I’m thrilled to share that since January, I’ve been working with Government Digital Services (GDS) on a project aimed at improving the experience of people managing long-term health conditions or disabilities. This work is all about making it easier to access the right support, whether it’s healthcare information, employment assistance, or financial help.
Why this matters
Managing a long-term health condition or disability shouldn’t be made harder by disjointed and inefficient public services. But right now, government support isn’t as effective as it could be. There’s a real opportunity to transform core services and improve how they connect, ensuring people get the help they need without unnecessary barriers.
This issue has contributed to a growing number of people leaving work due to long-term sickness, making it harder to slow or reverse this trend. Many public support services don’t adequately cater to people’s specific health conditions or work situations, leaving them struggling to navigate an overly complex system.
Key challenges
- There are at least 40 different services related to managing long-term health conditions or disabilities
- 47% of these services have no online channel available
- Many services still require offline processing and duplicate information
- Services are spread across nine departments, including the NHS and local authorities
- People spend an average of nine working days per year on health-related admin
- The UK loses £14 billion in tax revenue due to economic inactivity caused by long-term sickness, with £3.5 billion attributed to the post-pandemic increase
Right now, services are too manual and fragmented, putting unnecessary pressure on both users and staff.
What we’re aiming to do
The goal is to reduce the administrative burden on people and help them stay in work. By improving service design and integration, we can make a real difference in people’s lives, ensuring they receive the right support at the right time without unnecessary complexity.
I’m excited to be part of this work and look forward to sharing more as we continue to develop solutions that improve accessibility, efficiency, and support for those who need it most.