Christopher Rocks
@christopher-rocks.bsky.social
Lead Economist and Head of Secretariat @HealthFdn HealthierWorkingLives. Views my own.
Reposted by Christopher Rocks
My only question with the signing would be whether we have enough midfield depth once Nørgaard converts to #9.
June 25, 2025 at 12:21 PM
My only question with the signing would be whether we have enough midfield depth once Nørgaard converts to #9.
Reposted by Christopher Rocks
Louis Moholo-Moholo, 1940-2025. One of the giants of the South African jazz diaspora in the UK. RIP.
June 14, 2025 at 2:08 PM
Louis Moholo-Moholo, 1940-2025. One of the giants of the South African jazz diaspora in the UK. RIP.
At £118.75 a week, low statutory sick pay is a real issue.
One figure we didn’t include: households with a full-time worker spend £193 a week on essentials like food, housing, fuel and power.
Even among lower income households, it’s £128.
SSP doesn’t cover the basics.
One figure we didn’t include: households with a full-time worker spend £193 a week on essentials like food, housing, fuel and power.
Even among lower income households, it’s £128.
SSP doesn’t cover the basics.
May 9, 2025 at 3:49 PM
At £118.75 a week, low statutory sick pay is a real issue.
One figure we didn’t include: households with a full-time worker spend £193 a week on essentials like food, housing, fuel and power.
Even among lower income households, it’s £128.
SSP doesn’t cover the basics.
One figure we didn’t include: households with a full-time worker spend £193 a week on essentials like food, housing, fuel and power.
Even among lower income households, it’s £128.
SSP doesn’t cover the basics.
Reposted by Christopher Rocks
I was staggered to learn just how much pay typically swings about from month-to-month, even for the steadily-employed c/o @mikebrewerecon.bsky.social @stephenpjenkin1.bsky.social @nyecominetti.bsky.social
We're all on @voxeu.org setting out their findings
cepr.org/voxeu/column...
We're all on @voxeu.org setting out their findings
cepr.org/voxeu/column...
April 24, 2025 at 3:09 PM
I was staggered to learn just how much pay typically swings about from month-to-month, even for the steadily-employed c/o @mikebrewerecon.bsky.social @stephenpjenkin1.bsky.social @nyecominetti.bsky.social
We're all on @voxeu.org setting out their findings
cepr.org/voxeu/column...
We're all on @voxeu.org setting out their findings
cepr.org/voxeu/column...
Reposted by Christopher Rocks
It's a scandal.
We cannot create reliefs like R&D tax relief. I's generous, vague, and impossible to police - a dangerous combination. Better to have narrowly focussed reliefs which are only available to a much smaller number of businesses doing really serious R&D.
We cannot create reliefs like R&D tax relief. I's generous, vague, and impossible to police - a dangerous combination. Better to have narrowly focussed reliefs which are only available to a much smaller number of businesses doing really serious R&D.
April 6, 2025 at 8:02 AM
It's a scandal.
We cannot create reliefs like R&D tax relief. I's generous, vague, and impossible to police - a dangerous combination. Better to have narrowly focussed reliefs which are only available to a much smaller number of businesses doing really serious R&D.
We cannot create reliefs like R&D tax relief. I's generous, vague, and impossible to police - a dangerous combination. Better to have narrowly focussed reliefs which are only available to a much smaller number of businesses doing really serious R&D.
Interesting piece on a hard topic – the risk of overdiagnosis in mental health and the need to respond to distress with care.
The medicalisation of distress, and possible overdiagnosis of MH conditions needs discussion focused on how best to help people, rather than as route to cut the benefits bill.
Elspeth Davies and me in @bmj.com
www.bmj.com/content/389/...
Elspeth Davies and me in @bmj.com
www.bmj.com/content/389/...
How do we talk about overdiagnosis of mental health conditions without dismissing people’s suffering?
On 16 March the health and social care secretary, Wes Streeting, made headlines by declaring in an interview that there was an “overdiagnosis” of mental health conditions. The comment was made in the ...
www.bmj.com
April 4, 2025 at 1:01 PM
Interesting piece on a hard topic – the risk of overdiagnosis in mental health and the need to respond to distress with care.
Reposted by Christopher Rocks
☕️Sunday morning read ☕️
Sacha Romanovitch, Chair of the @healthfoundation.bsky.social Commission For Healthier Working Lives has written in the @financialtimes.com about how to keep people with health conditions in employment.
