Free South Yorkshire scheme helps people stay in work

Working Win is a completely free service for people with physical or mental health conditions who need support to stay in work, working with employees to build on their strengths and help them feel settled in their role.

More than 6,000 people are already benefitting from the initiative, which is open to anyone living in Sheffield, Doncaster, Barnsley, Rotherham and Bassetlaw.

Across the population, mental and physical health issues have increased as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. In August, a group of NHS leaders said they were seeing a rise in people reporting severe mental health difficulties while charities including Mind, Samaritans and Calm have all said they have seen an increase in people coming to them for help.

The Working Win scheme is aimed at people who are struggling with the confidence and support they need to return to work. It helps people to stay in work that matches their strengths and interests by offering training, support and information to organisations, to help them create workplaces where all employees can thrive, as well as giving holistic support to people with physical or mental health problems.

“When I began my journey with Working Win, I was coming through a really bad period in my life. I was depressed, anxious and completely stressed,” says Helen, one of the scheme’s participants.

“I had a short fuse, felt angry a lot of the time and worried about everything and anything. With medication and time, I started to feel slightly better. Talking to people at work and remaining at work helped.

“Today I'm managing my work role much better, I'm asking for support when I need it and not letting myself get burnt out and to the point of going off sick.

“My coach has always been available to offer me support, or just to listen. She understood where I was coming from and went out of her way to boost my confidence and praise my efforts in managing my workload and staying in work.”

Who is eligible for help from Working Win?

The scheme is for employees who:

have a physical and/or mental health condition are aged 18 and over are working and want support to continue working, or are off work sick, and want to return to work

What support do participants receive?

Just some of the help on offer includes:

One-to-one support to help employees continue working and manage their health condition at work Working with their health care team to help manage any difficulties Debt, benefits and employment law advice Help talking to their employer about their needs at work Meetings over the phone, via video or in person, where local Covid-19 guidelines allow Access to a free Westfield Health and Wellbeing package

If you think you could benefit from support from Working Win, visit www.workingwinreferrals.co.uk or speak to your GP or health professional.

Places are limited and referrals will close on Sunday, January 31 2021.