Executive Summary

Published

August 2025

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Executive Summary Executive Summary

Good work is good for health. And good health is good for business.


This year’s Director of Public Health Annual Report explores the powerful relationship between work and health in Derbyshire. It highlights how access to good, inclusive employment can transform lives, improving physical and mental wellbeing, reducing poverty, and strengthening communities. At the same time, it shows how a healthy workforce is essential for a thriving local economy.

Work is a building block for good health Work is a building block for good health

Work is a key building block for the health and wellbeing of people in Derbyshire. It is source of prosperity for communities and provides local people with the means to access better housing, better nutrition and healthy living resources.

Figure 1: The Building Blocks of Health1

The Challenge The Challenge

Derbyshire, like the rest of the UK, is facing a growing crisis in working-age health:

  • Over 93,000 working-age residents are economically inactive, many due to long-term sickness.2

  • The number of people with multiple health conditions is rising, especially among older workers and young adults with mental health needs.3,4

  • Health inequalities are stark: people in Derbyshire’s most deprived communities are more likely to fall ill before retirement and live shorter lives.5

The Opportunity The Opportunity

Work can be a powerful driver of better health. This report sets out how:

  • good work, which is secure, supportive, and fairly paid, can improve health outcomes for people across the whole life course.

  • inclusive employment can help people with disabilities, long-term conditions, or caring responsibilities to thrive, and give young people the best start in adult life

  • healthy workplaces reduce sickness absence, boost productivity, and improve staff retention.

The Case For Action The Case For Action

The cost of inaction is high: in 2022, working-age ill health cost the UK economy £259 billion.6 But the benefits of investing in workplace health are clear:

  • Every £1 invested in mental health support can return up to £5.7

  • Employers of all sizes, from microbusinesses to anchor institutions, can make a difference.

  • Healthier workers mean stronger businesses and more resilient communities.

What This Report Offers What This Report Offers

Real voices: You will hear from Derbyshire residents and employers about how work has improved health and wellbeing and been great for business.

Interactive features: Explore an interactive map to discover local stories and initiatives from across Derbyshire.

Practical tools: It gives details of local resources and services, which employers can use to improve the health of working-aged adults. Because, this year’s report is integrated into Derbyshire’s Joint Strategic Needs Assessment, the reader can find out more about other related health issues for people in Derbyshire.

Clear recommendations: Employers, councils, NHS, and community leaders are called to work together to:

  • Work together to ensure Derbyshire residents are ready for work

  • Enable people to enter or return to work

  • Support working-aged people to stay healthy

  • Recruit a workforce that represents the Derbyshire population

  • Share and learn from each other’s experience of work and health

Next Steps Next Steps

This report is not the end of the discussion on work and health in Derbyshire. Rather. it is the beginning of a much wider conversation. The report invites readers to:

  • Reflect on the role they play in supporting work and health.
  • Explore the interactive content and case studies.
  • Take action to make Derbyshire a place where everyone can live well and thrive through good work.

Explore the full report and join the conversation.

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