WorkWell programme coordination in partnership with Surrey County Council and Surrey and Sussex Integrated Care Board

Committee report · Lead Member for Economy · Fri 24 Jul 2026 · East Sussex County Council

What it recommends

In the report's own words. A recommendation is a proposal: the meeting can agree, change or reject it.

“approve East Sussex County Council’s role as the delivery coordinator for the WorkWell programme in East Sussex until March 2029 in partnership with Surrey County Council as the accountable body.”
“delegate authority to the Director of Communities, Economy and Transport in consultation with the Director of Adult Social Care and Health, to take all actions necessary to give effect to the recommendations in this report. 1.”

What the meeting decided

The minutes record: Agreed. “RESOLVED to: 1) approve East Sussex County Council’s role as the delivery coordinator for the WorkWell programme in East Sussex until March 2029 in partnership with Surrey County Council as the accountable body; and 2) delegate authority to the Director of Communities, Economy and Transport in consultation with the Director of Adult Social Care and Health, to take all actions necessary to give effect to the recommendations in the report.” minutes ↗

In plain English

Each sentence was checked against the passage it cites; how the checking works.

Recommended · This went to the meeting on Fri 24 Jul 2026. What was decided is in that meeting's minutes.

A report from the Director of Communities, Economy and Transport asks the Lead Member for Economy, at a meeting on 24 July 2026, to approve East Sussex County Council taking on the role of delivery coordinator for the WorkWell programme in East Sussex until March 2029, with Surrey County Council acting as the accountable body. p1 p2 p5 p6 p43

WorkWell is funded by the Department for Work and Pensions and offers coach-led support to working age residents whose health conditions are a barrier to work, mainly adults aged 18 and over and some young people aged 16 and over with mental health or musculoskeletal conditions. p8 p20

In East Sussex the programme would be tailored to young people aged 16 to 25 with mental health needs and to adults with mental and physical health barriers to work, with about three months of support from a Work and Health Coach, and referrals would be voluntary through routes including primary care, housing teams, youth services and self-referral. p21 p22 p23

The report also asks the Lead Member to delegate authority to the Director of Communities, Economy and Transport, in consultation with the Director of Adult Social Care and Health, to take the actions needed to carry out the recommendations, and states that delivery would start in September 2026 and the programme would close in March 2029. p7 p29 p30 p44

1 further sentence of this summary was held back by verification and is not shown. We only publish claims that survived checking against the cited passages.

Show the 14 passages this is based on

p1Report to: Lead Member for Economy Date of Meeting:
p224 July 2026 By: Director of Communities, Economy and Transport
p5RECOMMENDATIONS : The Lead Member is recommended to:
p61) approve East Sussex County Council’s role as the delivery coordinator for the WorkWell programme in East Sussex until March 2029 in partnership with Surrey County Council as the accountable body;and
p72) delegate authority to the Director of Communities, Economy and Transport in consultation with the Director of Adult Social Care and Health, to take all actions necessary to give effect to the recommendations in this report.
p81 Background information 1.1 WorkWell is a Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) funded Employment Support programme delivered through Integrated Care Boards (ICB) which is aimed at supporting working age residents with health conditions to enter, remain or return to work. A high number of economically inactive residents in East Sussex have mental health or musculoskeletal health problems and the WorkWell programme aims to support these individuals. This intervention is intended to support reaching the Government’s target of 80% of working age people being economically active within a decade.
p202. Supporting information 2.1 WorkWell is a DWP funded, coach-led employment support programme designed to support residents with health conditions to start, stay in or return to work. The programme primarily targets adults aged 18+, and some young people aged 16+, who experience mental health or musculoskeletal conditions that are acting as a barrier to employment.
p212.2 In East Sussex the WorkWell programme will be tailored to meet the needs of young people aged 16 to 25 with mental health needs, and of adults with mental and physical health barriers to work, to provide a service that sits between health support and employment support. This differs to CtW which is designed to move people directly into work, although many of those who participate in WorkWell may be suited to progressing into CtW.
p222.3 Delivery is based on a light touch, personalised coaching model, with participants typically receiving 3 months of support from a dedicated Work and Health Coach alongside appropriate interventions such as confidence building, gentle physical exercise and soft and employability skills activities.
p232.4 Programme management will be undertaken in East Sussex by the Employment and Skills Team, with delivery commissioned through a grant process from experienced providers. Engagement with Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprises (VCSE) or specialist employment support organisations and working closely with Primary Care Networks (PCN) and Integrated Community Trusts (ICT) will ensure alignment of the programme with local health and employment pathways. 2.5 Referrals into the WorkWell programme are voluntary and can be initiated through primary care including via fit-note processes, housing teams, health services, youth services such as IROCK, VCSE organisations and self-referral. The Employment and Skills Team will expand the existing triage service for CtW to manage referrals to ensure that residents are signposted to the most appropriate programme.
p29· September 2026: Delivery of programme commences.
p30· March 2029: The programme will come to a close.
p433.2 The Lead Member for Economy is therefore recommended to consider the proposal and approve East Sussex County Council’s role as the delivery coordinator for the WorkWell programme in East Sussex until March 2029, on behalf of Sussex and Surrey Integrated Care Board, and as a partner to Surrey County Council as the Accountable Body.
p443.3 The Lead Member for Economy is also recommended to delegate authority to the Director of Communities, Economy and Transport in consultation with the Director of Adult Social Care and Health to take any actions necessary in relation to the governance and implementation of the programme.

Places and organisations it names

East Sussex County Council

Other papers for this meeting

Lead Member for Economy agenda · Committee agenda
Appendix 1, Lead Member for Economy · Committee report
Appendix 2, Lead Member for Economy · Committee report
Appendix 3, Lead Member for Economy · Committee report
Appendix 4, Lead Member for Economy · Committee report
Appendix 5, Lead Member for Economy · Committee report
Decisions made by the Lead Cabinet Member on 17 March 2026 · Committee report
East Sussex Local Growth Assurance Framework (ESLGAF) Capital Programme report · Committee report
Lead Member for Economy minutes (draft) · Committee minutes

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