The economic case for well-considered investment in health-related employment support: Costs and savings of alternative modified Individual and Placement Support (IPS) models

Background Health-related unemployment is a major issue across advanced economies. Modified versions of well-evidenced Individual Placement and Support (IPS) models of employment support for health cohorts offer considerable potential. A significant gap currently however is the lack of evidence around their financial return on investment.

Objective/Hypothesis To provide robust financial return on investment estimates for analytically derived alternative specifications of modified IPS services for the first time in the literature, sensitivity tested across various levels of performance.

Methods Brings together modelled cost and savings estimates based on best available evidence to deliver modelled return on investment estimates.

Results The modelled estimates show that well-designed modified IPS services can deliver financial savings whilst tackling health-related unemployment, even at higher average unit costs than are typically considered viable in some national contexts.

Conclusions Modified IPS services offer a viable route to delivering enhanced employment outcomes for individuals with health conditions and disabilities and financial savings for governments.