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Sam Atwell

@swjatwell.bsky.social
185 followers 93 following 56 posts

💼 Employment and health at the Health Foundation. Trustee at Big Futures Foundation.

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Sam Atwell @swjatwell.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
There has been lots going on around employment and health recently. Some quick thoughts from myself and Luisa on the new fit notes pilots announced by DWP, and what a more effective and integrated system could look like.
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The Health Foundation @healthfoundation.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
Responding to the publication of Alan Milburn’s interim report on NEETs, @swjatwell.bsky.social​ says its findings are a clear-eyed account of how ill health, inadequate support and a lack of opportunities are holding over a million young people back. Read the response ⬇️ bit.ly/4nQThYF
'The higher share of NEET young people reporting ill health makes tackling the issue all the more urgent. More young people reporting health barriers signals that policymakers face an even greater challenge in connecting them to the workplace or study.' Sam Atwell, The Health Foundation
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The Health Foundation @healthfoundation.bsky.social · 24/05/2026
Healthy life expectancy as a measure of the country’s health has attracted recent debate. Though not without its limitations, it nonetheless provides a valuable insight into the lived experience of a population whose health is declining, writes Andrew Mooney. Read more⬇️ bit.ly/4dJPMPh
The image shows a quote card: “Healthy life expectancy is an imperfect measure, but it remains a valuable signal of a growing problem.” 
Andrew Mooney, Principal Data Analyst, The Health Foundation
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Sam Atwell @swjatwell.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
The bit on social context of diagnosis is interesting. Employers, schools and other orgs are responding to more people reporting MH and ND conditions. But the way this support is allocated may also be shaping behaviour/demand. We covered similar points in our recent work on NEET young people
health.org.uk
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Sam Atwell @swjatwell.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
The Interim Report of the review into mental health conditions, ADHD and autism has been published today. On first read through I think it helpfully parses what is known and what is not yet known on prevalence & service demand for these conditions assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/69cbdb...
assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
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Sam Atwell @swjatwell.bsky.social · 16/03/2026
There's lots more in our analysis piece. Do reach out directly if you have any questions or want to collaborate!
health.org.uk
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Sam Atwell @swjatwell.bsky.social · 16/03/2026
We also think there is a need to provide stronger wraparound support to young people and their employers where there is a health issue that is a barrier for the young person staying in work. This should use a caseworker model, as we outlined in our Commission for Healthier Working Lives
health.org.uk
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Sam Atwell @swjatwell.bsky.social · 16/03/2026
What can government do to get and keep more young people in work or education? Well it has already started - by expanding its youth guarantee scheme to fund work placements in the public and private sectors. Previous schemes have shown strong benefits for individuals and the taxpayer.
bbc.co.uk
Firms to get £3,000 for each unemployed 18-24 year-old they hire
Payments of £3,000 for each 18-24 year old given a job are among proposals to tackle youth unemployment being announced later.
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Sam Atwell @swjatwell.bsky.social · 16/03/2026
We are also seeing more young people screening for clinically relevant symptoms of some conditions, known to be associated with being out of work or education. Namely common mental health conditions and ADHD.
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Sam Atwell @swjatwell.bsky.social · 16/03/2026
There are a few different reasons why we are seeing higher reporting of these conditions. Diagnosis rates for mental health and neurodevelopment conditions have increased rapidly in recent years. And many more young people get financial and practical support that could push towards reporting
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Sam Atwell @swjatwell.bsky.social · 16/03/2026
And what is behind rising reports of ill health among young people? As Alan Milburn's review team and a few others have highlighted, its mainly mental health conditions and autism. (Although we only started tracking autism in labour market data in 2020, so trends should be treated cautiously)
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Sam Atwell @swjatwell.bsky.social · 16/03/2026
So why does this matter? It's well known that being out of work or education whilst young has a long term scarring effect on earnings, future health and employment chances. The growing numbers with health conditions may face even greater penalties to their future life chances
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Sam Atwell @swjatwell.bsky.social · 16/03/2026
Its the combination of a weaker labour market and more young people reporting ill health that appears to have increased the share of young people who are NEET. Around 1 in 3 16–24-year-olds with a work-limiting health condition are NEET, compared with 1 in 10 for those with no conditions.
