News

This autumn marks an exciting new chapter for Elliott, an IPS Employment Support client in Wolverhampton, who is celebrating both a career breakthrough and a charitable challenge.

Elliott is set to begin a new role as a Fitness Instructor, fulfilling a long-held passion for health and exercise in September 2025. At the same time, he is training for a Charity Boxing Match in aid of the Alzheimer’s Society, combining his love of sport with a desire to give something back.

With support from Vocational Specialist Louise Westwood, Elliott has successfully transitioned from his previous role supporting young people in care to a new career in sports and fitness. His journey has also included volunteering at the Dorothy Pattison Hospital gym, where he has supported others while gaining valuable experience and confidence.

This month marks 12 months since we launched WorkWell and what a year it’s been! In just one year, WorkWell has grown from an idea to exploring ways of innovation and collaboration to help make a real difference for those people across our Black Country communities who are experiencing barriers to gain or retain employment due to health conditions or disabilities. Over the past 12 months, some of our highlights include:

• Gathering together over 15 organisations to strengthen understanding of workplace wellbeing and raising awareness of the WorkWell programme at our Employers Breakfast event to embed into employee wellbeing offers.
• Delivering workshops and webinars across the Black Country, engaging participants through key opportunities such as Wolverhampton Business Week and supporting career pathways as part of local colleges offers.
• Welcoming on board 19 partner organisations to enhance service delivery across Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton
• Hosting visits from DWP Permanent Secretary, Sir Peter Schofield KCB and Alex Ballinger MP for Halesowen
• Forging new collaborations with key community organisations, focusing on young people, to understand what they want from programmes like WorkWell - with dedicated workshops coming soon!
• Celebrating success stories from participants who’ve embraced what WorkWell can offer and shared their journey with the programme

Most importantly, we’ve helped over 1000 people across the Black Country find pathways back into meaningful employment, while improving their mental and physical wellbeing. Here’s to the next few months of growth, learning, and making work better for everyone.

Find out more about WorkWell by visiting: www.blackcountryhealthcare.nhs.uk/workwell

We’re thrilled to share that our WorkWell team was recently featured on Black Country Radio!

During the conversation, Richard and Trinity who are part of the WorkWell team, discussed the WorkWell programme and how it is helping people across the Black Country with health conditions and disabilities to find or retain employment to boost their wellbeing. 

Watch the full discussion here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29Esl1ioGlk

A huge thank you to the team at Black Country Radio for giving us the opportunity to share our story and highlight how WorkWell is making a difference in people’s working lives.

A host of job opportunities in the Black Country will be on offer at Walsall Jobs Fair, thanks to the Individual Placement and Support Services at Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (BCHFT).

The event, which is free to attend, will take place at The Crossing at St Pauls on Tuesday 23 September 2025 and is open to anyone looking for a job in the Black Country.

Local employers with live vacancies from across the Black Country will be on hand to chat to people looking for a role and to give advice on applications.

Employers from a variety of industries and sectors will be taking part, including retail, care, customer service, hospitality to name a few.

Black Country Job Support is delighted to share the news that Ambitious about Autism has launched a brilliant new range of free downloadable toolkits to support autistic young people aged 18–25 as they take their next steps into employment.

The toolkits provide practical, accessible guidance on every stage of the journey; from writing a CV and preparing for interviews to managing wellbeing and understanding workplace adjustments. There are also dedicated resources for parents, carers, employers, and careers professionals who support young autistic people into work.

This initiative is part of Ambitious about Autism’s Employ Autism programme, which aims to open up more opportunities for autistic people to find meaningful, sustainable employment. By offering clear, autism-friendly advice and tools, these resources help young people build confidence and independence as they enter the world of work.

All toolkits are free to download from Ambitious about Autism’s website, making it easier than ever for young people and their supporters to access the information they need, when they need it.

At Black Country Healthcare and within our Employment and Recovery teams, we celebrate this fantastic step towards greater inclusion and opportunity. Together, we can help ensure that every autistic young person has the support and resources to achieve their potential.

Explore and download the toolkits here: https://www.ambitiousaboutautism.org.uk/what-we-do/services/i-am-an-autistic-young-person/employment-support-and-resources

A pilot partnership between Black Country Healthcare’s WorkWell service and social prescribers at Blakenall Family Practice and Harden Health Centre North Walsall GP Practice who are part of Modality Partnership is already showing strong results, with referrals running smoothly and patients reporting clear benefits from the support they receive.

Social prescribers described the referral pathway as straightforward and effective, with the added benefit of being able to speak directly to the people they are referring. This personal approach ensures referrals are high quality and well-matched, supporting better outcomes for patients.

Patients using WorkWell through the pilot have responded enthusiastically. Many reported that the team are quick to respond, transparent about the support on offer, and respectful of individual needs and goals.