Last week, I met with the team responsible for organising the Working Win trial in Sheffield. This two-year trial has been launched by the City Region, together with NHS England to help people with long-term mental and physical health conditions to find and stay in work.

Around 20% of working age adults experience a mental health condition every year, which can leave them out of work and in some circumstances can worsen their mental health condition.  Sometimes only minor adjustments in the workplace and an employer’s recognition can help people stay in work and improve their mental health.

Working Win has been set up to tackle this problem by enabling local people to access a health care team, a counsellor, to gain help finding a job, and receive support once in employment. The scheme also helps employers to put measures in place that will keep their staff healthy at work.

So far, 4500 people have signed-up to the scheme and 760 participants have successfully gone into work, back into work, or got a new job. Organisers are now aiming to get another 1500 people recruited onto the trial by the end of October.

I’m glad that more is being done to provide positive assistance for those struggling to find or stay in work. The Government should embrace the supportive approach taken by the Working Win team and put an end to the punitive sanctions regime that people often encounter when trying to find work.

Any adult registered with a GP in South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw can take part in the Working Win trial. You can ask your GP to refer you or refer yourself using this online form.