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Sam Atwell @swjatwell.bsky.social · 16/03/2026
Pre 2020, as more young people reported health conditions that limited their ability to work, the impact on employment was offset by rising employment rates generally (ie more opportunities) More recently, employment rates has flattened off whilst reported ill-health has continued to rise.
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Sam Atwell @swjatwell.bsky.social · 16/03/2026
However where there has been a change is continued growth in NEET young people reporting that poor health limits their ability to work - up to 44% last year, from 26% a decade before. Rising reported ill health is a trend across all 16-24 year olds - not limited to NEET young people only.
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Sam Atwell @swjatwell.bsky.social · 16/03/2026
There has been a lot of coverage on the rising numbers of 16-24 year olds not earning or learning - an extra ~240,000 since 2021 according to official data. Over recent decades, the proportion of young people who are NEET has followed a cyclical pattern in line with the wider labour market.
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Sam Atwell @swjatwell.bsky.social · 16/03/2026
New analysis today from @healthfoundation.bsky.social Recent data shows nearly a million young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) How is ill health contributing to youth worklessness? And what can the government do about it?
health.org.uk
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Sam Atwell @swjatwell.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
New stats today show slight increase in the numbers of 16-24-year-olds not earning or learning - driven by higher unemployment. We have new analysis coming shortly showing how poor health has become increasingly important factor affecting NEET young people - could indicate greater issues ahead!
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Sam Atwell @swjatwell.bsky.social · 13/11/2025
Was great to speak with @zoegrunewald.bsky.social last week about the Keep Britain Working review, and what employers and government can be doing to support people with health conditions to thrive in work.
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Sam Atwell @swjatwell.bsky.social · 05/11/2025
Some links from @healthfoundation.bsky.social , where we have written about how to do this: www.health.org.uk/reports-and-... www.health.org.uk/reports-and-... www.health.org.uk/reports-and-...
health.org.uk
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Sam Atwell @swjatwell.bsky.social · 05/11/2025
In general, really positive direction. Government will need to get behind implementation, and take wider action to support healthy working. This includes Strengthening our weak SSP scheme Aligning the welfare system to support quick work returns Clarifying employee/er roles and responsibilities
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Sam Atwell @swjatwell.bsky.social · 05/11/2025
On a 'Workplace Health Intelligence Unit' This is welcome - employers mostly want to do the right thing, but often find it difficult to apply general guidance to their workplace. We have called for industry partnerships to develop evidence around best practice www.health.org.uk/reports-and-...
health.org.uk
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Sam Atwell @swjatwell.bsky.social · 05/11/2025
Welcome focus on getting timely support to people at risk of leaving work. The best examples of this - UK and overseas - are caseworkers who assess, support and triage people to the right kinds of help. We are working with @randeurope.org on how to scale access www.rand.org/randeurope/r...
rand.org
Preventing health-related job loss: An evidence-based response to what is needed to provide effective, tiered caseworker support in the UK
International evidence suggests that early-stage interventions can help people with health conditions remain in or return to work. RAND Europe has been commissioned by the Health Foundation to provide...
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Sam Atwell @swjatwell.bsky.social · 05/11/2025
Charlie Mayfield's Keep Britain Working report out today. It sets out a clear case for better workplace health support, and a call to action for employers to lead the charge. V. important with over 4 million workers now with work-limiting health conditions www.gov.uk/government/p...
gov.uk
Keep Britain Working Review: Final report
Keep Britain Working is an independent review of the role of employers in tackling health based economic inactivity and promoting healthy and inclusive workplaces.
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The Health Foundation @healthfoundation.bsky.social · 28/10/2025
With Charlie Mayfield's Keep Britain Working Review reporting soon, @swjatwell.bsky.social​ explores the labour market health challenge and how government can respond to build a stronger, healthier and more sustainable employment system. Read more ⬇️ bit.ly/4oerKjq
'Mayfield’s Keep Britain Working review is an opportunity for government to work with employers to take decisive action on workforce health.' Sam Atwell, Policy and Research Manager at the Health Foundation
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Sam Atwell @swjatwell.bsky.social · 14/10/2025
With the Keep Britain Working review expected soon, the government has an opportunity to rebalance work and health support towards retention and rehabilitation. A better integrated Access to Work scheme should be at the heart of this.
