“We welcome the publication of the Keep Britain Working Review. It is vital that employers and the government do more to increase the recruitment, retention and return to work of Disabled people and people with long-term health conditions.
“The aims of the review are hugely welcome and timely. We hope they will end the current trends that have seen it become harder for Disabled people and people with health conditions to find work, especially when they are older. The current gaps in employment between those with and without health conditions are amongst the worst in Europe.
“It is extremely encouraging to see that there is a specific focus on longer, healthier working lives for older workers within the review and that the stated ambition is for people to be supported to thrive in work, not just to stay in work. We know that older workers with health conditions and/or a disability currently face a huge drop-off in their chances of finding work. Ultimately, the success of the Keep Britain Working Review will be judged and how effectively it can close this gap in the coming years.
“But there are concerns about the extent of the ambitions the review has for all older workers with long-term health conditions or disabilities. The review has much to say about retaining older workers in the workplace, but what about those people who have fallen out of the labour market? True reform can’t be a targeting of low-hanging fruit, there should be the ambition to help those who are a little further away from employment currently.
“The immediate question now is what comes next? This is a good start at turning the corner but how far is the government willing to go to help deliver change here? Will there be commitments within the Spending Review to help deliver this reform?
“It is right that employers will be at the forefront of taking the reforms from the review forward. We know that Disabled workers and workers with health conditions can be invaluable members of a workforce when given the right opportunity.
“Employers that are flexible about flexible working will enable workers with health conditions to continue contributing in the workplace while managing their health conditions and managing their other responsibilities.
“We hope the review and the vanguard will lead to a greater use of reasonable adjustments that effectively target disabilities or health conditions as well as earlier Occupational Health interventions that will help to prevent longer absences from the workplace in the long-term. We need the Keep Britain Working Review to be a stimulus to help shape workplaces where workers are aware of what support is available to them and are not afraid to ask for them.
“And we need this change to be universal, not just among some exemplar employers or not just the reserve of some sectors. The outcome cannot be a two-tier system of employment where older workers with health conditions and/or disabilities can thrive in some sectors but there is no real incentive for deep-rooted cultural change within other sectors or amongst some employers more resistant to change.”
