Funding has been pledged to increase employability support for people living with disabilities and long-term health conditions.
Employability Minister Jamie Hepburn announced over £630,000 for a two-year pilot scheme for Dundee and Fife, which will launch in summer 2018.
The Single Health and Work Gateway will streamline existing services by providing a single point of contact for those at risk of falling out of work or who have recently left work due to ill health.
Mr Hepburn said:
“Every year, thousands of people in Scotland leave their jobs as a result of a health condition or disability. We want to support more people to stay in employment before they reach this point.
“This pilot will mean better integration of healthcare and employability support so that individuals with disabilities or long-term health conditions – particularly mental health conditions – will benefit from a service that more closely matches their needs.
“The funding I have announced today will go directly towards supporting our frontline services, allowing our healthcare professionals to improve the quality of early prevention.”
Photo: DC Thomson
NHS Tayside
Because we all tend to think of it in health terms, we often lose sight of the fact that NHS Tayside is a major force in the local economy. Its spending, either directly on capital projects or indirectly through its staff salaries, sustains many private sector jobs. Its long standing and very successful collaboration with the University of Dundee has been significant in making Dundee a globally recognised leader in life sciences. And its work to improve the health of the population also benefits business, by providing local companies with healthier and, therefore, more productive workers. That is why everyone at DACC is excited about building even stronger links and more effective collaboration with NHS Tayside to create thriving communities across Dundee and Angus.
Dundee City Council
Dundee draws skilled workers from a 60-minute catchment population of 640,000 and has a local population of over 140,000. The availability of a large pool of highly skilled labour is a key feature in the Dundee economy. Flexibility in the labour force is currently more prevalent in Dundee than in Scotland as a whole. All forms of labour market flexibility - part-time, temporary employment, self-employment and shift work - are widely operational within the city. Labour force stability in the city is excellent, enabling companies to plan with confidence. Labour turnover levels are less than 5% and absenteeism averages 2%.
Dundee & Angus Chamber of Commerce
As the leading business membership organisation in Dundee & Angus and part of the worldwide long-established Chamber of Commerce brand, we help local businesses to connect, communicate and develop for business benefit.
