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National roll-out for North East incapacity pilot

A Government programme designed to help long-term sick and disabled people back to work is being rolled out across the country following a successful North East pilot.

The Pathways to Work programme has helped more than 8,000 people in the region get off incapacity benefit and into jobs since it began in 2004, according to figures by the Department for Work and Pensions.

Through the scheme, long-term unemployed people are assigned a personal adviser who conducts regular Work Focused Interviews with them. They are also referred to a Condition Management Programme to help improve understanding of their condition and to receive help and support in managing it.

This programme has so far helped more than 2,100 people on Teesside, 2,200 on Tyneside and Northumberland and 3,800 in Sunderland and surrounding areas into work, the DWP said.

It is also estimated that for every £million spent on the programme £1.5 million is returned through reduced spending on benefits and increased tax contributions.

Employment minister Stephen Timms said: “I am impressed by the success of the Pathways programme - it proves that with the right support we can make a difference even with long-term benefit claimants, which is a group of people usually considered harder to help.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .