Psychosocial employment support for people with chronic conditions and pain
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Background
Part of the North East Combined Authority (NECA)Economic Inactivity Trailblazer, Ways to Wellness was funded by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to offer client-led support to people who felt unable to work due to pain or their health, to build confidence and skills for work.
This wasn’t not about making anyone start or return to work before they felt ready to. Its aim was supporting people in the self-management of their pain or persistent physical symptoms, so they could find the space and energy for more meaningful activity in their lives, including around work or taking steps towards work.
Our support is always personalised to each individual, and we look at all the things that may be impacting them, including whether they feel able to work, or to look for work.
It doesn’t matter how long any client may have been away from the workplace. Everyone is different, and the pace is always set by our clients.
Eligibility
To be eligible for support, clients were not currently in work, or actively looking for work.
They also:
✅ Were aged between 18 and 64
✅ Were living in either Newcastle upon Tyne, Gateshead, North Tyneside or Northumberland
✅ Were living with a chronic condition, or with pain or other symptoms preventing them from working. This could be a new development, or it may have been the case for several years
✅ Had the legal right to be able to work in the UK
Support from Ways to Wellness, which is offered through a specialist social prescribing link worker, is non-medical and is intended to work alongside any medical treatment clients may be receiving to manage their symptoms.
Evaluation and evidence
This brief test and learn project ran between August 2025 and April 2026.
We identified two categories of success measures to explore in this phase:
Improved quality of life for individuals
We used validated tools to track progress, including the Pathway Star™, which assesses progress for people overcoming barriers to work, and the Pain Self Efficacy Questionnaire, developed to assess the confidence people experiencing pain have in performing activities.
Measuring progress and personal outcomes
We measured direct outputs and outcomes for clients, including access to basic skills, support to gain employment, and reduced structural barriers to employment and skills provision linked to health conditions.
We developed a theory of change for our approach, and participated in wider evaluation of the North East Combined Authority’s Trailblazer programme, to help us understand our wider impact.
‘Sumi’ (not her real name) received psychosocial employment support from Ways to Wellness in late 2025 and early 2026.
Hear in her own words how she went on to get a job for the first time in her life, and feels more confident in her ability to manage her pain.
Partners and funders
This project was funded by the North East Combined Authority as part of the Economic Inactivity Trailblazer, a £10 million programme funded by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP). Its aim is to help more than 2,000 people in the North East who are not working because of ill health.
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