SBRI: Increasing access to and capacity in occupational health

£1 million fund for ideas to boost health and welfare at work

The Department of Work and Pension and the Department for Health and Social Care are jointly funding a Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) competition to find innovative ways of increasing access to occupational health services (OHS) for micro, small and medium enterprises (SMEs), and the self-employed.

These groups are underserved by the current OHS provision. This competition aims to support the OHS providers to better utilise the capacity they have to serve this new demand.

Expert support such as OHS can be critical in helping to support individuals to remain in and return to work. It helps in reducing unnecessary sickness absence, supporting employers to retain valuable staff, increasing productivity, and enabling individuals to live better for longer.

Greater use of technology and innovation - particularly in relation to service models that work for SMEs and the self-employed - have an important role in ensuring the market has the capacity and capability to deliver these services and increase employer demand for OHS.

This is phase 1 of a potential 2 SBRI phase competition. In phase 1, applicants are expected to carry out planned research or critical investigation to gain new knowledge and skills for developing new products, processes or services, and work closely with the stakeholders to develop a solution.

The decision to proceed with the invitation-only phase 2 will depend on the outcomes from phase 1. Only the successful applicants from phase 1 will be invited to apply to take part in a potential phase 2.

Find out more about this SBRI: increasing access to occupational health competition.

First published 7 February 2023