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Sam Atwell @swjatwell.bsky.social · 14/10/2025
With growing pressures on economic activity and welfare, the only sustainable approach to reduce long-term costs is to help people stay healthy and in work in the first place. This is what AtW aims to do, any reforms should aim at making the scheme more user friendly and efficient
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Sam Atwell @swjatwell.bsky.social · 14/10/2025
Despite higher spend it’s important to remember that AtW still reaches only a small fraction of disabled people. For those that get it, it can be transformative but there are ongoing admin issues that limit effectiveness. The govt announced plans for reform in the green paper earlier this year.
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Sam Atwell @swjatwell.bsky.social · 14/10/2025
Latest Access to Work stats are out today They show continued growth in the number of awards and spend, about 70% increase in both since 2019. This is not hugely surprising: there's now 4.1m workers with a work-limiting health condition, up from 2.4m a decade ago www.gov.uk/government/s...
gov.uk
Access to Work statistics: April 2007 to March 2025
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Sam Atwell @swjatwell.bsky.social · 08/05/2025
New analysis from the @healthfoundation.bsky.social today. Statutory sick pay is being tweaked in the Employment Rights Bill, but these (welcome) reforms won't go far enough to protect workers financially The below sets out the context and some ideas for change. www.health.org.uk/reports-and-...
health.org.uk
Making statutory sick pay work
This analysis explains why current satutory sick pay reforms, though significant, do not go far enough and outlines a path to a better system.
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Gavin Kelly @gavin-kelly.bsky.social · 20/03/2025
‘Mayfield’s report argued that action to stop people leaving work when they first fell sick would make much more difference than reforms to the welfare system aimed at long-term benefits claimants.’ on.ft.com/4hoqxSu UK employers ‘find it cheaper to replace sick staff than retain them’
on.ft.com
UK employers ‘find it cheaper to replace sick staff than retain them’
Report by former John Lewis boss calls for stronger incentives for employers to invest in workforce health
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Sam Atwell @swjatwell.bsky.social · 20/03/2025
As I say, we discussed these challenges in the final report of the Commission for Healthier Working Lives, which came out last week. And more importantly, the report makes some recommendations for what we can do about them! www.health.org.uk/reports-and-...
health.org.uk
Action for healthier working lives
The Commission for Healthier Working Lives’ final report sets out the need for a new approach to work and health, outlining seven key recommendations to lay the foundation for long-term change.
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Sam Atwell @swjatwell.bsky.social · 20/03/2025
The annex on international comparisons is also useful. This chart/table highlights one of the issues that has got a bit lost in the employment rights bill debates - just how low our statutory sick pay is!
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Sam Atwell @swjatwell.bsky.social · 20/03/2025
In a week where a lot of attention has rightly been focused on steep health-related benefit cuts, it provides a helpful corrective to the narrative - focusing on the critical role of worker retention and making workplaces accessible for disabled people to begin with.
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Sam Atwell @swjatwell.bsky.social · 20/03/2025
The first report from Sir Charlie Mayfield's "Keep Britain Working" review has landed this morning. A very busy week in the health and employment space. A first scan through sees it echoes a lot from the recent @healthfoundation.bsky.social Commission. www.gov.uk/government/p...
gov.uk
Keep Britain Working Review: Discovery
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Sam Atwell @swjatwell.bsky.social · 19/03/2025
But on to the main issue... We await next weeks OBR publication to find out the depth of cuts to PIP/UC, but initial estimates of 1+ million people affected are deeply concerning. To echo the point made elsewhere, its simply not clear how this will help people into work, or promote health.
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Sam Atwell @swjatwell.bsky.social · 19/03/2025
I am minded here of the work done by @benbgeiger.bsky.social and others highlighting the impact of conditionality on people with mental health conditions - which obviously reflect a growing share of the caseload. inequalities.substack.com/p/conditiona...
inequalities.substack.com
Conditionality and mental health: new evidence
A new study of Danish RCTs shows how the impact of conditionality depends on people's pre-existing mental health
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Sam Atwell @swjatwell.bsky.social · 19/03/2025
Again, this reflects a recommendation from the Commission for Healthier Working Lives for a caseworker support model for people experiencing work and health challenges (see below) But for this to work, people need to feel that the 'help' will actually help, and not be forced through the door.
