If current trends continue, economic inactivity due to sickness could hit 4.3 million by the end of this Parliament and one step in the right direction would be for the Government to cut business taxes for those employers that prioritise and invest in the health and wellbeing of their workers.

This is a recommendation contained in the new 126-page report from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), Our Greatest Asset: the Final Report of the IPPR Commission on Health and Prosperity.

Based on three years of analysis, qualitative work, debate and stakeholder engagement, it concludes that better health will only be possible if the country moves “from a sickness model of health policy to a health creation one”.

As we reported recently, the number of working-age people getting health-related benefits in England and Wales has increased by 38% in just four years (see Research institute highlights huge rise in health-related benefit claims).

The IPPR report agrees that the UK is becoming the “sick man of Europe”, with long-term health conditions rising, economic inactivity increasing and a growing mental health crisis.

The IPPR Commission, which began working in early 2022 and was first to identify economic inactivity due to sickness as a major post-pandemic challenge, has concluded that better health is Britain’s greatest untapped path to prosperity.

Among other recommendations, it is calling on the Government to provide a firm commitment of a guaranteed period where people in receipt of benefits have the “right to try” work with no risk to welfare status or award level, lasting months and for everyone with a long-term condition or disability.

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