Vocational Rehabilitation and Income Protection in the Spotlight

I attended the Parliamentary launch of the research “Future-proofing workplace health”, commissioned by the Association of British Insurers (ABI) and conducted by WPI Economics, examining the impact of health and protection insurance products on the economy, NHS resources, and population health.

Vocational rehabilitation within Income Protection plays a key role in helping individuals return to and remain in work. It was great to see the report’s emphasis on “a biopsychosocial approach” to workplace health, recognising the multiple factors that influence return-to-work outcomes.

The research highlights gaps in workplace health interventions for the self-employed, recommending policy reforms to increase Individual Income Protection (IIP) uptake. “Income protection insurers are one of the main routes of access to vocational rehabilitation in the UK.”

The ABI’s analysis of over 16,000 vocational rehabilitation cases represents the first industry-wide combined data analysis, demonstrating the value of evidence-based approaches in the sector.

Read the full report.