Social Finance selected as National Support Team for England-wide WorkWell rollout
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Social Finance has been selected by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) as the National Support Team for the England-wide rollout of WorkWell, a major programme helping disabled people and people with health conditions stay in, or return to, work.
The appointment builds on a decade of Social Finance’s work connecting health and employment support, including delivering IPS Grow, the central support programme for more than 300 Individual Placement and Support (IPS) services across England.
Launched by the DWP and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) in October 2024, WorkWell has been piloted across 15 Integrated Care Board areas and has supported around 25,000 people in its first 14 months.
From autumn 2026, WorkWell will expand nationwide, with Social Finance supporting all areas in the country develop strong, outcomes-focused services that are consistent and equitable wherever people live.
Being selected as the National Support Team for WorkWell marks a significant moment for Social Finance. It deepens our commitment to creating a system where health and employment support work together, and where everyone, regardless of their health condition, is supported to find and sustain good work.
Caroline Gadd, Chief Executive
About WorkWell
WorkWell is a cross-government programme, jointly funded by DWP and DHSC, for people whose health affects their ability to stay in or find work. Funded nationally and led locally through Local Systems Partnerships, primarily ICB-led, it brings employment and health support together so people can access coordinated, practical help.
Support is voluntary, with referrals from GPs, Jobcentre Plus, employers, local VCSFE services, or directly from individuals themselves.
Work and Health Coaches, employed locally by NHS trusts, GP federations, voluntary sector partners and employment support organisations, provide support from health and community settings. This can include help with confidence building, workplace adjustments, conversations with employers, and access to local services such as physiotherapy or employment advice.
Social Finance’s role as the National Support Team
As National Support Team, Social Finance will work alongside every Local System Partnership to help WorkWell launch and scale, supporting better outcomes for disabled people and people with health conditions both in and out of work.
We will provide advice, support and strategic leadership to pilot and new WorkWell areas, helping to share learning, strengthen local capability and promote consistently high-quality support across England.
Our role is not to tell areas how to deliver WorkWell, but to help them succeed by developing a strong continuous improvement cycle, benchmarking outcomes, connecting peers, sharing what works, and championing local insights nationally.
Our track record in health and employment support
Social Finance has deep experience in health and employment support. Through IPS Grow, we support the scale-up and quality assurance of more than 300 IPS services across England. In the last 12 months alone, these services have helped more than 11,000 people living with severe mental illness or people accessing drug and alcohol treatment to secure good work.
Since August 2025, we have also delivered DWP’s Fidelity Assurance contract for Connect to Work, helping ensure IPS services are delivered to high standards across England and Wales.
Our wider work with ICBs, Combined Authorities and national funders gives us practical insight into how local systems can work together to improve outcomes for people and communities.