DWP announces changes in 2026 set to affect thousands of people
Thousands of workers at risk of being forced out of their jobs through ill health are to be offered new support.
A new Government scheme has been launched to tackle Britain's spiralling sickness crisis.
The Department for Work and Pensions will fund occupational health training for 5,000 line managers in small businesses across England, in a move designed to stop employees falling out of work and onto benefits.
The free training, running between January and March 2026, is part of ministers' push to reduce the number of people signed off sick at a time when more than 2.8 million people are classed as long-term ill - one of the worst rates in the G7.
Official figures show the problem has worsened sharply since the pandemic, with 800,000 more working-age adults out of work due to sickness than in 2019, according to the Keep Britain Working review.
Under the scheme, funded by up to £800,000 from the DWP, line managers at small and medium-sized enterprises will be trained to spot early warning signs such as persistent fatigue, changes in behaviour and rising absence levels - allowing them to intervene before problems escalate.
The training, delivered by the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH), is aimed squarely at small firms, which often lack the resources of big employers but bear a heavy cost when staff fall ill.
Replacing a worker lost to ill-health costs small businesses more than £11,000, while each day of sickness absence wipes out around £120 in lost profit, according to Government figures.
DWP employment minister Dame Diana Johnson said small firms were being left to struggle with health issues they were ill-equipped to manage.
She said: "Too often, small businesses lose skilled staff to health issues without the tools to support them - and that doesn't help anyone.
"This free training changes that. It gives line managers the confidence to have the right conversations and make the adjustments that could help keep people in work. When small businesses support their staff to stay at work healthy, everyone wins - employees, businesses, and our economy."
Only 21% of SMEs currently provide health and wellbeing training for line managers, compared with 76% of large employers, despite evidence showing it works.
The move has been welcomed by business groups, who say rising costs have pushed training out of reach for many firms.
Tina McKenzie, Policy Chair at the Federation of Small Businesses, said: "We are pleased to see DWP devoting funds to upskilling SMEs on occupational health issues for their staff. Employee welfare is a priority for small firms, but we know that training courses about it can be put out of reach at a time of rising cost pressures.
"We welcome that around 5,000 SMEs should be better placed to look after the health of their employees, avoid sickness absence, and help them thrive in the workplace."
The IOSH course will cover referrals to occupational health services, support for staff with physical and mental health conditions, and employers' duties under the Equality Act 2010, including reasonable workplace adjustments.
David Tomlinson, Health and Safety Business Partner at the University of Lincoln, who has completed the course, said: "It's given us greater confidence to help us shape our approach to occupational health and wellbeing at work."
Managers will be able to pre-register for the training until December 31, with full registration opening on January 2. Participation is voluntary, with businesses choosing to sign up based on perceived value.
The scheme forms part of the Government's wider Small Business Plan, alongside measures such as raising the threshold for employers' national insurance, cutting £150 off energy bills, freezing rail fares and prescription charges, and making under-25 apprenticeship training free for small firms.