16 October 2023
Following the Minister for Social Security, Deputy Elaine Millar’s announcement in July, the new
WorkWell service is now available.
The new Social Security service, WorkWell, supports employees with a plan of activity whilst
receiving a short-term sickness benefit claim. WorkWell is a completely voluntary service that
Islanders can access through a referral from their GP. It will help people who have been (or are at
risk of being) signed off work for longer than four weeks. This is an ’early intervention’ model
designed to help people manage common health conditions and stop them from needing to take
longer absences from work.
WorkWell offers advice and support and can approve a ‘Return to Work Plan’ that gives people the
option of doing some paid or voluntary work whilst still receiving STIA. The plan is designed to
help make it easier for people to return to work after an illness, or to manage the effects of health
conditions alongside the demands of work. The Return to Work plan is developed with both the
employer and employee in mind and engagement with employers is critical to make sure this is a
success.
The new service will have a particular focus on supporting workers who are affected by mental-health or musculoskeletal conditions. These are increasingly the conditions that are most likely to
affect Islanders’ ability to work. However, the WorkWell service will accept any referrals for
conditions where a person's GP thinks that a Return to Work Plan might be suitable.
The WorkWell service can help people regardless of the job they do. WorkWell will give advice to
employers on how Return to Work Plans can be accommodated in different kinds of workplaces.
Social Security Minister, Deputy Elaine Millar, said: “I am delighted we have launched this service.
The WorkWell team are all in place to help people who want to manage the effects of health
conditions on their ability to work.
“Giving people options on how to manage their return to work is important and I am pleased we
can provide guidance through this service. Employees can have an initial chat with the team and
decide what the best options are for them. I am confident that employers will also feel supported
through this service as it is in everybody’s interests for Jersey’s workers to feel like they are not
prevented from working by common health conditions.”
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