Community Spotlight - getUbetter

Currently there are more than 9 million people in the UK who are economically inactive – meaning they’re not in work and not actively looking for work. The government’s Get Britain Working White Paper outlined their plans for tackling economic inactivity caused by ill health. Long-term illness is the leading cause for economic inactivity with approximately 2.8 million people citing this as their reason for being out of work.

Economic inactivity can lead to significant adverse impacts for individuals and for the wider economy. According to data from the Office for National Statistics, 600,000 people who are currently off work with long-term health conditions said that they want to work and would like a job. However, people with disabilities and health conditions often face additional challenges when looking for suitable roles and may be unsure about what workplace adjustments they need to make a role accessible for them.

Many people accessing our government-funded employability services need support with managing physical health conditions or disabilities. We continually look for new ways to support those using our services so that their health condition no longer poses a barrier to them finding and sustaining employment. A key element of this continuous improvement work is partnering with local specialist organisations to ensure we are offering the best possible relevant support.

Since 2023, we have partnered with NHS South West London ICB (Integrated Care Board) to bring additional health and wellbeing support to South London residents accessing Better Working Futures and Work Routes – our names for the Department for Work and Pensions’ Work and Health Programme Core and Pioneer – through an app called getUbetter.

GetUbetter provides digital self-management help to people who have musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions. This collaboration is providing our participants who need it with instant access to a personalised programme of support designed to help them manage muscle and joint problems. The government shared that MSK conditions are the second largest reason given for being out of work due to ill health, with around 646,000 people saying MSK is their primary condition.

A representative from NHS South West London ICB said: “We have worked in partnership with digital health tech provider getUbetter to co-produce a digital self-management tool to support people in South West London to have the confidence to take charge of their health.

“We are happy to be working with the Better Working Futures and Work Routes teams to offer this free tool to their participants with a vision of supporting people to self-manage and return to work where possible.”

Since this partnership began, getUbetter has increased their offering to include support for women’s pelvic health, lung and heart health, and modules for people who are on waiting lists and/or are struggling to work due to a musculoskeletal condition, and much more. These additions have provided even more value to our participants with multiple health conditions, which can cause additional adverse impacts for individuals.

Joshua Thomas, Senior Employment Adviser on our Better Working Futures service, commented: “Typically, service participants living with long-term pain also present with mood and/or mental health support needs due to the impact of pain on their sleep and overall sense of wellness, often resulting in the feeling that their challenges are impossible to overcome.

“As Employment Advisers our role is to understand the competing issues and look to bring stability to an individual’s current situation. By referring participants to getUbetter, they can engage with self-management of their condition(s) which can then allow them to focus more of their energy on their job search. Many participants have told me that they are keen to engage with the app as it provides an alternative or addition to managing their condition through medication.”

These collaborations highlight the importance of working closely with specialist partners to best meet the needs of our local communities. We remain dedicated to our mission of positively transforming people and their communities, helping individuals to achieve their goals and change their lives through work.