Why connected multi-agency working will be critical to WorkWell delivery and how RIVIAM can help

WorkWell could be one of the most significant work and health programmes in helping people stay in or return to work. Effective local delivery is critical to its success, an area where RIVIAM has extensive experience supporting joined-up working across health and social care.

Why WorkWell matters

The UK faces a growing productivity challenge.

Economic inactivity remains stubbornly high, health-related worklessness continues to rise and public services are under increasing pressure to support people back into sustainable employment. The  ONS NEET statistics  just published also reinforces the scale of the wider employment challenge facing the UK.

This is why the UK Government’s WorkWell programme matters, with funding routed through Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) to support partnership-based local delivery following a series of pilots.

The pilot programme supported more than 25,000 people to stay in or return to work, reflecting the growing national focus on earlier intervention and joined-up support.

By bringing together health, employment and community support services, WorkWell has the potential to help more people improve their long-term health and wellbeing while remaining in, or returning to, sustainable employment.

But RIVIAM understands there’s a problem. Delivering the programme successfully presents a significant challenge. 

Delivering the programme successfully requires co-ordination between multiple organisations including NHS teams, Local Authorities, VCSE services, employment support partners and community services.

Joined-up delivery

WorkWell is designed around joined-up delivery. 

However, in practice this can be difficult to achieve.

Organisations often work across different systems, processes and referral pathways, with limited visibility of activity across partner organisations.

The WorkWell pilot and “no wrong door” delivery model highlight the importance of co-ordinating referrals and support across multiple services and pathways.

The delivery challenge

Without the right digital infrastructure, WorkWell delivery teams risk:

• Fragmented referrals and duplicated activity
• Delays in intervention and disconnected workflows
• Increased pressure on already stretched teams
• Challenges demonstrating outcomes and impact

The impact of fragmented delivery

Ultimately, this creates the risk that people experience delays in accessing support and may fall through gaps between services.

Why connected multi-agency working matters

The success of WorkWell depends on delivery providers being able to co-ordinate support around individuals quickly and effectively.

This requires a shared operational approach supported by technology that enables collaboration.

Teams are often trying to manage complex referral pathways using spreadsheets, emails, siloed CRM systems and disconnected case notes. 

And as delivery scales, these workarounds become unsustainable.

This is where connected digital infrastructure becomes important.

How RIVIAM helps

RIVIAM works with organisations across health, local government and community services to deliver a secure care co-ordination platform and services that make multi-agency, integrated working possible in practice.

Our secure care co-ordination platform enables delivery partners to work together more effectively by providing:

• Streamlined referral management and workflow co-ordination
• Integration with NHS and Local Authority systems so information flows
• Secure multi-agency working with role-based access, ensuring organisations only see relevant information
• Efficient multi-disciplinary team working ,enabling teams across organisations to manage tasks and track actions around an individual.

By connecting referrals, workflows and information across organisations, RIVIAM helps improve access, capacity and flow while enabling more efficient, joined-up personalised care — helping people receive the right care, at the right time, using the right information.

See our case study demonstrating how RIVIAM enables multi-agency working for Integrated Neighbourhood Teams.

Next Steps

As WorkWell programmes move from planning into implementation and wider delivery, organisations will need approaches that enable joined-up working at scale.

Want to explore how connected referral management and multi-agency co-ordination could support your local WorkWell delivery model? Get in touch to find out more: [email protected]