NHS Essex is inviting people to share their experiences of how ill health affects their ability to work as part of a campaign to support people to stay in or return to work.
Figures show that almost 60,000* working-age people across Greater Essex are not working or actively seeking work because of long-term sickness – more than one in four of all economically inactive** people.
Now residents are being encouraged to share their experiences through a short anonymous survey as part of a campaign called WorkWell Essex. The feedback will help NHS Essex and partners understand what support people would find most helpful, where they currently seek advice, and any barriers they face when accessing support.
At some point in our lives we all need to take some time off work due to ill health or injury – seasonal illness is a good example of that. But for some people the ill health they are experiencing makes it much more challenging to stay in a job or return to work.
Amy Jackson, Associate Director for Community and Neighbourhood Health Development at NHS Essex
WorkWell Essex is about helping people get the right support at the right time when their health is affecting their ability to work. Everyone’s situation is different, so it is important we hear directly from local people about what works well, what doesn’t, and what support would make the biggest difference.
The survey takes around five minutes to complete, is completely anonymous, and will directly inform how future WorkWell support and communications are developed across Essex.
We are looking to hear specifically from people who:
- are currently out of work and finding it difficult to find or return to work because of a physical or mental health condition, disability or period of ill health; or
- are currently in work but are struggling to stay in work or manage their job because of a physical or mental health condition, disability or period of ill health.
The survey closes on 16 October 2026.
Visit Essex Virtual Views to take the survey*Source: Nomis, the official census and labour market statistics, covering April 2025 to March 2026.
** Economically inactive refers to people aged 16 to 64 who are not in employment and are not actively seeking work or are not available to start work. This is different from unemployed people, who are not in employment but are actively seeking work and are available to start work.