First 3 clicks are not paywalled!
Sacha Romanovitch, Chair of the @healthfoundation.bsky.social Commission For Healthier Working Lives has written in the @financialtimes.com about how to keep people with health conditions in employment.
First 3 clicks are not paywalled!
How to keep sick people in employment
Support often comes too late — after workers have left jobs and when they have little chance of going back
giftarticle.ft.com
March 30, 2025 at 9:22 AM
☕️Sunday morning read ☕️
Sacha Romanovitch, Chair of the @healthfoundation.bsky.social Commission For Healthier Working Lives has written in the @financialtimes.com about how to keep people with health conditions in employment.
First 3 clicks are not paywalled!
Sacha Romanovitch, Chair of the @healthfoundation.bsky.social Commission For Healthier Working Lives has written in the @financialtimes.com about how to keep people with health conditions in employment.
First 3 clicks are not paywalled!
Reposted by Christopher Rocks
This little bit of the OBR report is a very technocratic description of an almighty row between them and DWP....
March 26, 2025 at 5:58 PM
This little bit of the OBR report is a very technocratic description of an almighty row between them and DWP....
Reposted by Christopher Rocks
Responding to today’s Spring Statement, our Chief Executive, Jennifer Dixon says the Chancellor's cuts risk compromising people's health, with changes to benefits that will leave many people worse off, in worse health and less able to return to work.
Read our full response ⬇️
buff.ly/YZ6EXKJ
Read our full response ⬇️
buff.ly/YZ6EXKJ
March 26, 2025 at 5:55 PM
Responding to today’s Spring Statement, our Chief Executive, Jennifer Dixon says the Chancellor's cuts risk compromising people's health, with changes to benefits that will leave many people worse off, in worse health and less able to return to work.
Read our full response ⬇️
buff.ly/YZ6EXKJ
Read our full response ⬇️
buff.ly/YZ6EXKJ
Reposted by Christopher Rocks
Genuinely serious, realistic appraisal of our current predicament from @anthonypainter.bsky.social. Highly recommended.
anthonypainter.substack.com/p/brexterity...
anthonypainter.substack.com/p/brexterity...
Brexterity Britain - no way out?
Without confronting the impairment of Brexit and austerity directly, the Government risks sinking into the same quicksand that swallowed German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
anthonypainter.substack.com
March 22, 2025 at 9:07 AM
Genuinely serious, realistic appraisal of our current predicament from @anthonypainter.bsky.social. Highly recommended.
anthonypainter.substack.com/p/brexterity...
anthonypainter.substack.com/p/brexterity...
As noted, cuts to health-related benefits risk worsening living standards and health. The case for reducing eligibility for PIP as a route to work doesn’t stand up - perhaps because a real answer would highlight the need for investment, while the government’s main aim is to say it’s spending less.
Responding to the Pathways to Work Green Paper, @davefinch.bsky.social welcomes measures that will rebalance the benefits system to support people to stay in work, but warns that cuts to disability benefits risk undermining this new approach.
Read our full response ⬇️
buff.ly/zW7C33b
Read our full response ⬇️
buff.ly/zW7C33b
March 19, 2025 at 11:23 AM
As noted, cuts to health-related benefits risk worsening living standards and health. The case for reducing eligibility for PIP as a route to work doesn’t stand up - perhaps because a real answer would highlight the need for investment, while the government’s main aim is to say it’s spending less.
Reposted by Christopher Rocks
Mini flurry of new DWP reports yesterday:
1. Impact of extra Work Coach time on employment: www.gov.uk/government/p...
2. Estimates of lost output etc due to ill health preventing work www.gov.uk/government/s...
3. Data on durations on incapacity benefits. www.gov.uk/government/s...
1. Impact of extra Work Coach time on employment: www.gov.uk/government/p...
2. Estimates of lost output etc due to ill health preventing work www.gov.uk/government/s...
3. Data on durations on incapacity benefits. www.gov.uk/government/s...
The impact of additional Jobcentre Plus support on the employment outcomes of disabled people
www.gov.uk
March 19, 2025 at 10:08 AM
Mini flurry of new DWP reports yesterday:
1. Impact of extra Work Coach time on employment: www.gov.uk/government/p...
2. Estimates of lost output etc due to ill health preventing work www.gov.uk/government/s...
3. Data on durations on incapacity benefits. www.gov.uk/government/s...
1. Impact of extra Work Coach time on employment: www.gov.uk/government/p...
2. Estimates of lost output etc due to ill health preventing work www.gov.uk/government/s...
3. Data on durations on incapacity benefits. www.gov.uk/government/s...
Reposted by Christopher Rocks
This summarises today's Green Paper well: cuts are guaranteed while additional financial support is speculative.
