Government details latest initiatives at Cover roundtable
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) announced at Cover's latest Think Tank its intention to make rehabilitation services a key priority in forth-coming years. It is currently evaluating existing rehabilitation services and health and safety in the workplace.
Following the Government's decision to invest £100m over two years in helping people return to work, the DWP is to play a key role in putting the Green Paper, Pathways to work: helping people into employment, into practice.
Discussing the DWP's agenda, Professor Mansel Aylward, chief medical adviser, medical director and chief scientist at the DWP, said he was unsure whether the Department of Health (DoH) would be involved in establishing a national framework for rehabilitation services. However, he stressed the DWP will have a critical role in taking the initiative forward.
'I can say that as far as the Department for Work and Pensions is concerned, rehabil-itation is one of the top priorities for the department. Even if the Department of Health decides not to go ahead because of commitments, we are going to take it further.
'I think the DWP is going to play a much bigger role ' studying rehabilitation, evaluating it, and looking at early intervention and health and safety in the workplace,' he said.
The initiative will be rolled out in six pilot areas across the UK in October. The approach will then be evaluated before any decision can be made as to whether the project will be extended to other areas of the country.
It is hoped the Pathways projects will help to return a significant amount of the 2.7 million people of work- ing age, currently receiving incapacity benefits because of a health condition or disability, back to work.
Aylward said: 'This is a major initiative and our role is to ensure it is rolled out to the six pilot areas and that it achieves its aim. The DWP is actively involved with healthcare professionals, employers and trade unions to get the project underway and to help to bring people out of poverty and back into the workplace.'
