A new programme will place job advisers in GP surgeries and offer virtual reality interview practice as part of a government aim to place 300,000 sick or disabled people into work by 2030. The scheme is backed with more than £1 billion across England and Wales over the next five years, aimed at helping tens of thousands into work. The Department for Work and Pensions said specialist employment advisers will be embedded into healthcare teams, including GP surgeries and mental health services, to ensure job support is treated as part of holistic care.

About 2.8 million people are out of work because of long-term sickness. Benefit claimants can be supported by work coaches at job centres with advice and referrals to job opportunities. The Connect to Work programme is voluntary and open to those who are disabled, have a health condition, or face complex barriers to work. A £167.2 million expansion will extend the programme to Cumbria, Oxfordshire, West Sussex and Brighton and is expected to help more than 40,000 sick or disabled people into work. Unemployed people and those in work but at risk of losing their jobs because of health conditions can refer themselves or be referred by healthcare professionals, councils or community organisations.

Disability campaigners welcomed extra help but warned against pressuring people into work. Scope said the measures must not push someone who is not well enough to work, while Sense urged that the schemes be designed with disabled people to deliver meaningful change and not lead to unsuitable jobs. The programme will also bring virtual reality classrooms in Portsmouth, the North East and East Sussex to assist interview practice, confidence and communication skills, along with community health programmes. Parents will receive help with affordable childcare to enable a return to work. Officials warn that without welfare reform the number of working-age people on disability benefits could rise to about 4.3 million, with spending reaching around £70 billion a year by 2029/30.