Cuts to PIP and UC-health will not be consulted on, so are almost certainly going to be scored by the OBR next week - but plans to compensate those who lose out are uncertain...
Cuts to PIP and UC-health will not be consulted on, so are almost certainly going to be scored by the OBR next week - but plans to compensate those who lose out are uncertain...
March 18, 2025 at 2:36 PM
This summarises today's Green Paper well: cuts are guaranteed while additional financial support is speculative.
Cuts to PIP and UC-health will not be consulted on, so are almost certainly going to be scored by the OBR next week - but plans to compensate those who lose out are uncertain...
Cuts to PIP and UC-health will not be consulted on, so are almost certainly going to be scored by the OBR next week - but plans to compensate those who lose out are uncertain...
Reposted by Christopher Rocks
The rise in distress can be absolutely real and *at the same time* not (fully) explain why people are unable to work. For that, we need to also look at precarious work, broken education & a welfare system that only offers one way to describe your barriers to work: www.health.org.uk/features-and...
Unravelling the rise in mental health-related inactivity
Dr Annie Irvine on why we need a much more holistic approach to understanding capacity in order to tackle mental health-related inactivity.
www.health.org.uk
March 18, 2025 at 12:47 AM
The rise in distress can be absolutely real and *at the same time* not (fully) explain why people are unable to work. For that, we need to also look at precarious work, broken education & a welfare system that only offers one way to describe your barriers to work: www.health.org.uk/features-and...
Reposted by Christopher Rocks
Overdiagnosis of mental disorders is making headlines again, this time thanks to Wes Streeting. But it is true?
(thread)
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
(thread)
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Wes Streeting: there is overdiagnosis of mental health conditions
Health secretary says too many people are being ‘written off’ and that is driving ministers’ changes to welfare
www.theguardian.com
March 17, 2025 at 12:18 PM
Overdiagnosis of mental disorders is making headlines again, this time thanks to Wes Streeting. But it is true?
(thread)
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
(thread)
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Reposted by Christopher Rocks
The government is right to try to 'de-risk' the journey into work for people on incapacity benefits, through the kind of 'right to try' they are trailing today
Taken along with the plans to improve employment support announced last year, it could have formed a transformative agenda
But... 1/3
Taken along with the plans to improve employment support announced last year, it could have formed a transformative agenda
But... 1/3
March 16, 2025 at 2:28 PM
The government is right to try to 'de-risk' the journey into work for people on incapacity benefits, through the kind of 'right to try' they are trailing today
Taken along with the plans to improve employment support announced last year, it could have formed a transformative agenda
But... 1/3
Taken along with the plans to improve employment support announced last year, it could have formed a transformative agenda
But... 1/3
Good to see this - it reflects one of seven recommendations from the @healthfoundation.bsky.social's Commission for #HealthierWorkingLives. The government must move beyond short-term fixes and invest in long-term support for work and health. More in the Commission’s final report:
March 17, 2025 at 9:26 AM
Good to see this - it reflects one of seven recommendations from the @healthfoundation.bsky.social's Commission for #HealthierWorkingLives. The government must move beyond short-term fixes and invest in long-term support for work and health. More in the Commission’s final report:
As the government considers reforms and possible cuts to incapacity and disability support, we need a long-term vision for work and health – prioritising prevention and early support to help people stay in work and improve health.
The Commission for #HealthierWorkingLives argues for a bold long-term vision and sets out practical steps to help prevent people with health conditions leaving the workforce.
Commission Chair, Sacha Romanovitch says it is time for us to reframe how we think about work and health ⬇️
buff.ly/cZ5bOVk
Commission Chair, Sacha Romanovitch says it is time for us to reframe how we think about work and health ⬇️
buff.ly/cZ5bOVk
How do we solve our work and health challenges?
Sacha Romanovitch, Chair of the Commission for Healthier Working Lives, on reframing how we think about work and health.
buff.ly
March 14, 2025 at 5:59 PM
As the government considers reforms and possible cuts to incapacity and disability support, we need a long-term vision for work and health – prioritising prevention and early support to help people stay in work and improve health.