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Sam Atwell @swjatwell.bsky.social · 19/03/2025
There will be lots to work out with regards to the £1bn of new funding for employment support. The green paper sets out some principles: - Individualised 1-1 support - Signposting to wider services - Building around people's aspirations But also suggestions this will be compliance driven
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Sam Atwell @swjatwell.bsky.social · 19/03/2025
We were also pleased to see a 'right to try' guarantee, that was called for by the Commission, and others (including @jrf-uk.bsky.social and @neweconomics.bsky.social ) The Commission called for 18 months 👇 it sounds like the current proposals could potentially be more radical (devil in detail etc)
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Sam Atwell @swjatwell.bsky.social · 19/03/2025
The time-limited 'Unemployment Insurance' benefit is potentially transformative, moving us closer to a model found in many similar countries. It reflects a recommendation from the @healthfoundation.bsky.social Commission for Healthier Working lives last week www.health.org.uk/reports-and-...
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Sam Atwell @swjatwell.bsky.social · 19/03/2025
There was a lot to chew over in yesterday's green paper. There are real signs that the government wants to move towards an 'early intervention' approach for supporting people with health conditions into work But the bit cuts to PIP/UC eclipse these positives www.health.org.uk/press-office...
health.org.uk
The Health Foundation responds to the Pathways to Work Green Paper
David Finch, Assistant Director at the Health Foundation, responds to the Pathways to Work Green Paper published by the Department for Work and Pensions.
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Sam Atwell @swjatwell.bsky.social · 18/03/2025
Not a full answer, but colleagues at the Learning and Work Institute looked into this as part of an evidence review for the Commission for Healthier Working Lives learningandwork.org.uk/resources/re...
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Dr Lucy Foulkes @lucyfoulkes.bsky.social · 18/03/2025
I'd really encourage you to read this short article if you are remotely interested in the rise of mental-health related work inactivity - very thoughtful from @annieirvine.bsky.social www.health.org.uk/features-and... (cont)
health.org.uk
Unravelling the rise in mental health-related inactivity
Dr Annie Irvine on why we need a much more holistic approach to understanding capacity in order to tackle mental health-related inactivity.
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Jo Bibby @jobibby.bsky.social · 16/03/2025
Want to understand what has been happening to working age mental health? Read @healthfoundation.bsky.social analysis below. Across multiple data sources, rates have nearly doubled in 10 years for the 16-34 age group. Lower qualifications associated with ⬆️ rates www.health.org.uk/reports-and-...
health.org.uk
Mental health trends among working-age people
With the mental health of working-age people appearing to be getting worse, we look more closely at what the trends are telling us.
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Christopher Rocks @christopher-rocks.bsky.social · 17/03/2025
Good to see this - it reflects one of seven recommendations from the @healthfoundation.bsky.social's Commission for #HealthierWorkingLives. The government must move beyond short-term fixes and invest in long-term support for work and health. More in the Commission’s final report:
health.org.uk
Action for healthier working lives
The Commission for Healthier Working Lives’ final report sets out the need for a new approach to work and health, outlining seven key recommendations to lay the foundation for long-term change.
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The Health Foundation @healthfoundation.bsky.social · 10/03/2025
📣 NEW: Final report by our Commission for #HealthierWorkingLives. The Commissioners say government and employers must act early when health issues arise – not wait until people have already left work ⬇️ buff.ly/EfkpBQu
buff.ly
Action for healthier working lives
The Commission for Healthier Working Lives’ final report sets out the need for a new approach to work and health, outlining seven key recommendations to lay the foundation for sustained long-term…
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Sam Atwell @swjatwell.bsky.social · 10/03/2025
The report has 7 recommendations Key among them is expanding caseworker support to people at risk of falling out of work, and getting financial support to people faster through better sick pay and a reforms to benefits. Better practical support alone is projected to save £1bn+ over 5 years
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Sam Atwell @swjatwell.bsky.social · 10/03/2025
Why is this needed? 📈 20% of working-age people (8.2mn) now report a work-limiting health condition. 📤 300,000 people leave the workforce each year and report a work-limiting health condition. This is putting significant pressures on employers, public spending and, critically, individuals too.
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Sam Atwell @swjatwell.bsky.social · 10/03/2025
Out today: The final report of the Commission for Healthier Working Lives. Ahead of the forthcoming DWP green paper, the report calls for a radical shift from late-stage intervention to early support, before poor health forces people out of work www.health.org.uk/reports-and-...
health.org.uk
Action for healthier working lives
The Commission for Healthier Working Lives’ final report sets out the need for a new approach to work and health, outlining seven key recommendations to lay the foundation for sustained long-term chan...
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