Working it out

Awareness and uptake of the Government's Access to Work scheme

Too many people with arthritis are being robbed of their chance to stay in work. 

Our Working It Out survey found that 59% of respondents had never heard of the government-funded Access to Work scheme, which can be used to pay for practical help, such as specialist equipment, transport to and from work and support workers. A quarter of people also told us their employer had not made reasonable adjustments to support them in their role.

The Working It Out campaign is demanding change. We're calling on the Government to:

  • Address operational issues with the Access to Work scheme
  • Promote Access to Work to people with arthritis and related conditions
  • Ensure employers are implementing Access to Work recommendations
  • Clarify the meaning of “reasonable adjustments” so employees with arthritis receive the support they need.

You can find out more about the problems that people with arthritis face in the workplace and our recommendations in our reports:

Working It Out: Demanding more from Access to Work

This report details the experiences people with arthritis and related conditions have had with the Access to Work scheme, and how they have found communicating with and accessing equipment and transport through the scheme. 

Read about experiences of Access to Work
Working it out: Awareness of Access to Work scheme

This report examines the lack of awareness of the Access to Work scheme amongst people with arthritis and related conditions, and what reasonable adjustments employers should be offering versus what people are experiencing.

Read Awareness of Access to Work report

What can you do?

Have a story to share?

If you have a story about working with arthritis or using Access to Work that you would like us to hear, please email us at campaigns@arthritis-uk.org.

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