Nottingham and Nottinghamshire ICB
Partners from across the region gathered at Derby College’s Engine Room this week to launch the landmark Get East Midlands Working Plan.
This ambitious initiative, developed by the East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA) in partnership with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and local NHS Integrated Care Boards (ICBs), sets out a bold vision: to help more people across Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire access good jobs, improve their health, and enjoy a better quality of life.
Clair Raybould, Executive Director of Strategy and Citizen Experience, at Nottingham and Nottinghamshire ICB said, “We are delighted to work in partnership with the East Midlands Combined County Authority and the Department of Work and Pensions to deliver this plan and help more people from the East Midlands into meaningful work.
“Having good work and employment significantly contributes to overall mental and physical health and this is one of our key priority areas of our Integrated Care Strategy.
“ICBs have an important role as anchors for social and economic development, using our convening power to link health improvement with job creation. We will be working with partners to co-design and deliver interventions for people who are unemployed or at risk of leaving the workforce due to ill health.”
The plan focuses on three priorities:
Priority 1: Effective training and employment support: We will connect residents to sustainable jobs through easy-to-access, targeted health and employment support and jobs-focused skills development so that everyone can get into work and progress.
Priority 2: A joined-up system: We will work better together as partners to ensure clear leadership, coordinated action and accountable delivery across the employment, health and skills system.
Priority 3: Overcoming wider barriers: We will tackle structural barriers that stop people getting into work, including transport, housing and health access.
Mayor of the East Midlands, Claire Ward said: “The Get East Midlands Working Plan is our commitment to the people of the region that if they step up, we will work across public services to support them in whatever way they need. It’s why we are working so closely with our partners in health, skills, employment support, and in the benefits system: life can be complicated, but support shouldn’t have to be.
“This is about real people, not just statistics. It’s about a mum who wants to return to work but needs childcare, a young person looking for their first chance, or someone recovering from illness who wants to feel confident again. These people deserve public services that are in their corner, and this plan shows what that will look like in practice.”
