Good work supports good health, and good health supports good work.
Good work can support good health, while being out of work can have a negative impact on health and wellbeing. People who are unemployed are more likely to experience poorer mental health, loneliness and psychological distress, as well as a higher risk of long-term illness. These effects can increase the longer someone remains out of work, which is why work is often considered an important health outcome.
As a healthcare professional, you can play an important role in supporting patients whose ability to work is affected by ill health or disability. This may include helping them to remain in work, return to work, move towards work, or find other meaningful activity where work is not currently possible.
As highlighted by Lord Darzi and the Government’s Get Britain Working White Paper, supporting people back to better health and work benefits individuals, communities, the economy and public services. By routinely discussing work with patients, embedding work support into care pathways and promoting healthy lifestyles, healthcare professionals can help prevent ill health and support people to enter, stay in, or return to work.
Use this page to access guidance and resources to support conversations about work and health with your patients.
Signposting
Signpost patients to our support for employees and jobseekers page for a list of
VCSE organisations that can support people into work, including specialist support for young people, people with disabilities and veterans.
This page also contains employment-related support and FAQs on common work and health topics, including employment rights and reasonable adjustments.
Service directories and referrals
Once you have identified the type of support your patient needs, you can use local directories, for example Joy Marketplace, to find relevant community services. In some areas, these directories can also be used to make referrals.
- Norfolk: use the Norfolk Community Directory to find local community services.
- Suffolk: use InfoLink to find local services. Please note this is for listings only.
- West Suffolk: use Joy to find local services and make referrals.
The 2025 Healthcare Professionals’ Consensus Statement for Action on Health and Work
The 2025 Healthcare Professionals’ Consensus Statement for Action on Health and Work sets out a shared commitment from major UK health professional bodies to recognise good work as an important health outcome. It aims to support healthcare professionals over the next five years to include work and health conversations as part of everyday patient care and wider health systems.
The Statement outlines five core principles for clinicians. These include asking patients about work, understanding the health benefits of good work, giving up-to-date advice, using fit notes effectively, and promoting safe and supportive workplaces. Together, these principles can help people enter, stay in, or return to work as part of holistic health.
Read the StatementGuidance for AHP leaders
The Promoting work as a health outcome: guidance for AHP leaders document supports allied health professional (AHP) leaders in England to recognise work as an important health outcome and embed work-focused support into local services.
It provides practical guidance on leadership, workforce development and service design, helping AHP leaders to influence local systems, build staff confidence and strengthen the role of AHPs in supporting people to remain in, return to, or move towards work.