Among all people out of work, more than one in four cite sickness as a barrier. In 2012, it was one in 10.
For years, sick and disabled people were abandoned without the support they need to get back to health, back to work. Writing people off and preventing them from fulfilling their potential fails both them and our economy.
Most of these people desperately want to work. They want the dignity, pride and security that comes from work and knowing you can support yourself and your family.
It is a gross injustice that millions of people – through no fault of their own – have been denied that for so long.
Instead of getting the necessary support to build better lives for themselves, people who both can and want to work are told they will never work again.
That simply isn’t right.
Supporting sick and disabled people move into and stay in secure and rewarding jobs is not only good for the economy, but a moral imperative.
That is why our Labour government have announced that Suffolk will receive £9.5m as part of the Connect to Work programme, which is designed to deliver localised, tailored support to people who are sick, disabled or face complex barriers to work.
That means 2,700 people across Suffolk, including in Ipswich, will be supported to overcome the barriers that prevent them entering the world of work and lock them in poverty.
Connect to Work, which will be fully open across the country by early 2026, is already transforming lives across England, with early delivery areas demonstrating the real difference targeted employment support can make.
The scheme provides intensive, personalised help including individual coaching from employment specialists, job matching services, and ongoing support for both participants and employers to ensure sustainable employment outcomes.
It can fund a range of support such as embedding job advisers in GP surgeries, virtual reality classrooms to support with interview practice, workshops to improve confidence and communication skills, and helping with childcare.
Connect to Work advisers work closely with each person to understand their individual circumstances, career aspirations, and any barriers they face, ensuring the support they receive is genuinely and effectively tailored to help them move into work that is right for them.
To access support, people can self-refer, or they can be referred through various routes including healthcare professionals, local authorities, and voluntary sector partners.
Alongside helping people get in or back into work, Connect to Work also supports those in work but at risk of losing their jobs due to the barriers they face.
Crucially, Connect to Work is locally designed and delivered. Rather than imposing a one-size-fits-all approach, the programme is unique in empowering areas to design their own approach based on what works best for their communities and to target funding where it’s needed most.
However, employment support programmes must be alongside action to get people back to health, as well as back to work.
Our government is taking major action to get the NHS back on its feet, backed by record levels of investment, and transforming our approach towards mental health so it is given the same focus and attention as physical health.
This action is already working. Before the election, we promised two million extra appointments in our first year to bring down waiting lists. We met that target seven months early, and have now delivered more than five million. There is still much work to do, but our NHS is being nursed back to health after years of neglect.
For far too long, sick and disabled people were cast aside and left without hope, help or prospects, but this Labour government will not give up on anyone.
By supporting people back into work, we will change lives by giving the opportunity to build a better, richer, more hopeful future for them and their family.