05 Nov 2025

Independent report: Keep Britain Working: Final report

The government-commissioned review, led by former John Lewis Partnership Chairman Charlie Mayfield, highlights that the UK has been sliding into an economic inactivity crisis driven in large part by ill-health and barriers to work faced by disabled people.

One persistent problem is a culture of fear, felt by employees and employers, especially line managers, which creates distance between people and discourages safe and early disclosure of ill health, constructive conversations and support when needed most.

Another issue is a lack of an effective or consistent support system for employers and their employees in managing health and tackling barriers faced by disabled people, sometimes compounded by the ‘fit note’ system not working as intended.

The review recommends a fundamental shift from a model where health at work is largely left to the individual and NHS to one where it is a shared responsibility between employers, employees and health services.

It also says employers must do more – being uniquely placed to act on prevention, support rehabilitation and remove barriers for disabled people. The government is engaging hundreds of employers over the next three years to establish healthy working lifecycles, better workplace health provision and evidence of what works to underpin incentives for adoption.

Read the full report to find out:

Over 1 in 5 working-age people are out of work and not looking for work, higher than many comparator countries such as Netherlands (14.5%), Sweden (15.9%) and Denmark (17.7%).
Compared with 2019, 800,000 more people are out of work due to health problems.
Without decision action, projections suggest another 600,000 people will be added to this total by 2030.