Reposted by Christopher Rocks
Yesterday, a Government press release claimed the number of people “considered too sick to work” had "quadrupled" since the pandemic (a "383% rise"). This is incorrect. In fact, it’s not even close. It's more like 40%.
This thread explains why 🧵1/7
This thread explains why 🧵1/7
March 14, 2025 at 2:02 PM
Yesterday, a Government press release claimed the number of people “considered too sick to work” had "quadrupled" since the pandemic (a "383% rise"). This is incorrect. In fact, it’s not even close. It's more like 40%.
This thread explains why 🧵1/7
This thread explains why 🧵1/7
Reposted by Christopher Rocks
New paper on supporting workers' health and access to better work.
As part of a wider programme of research to inform the Commission for Healthier Working Lives led by @healthfoundation.bsky.social.
learningandwork.org.uk/resources/re...
As part of a wider programme of research to inform the Commission for Healthier Working Lives led by @healthfoundation.bsky.social.
learningandwork.org.uk/resources/re...
Supporting workers’ health and access to better work
learningandwork.org.uk
March 10, 2025 at 6:24 PM
New paper on supporting workers' health and access to better work.
As part of a wider programme of research to inform the Commission for Healthier Working Lives led by @healthfoundation.bsky.social.
learningandwork.org.uk/resources/re...
As part of a wider programme of research to inform the Commission for Healthier Working Lives led by @healthfoundation.bsky.social.
learningandwork.org.uk/resources/re...
Reposted by Christopher Rocks
‘Good work and good health go hand in hand’ Minister Sir Stephen Timms welcomes the Commission for #HealthierWorkingLives
March 10, 2025 at 11:14 AM
‘Good work and good health go hand in hand’ Minister Sir Stephen Timms welcomes the Commission for #HealthierWorkingLives
Reposted by Christopher Rocks
❓ Being told you should ‘act your age’, ‘slow down’ or ‘that’s ‘too young’ for you’.
❓ Becoming ‘unemployable’ in your 50s.
❓ Being told you’re 'surprisingly tech-savvy’ or ‘you shouldn’t wear that at your age'.
❓ Becoming ‘unemployable’ in your 50s.
❓ Being told you’re 'surprisingly tech-savvy’ or ‘you shouldn’t wear that at your age'.
We need to change the way we think about ageing | Age without limits
The Age Without Limits campaign aims to change the way we all think about ageing and support a growing movement of people and organisations working to make society more age-inclusive.
buff.ly
February 24, 2025 at 3:40 PM
❓ Being told you should ‘act your age’, ‘slow down’ or ‘that’s ‘too young’ for you’.
❓ Becoming ‘unemployable’ in your 50s.
❓ Being told you’re 'surprisingly tech-savvy’ or ‘you shouldn’t wear that at your age'.
❓ Becoming ‘unemployable’ in your 50s.
❓ Being told you’re 'surprisingly tech-savvy’ or ‘you shouldn’t wear that at your age'.
Reposted by Christopher Rocks
Important research published today on the work aspirations of DWP health & disability customers.
Worth reading in full. Some of the testimony here is really important.
www.gov.uk/government/p...
Worth reading in full. Some of the testimony here is really important.
www.gov.uk/government/p...
Work aspirations and support needs of health and disability customers: Interim findings
This report presents the employment aspirations, attitudes to work and support needs of health and disability customers.
www.gov.uk
February 6, 2025 at 6:23 PM
Important research published today on the work aspirations of DWP health & disability customers.
Worth reading in full. Some of the testimony here is really important.
www.gov.uk/government/p...
Worth reading in full. Some of the testimony here is really important.
www.gov.uk/government/p...
Great to see this report from @timewise.bsky.social. Better work design, including flexible working, has an important role to play in maintaining health and helping employers retain workers with health challenges. It's good to see the sector-specific insights, as they’re often overlooked.
Backed by a coalition of industry leaders, we are calling upon the UK government to go beyond the legislative proposals in the Employment Rights Bill to create practical partnerships with industry to speed up change. See more here: timewise.co.uk/article/endi...
#EndTwoTierWorkforce #LabourMarket
#EndTwoTierWorkforce #LabourMarket
January 27, 2025 at 1:13 PM
Great to see this report from @timewise.bsky.social. Better work design, including flexible working, has an important role to play in maintaining health and helping employers retain workers with health challenges. It's good to see the sector-specific insights, as they’re often overlooked.