A report published on 23 September 2026 by the co-chair of Keep Britain Working, Sir Charlie Mayfield, set out work with employers, providers and people with lived experience to deliver what it described as Britain's first Workplace Health System, the Department for Work and Pensions said. The plan was reported as aiming to build more inclusive workplaces and better workplace health provision, bringing together employers, the NHS, local authorities and other support services.

According to the release, around 300,000 people with a health condition leave work every year, and the number of working-age people out of work due to ill health has risen by 800,000 since 2019, with a total cost to the economy of around £212 billion a year. Eleven regional Vanguards, including nine Mayoral Strategic Authorities plus Cornwall Council, Hull City Council and Worcestershire City Council, and more than 200 Vanguard organisations were reported to be testing the system. Examples cited included draft return-to-work plans in Liverpool City Region and a Hull buyer's pool giving local SMEs access to occupational health services.

An employer standard was being developed with the British Standards Institution, and the programme said it would continue that work over the following year. The release said Mayfield's work sat within a £3.5 billion employment support package.