New Toolkit Strengthens Links Between Health and Employment in Liverpool City Region
Partners in Liverpool City Region (LCR), supported by the Applied Research Collaboration North West Coast (ARC NWC), have developed a new toolkit after completing a major three-year programme examining how economic development and public health organisations can work more closely together to reduce health inequalities.
The co-developed online toolkit is designed to share learning and practical steps for improving both health and employment outcomes, and better link public health and economic development. This offers a key resource that can be used by other local and combined authorities across the region.
It explains how other local or combined authorities can replicate what Liverpool City Region (LCR) achieved through the Economies for Healthier Lives programme (2021-2024), should they also want to deliver a programme that aims to enhance public health and employment, and improve health and wellbeing through employment support.
Partners collaborating on the toolkit included ARC NWC, the Local Combined Authority, Jobcentre Plus, the University of Liverpool, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool City Council, and five regional local authorities, along with their public health teams.
Across the UK, 2.8 million people are currently out of work for health reasons. Liverpool City Region has the highest level of economic inactivity due to health in England, but the insights from this programme have relevance for other local systems across the North West Coast.
While the programme focused on Liverpool City Region, the challenges it explored reflect issues seen across the wider North West Coast. Health-related worklessness, particularly linked to mental health and musculoskeletal conditions, continues to affect employment and productivity throughout the region.
Professor Ben Barr, ARC NWC Theme Lead for the Improving Population Health, said:
“Understanding how work, health, and economic development interact is central to tackling inequalities across the North West Coast.
This programme gives us a detailed view of how support can be better aligned to meet the complex realities of people’s lives. It also shows how evidence, research, and local insight can come together to guide decision-making, helping local and regional leaders build healthier, more inclusive economies.
The lessons from Liverpool City Region offer a blueprint for other areas facing similar challenges and reinforce the role of ARC NWC in connecting research with practical change.”
Partners carried out a series of reviews to build a detailed picture of existing employment support, the evidence base, and opportunities for future improvement.
Dr Phillip McHale, Senior Clinical Lecturer and Lead Researcher for the project said: “This programme shows what is possible when organisations work together with a clear, shared purpose. By looking across systems rather than at individual services, we have been able to understand what residents with long term conditions need to thrive. The evidence we have gathered offers a strong foundation for future decision making both in Liverpool City Region and across the wider North West Coast.”
The project was shared at a showcase event in Liverpool in March 2025, where partners from across health, research, and economic development discussed how to embed this learning in practice across the wider North West Coast.
The Economies for Healthier Lives toolkit is now available for organisations across the North West Coast looking to use these insights in their own planning.
