Morning, Wednesday, 22nd October 2025
Online
This conference will assess next steps for supporting people with mental health conditions to stay in or return to work in England.
Delegates will assess priorities for improving employment support and employer practices, and the way forward for ensuring that welfare reform, healthcare provision and workplace policies work together to promote participation and wellbeing.
It will bring together key stakeholders and policymakers to discuss implications of the Government’s Get Britain Working White Paper, and associated proposals for reforms to health and disability benefits. The conference also takes place with the ongoing Independent Review led by Sir Charlie Mayfield into the role of employers in creating and maintaining healthy and inclusive workplaces, and as the Employment Rights Bill continues its passage through Parliament - with government recently confirming a phased implementation starting from late 2025.
Policy developments & employer responsibilities
The agenda will bring out latest thinking on practical implications of new legislation and forthcoming review findings for employers - particularly in relation to recruitment, retention, and return to work - as well as wider issues around workplace culture, burnout, and mental health support in low-paid roles.
Discussion will examine the role of employers, and look at proposals in the Employment Rights Bill to promote inclusive and supportive workplaces and offer better job security, including implications of provisions covering flexible working and statutory sick pay, alongside strategies such as phased returns and effective reasonable adjustments in considering how best to improve employee wellbeing. We also expect discussion on practical challenges facing employers, including confidence in hiring people with mental health conditions, navigating support schemes such as Access to Work, and meeting legal obligations around reasonable adjustments, particularly in low-paid sectors.
Focusing employment & health support
Attendees will examine the proposed shift toward prevention and early intervention, the expansion of integrated health and employment support, and the development of place-based approaches - with a particular focus on tackling mental health-related economic inactivity, including among younger people and those not in education, employment or training. Areas for discussion include the Government’s new Connect to Work programme, aimed at helping individuals with long-term conditions or disabilities access tailored, work-focused support through a single referral point. Questions around the programme’s accessibility will be considered, as well as how it integrates with health services, and ensures that support remains voluntary, person-centred, and appropriate for people with fluctuating mental health conditions.
Benefit reform & conditionality concerns
Sessions will consider key issues around concerns regarding a tightening of conditionality in the benefits system, including new proposals for health assessments and delayed eligibility for health-related benefits, and the impact on individuals with fluctuating or long-term mental health conditions. Delegates will assess concerns on the financial security of those affected.
Social conditions, access to services & readiness for work
Further sessions will assess the relationship between mental health and economic participation in the context of wider social factors - including cost of living concerns, access to primary care and early treatment, and potential longer-term consequences for productivity and demand on public services. Discussion is also expected on the role of clinical support in the workplace, including Individual Placement and Support (IPS), as well as learning from pilot schemes such as the GP access initiative for work and health referrals.
All delegates will be able to contribute to the output of the conference, which will be shared with parliamentary, ministerial, departmental and regulatory offices, and more widely. This includes the full proceedings and additional articles submitted by delegates. As well as key stakeholders, those due to attend include officials from DfT; DHSC; DWP; HMPS; HMRC; Home Office; MHCLG; NCA; and the Welsh Government.
