Penny Mordaunt MP: Improving Lives (Green Paper Consultation Event, Portsmouth).

The Minister for Disabled People, Work and Health hosted a Portsmouth based consultation event today regarding Improving Lives (Green Paper Consultation). The Event was hosted by Job Centre Plus and was chaired by Jennie Brent, Chief Executive of the Beneficial Foundation. The Government recently announced their ten-year vision of how the Government will halve the employment gap for disabled people and people with long term health conditions; through changing attitudes, and working with employers to transform disabled people’s access to employment. As previously advised as part of the initial invitation to todays consultation event, the Government will spend £115 million of innovation funding to develop new, better models of support for people with work and health needs: to keep working age people healthy in employment; reduce avoidable sickness absence; and support out-of-work people to get a suitable job wherever possible. Todays event allowed organisations, stakeholders, individuals and service users to input their ideas to inform decisions about how to spend this funding, This covered three key areas: o Existing evidence and good practice o Where the Government need to find out more about what works best o And; how best to communicate knowledge about what works. Penny Mordaunt MP, Minister for Disabled People, Work and Health said, “Feedback into this consultation is really important from stakeholders. In order to tackle challenges around the disability employment gap we need to change attitudes and provide support to employers to transform disabled people’s access to employment. New and better models of support for people with work and health needs are being addressed by this Government and an innovation fund of £115 million will develop new and better models of support for people with work and health needs. We also want to look at reforming the work capability assessment, which is an obstacle in getting the personalized support a person needs.“ “This Green Paper Consultation is important in order to develop the right models to drive the ten-year vision of how the Government will halve the employment gap for disabled people and people with long term health conditions.”

"I'm delighted that so many people from a broad range of organisations and backgrounds took part, providing a rich input directly into the consultation." You too can take part. The Government would be interested in receiving your views, and would welcome a contribution to the consultation. For further information on the consultation, please visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/work-health-and-disability-improving-lives/work-health-and-disability-green-paper-improving-lives

The Consultation closes on the 17th February 2017.