The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is planning to launch a digital service to help small and medium sized companies deal with occupational health assessment providers.
It has awarded a £3.6 million contract – which came into operation in September and will last for two years – to Scrumconnect Consulting to help develop the service.
The company said it is aimed at reducing the financial burden of occupational health assessments for employees suffering with physical and mental health issues.
The online service will include a register of approved providers and enable small companies to apply for the relevant government subsidy.
Raising awareness
Scrumconnect’s CEO, Praveen Kardiguddi, said: “Creating an inclusive, diverse workforce is vital for SMEs to be successful. And although occupational health assessments for individuals struggling with physical and mental health problems have always been available, awareness is low and the process can be costly.
“By providing an online digital service for SMEs to apply for subsidised assessments, we can empower them to support employees. This will help to prevent talented individuals from falling out of the workforce.”
The company has previously worked with DWP in developing a digital service for claiming pension credit. This was launched in May 2020 and is said to have supported more than 12 million people over state pension age to discover if they qualified for additional financial help.
