A Healthy Partnership
Tomorrow's People was the first organisation anywhere in Britain to put Employment Advisers in GPs' surgeries and health centres.
The programme was pioneered working in partnership with the James Wigg practice in north London. Dr Roy Macgregor, a senior partner, saw that some of his patients were stuck in a vicious circle of unemployment and depression, preventing them from moving forward with their lives.
He realised that some who were signed off work through ill health would benefit from advice to help them back into the workplace. He also had the vision to see that he could achieve it through a partnership with Tomorrow's People, which began in 2001. A specialist Employment Adviser, Faruk Noor, began working in the surgery every day, providing direct help to the patients referred to him by the practice doctors.
The approach proved to be truly groundbreaking, successfully reaching a group of patients on benefits with employment advice in a familiar setting. The project helped 88% of people Tomorrow's People saw into jobs, training or voluntary work. For those who moved off benefits, the number of GP appointments reduced by an average of five a year, and as their health improved, the drugs bill also reduced.
Our GP Outreach programme has since been extended to some 50 more practices and health centres, with hundreds more registered for the scheme.
The project saved thousands of pounds in reduced appointments and drugs for depression.
Martin's story
Martin hit rock bottom after losing his job as a Sunderland pipe fitter. He ended up estranged from his family, living in his car and drinking heavily to blot out depression. His GP referred him to a Tomorrow's People Employment Adviser based in the health centre, who helped him gain new skills and a new-found confidence. Having gained a construction certificate and fork-lift licence, he found a new job constructing swimming pools and is now rebuilding relationships with his family.
