Hammersmith & Fulham, Harrow, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Kensington & Chelsea, or Westminster.