Occupational health provision is measured in several different ways: employers offering a service, employees able to use it and providers able to meet demand. This page brings together dated evidence from DWP, DHSC, CIPD and Lancaster University, keeping those populations separate. The main DWP employer measure covers Great Britain.
Key facts and figures
- 31% of employers in Great Britain offered occupational health or vocational rehabilitation access in 2024;65% did not and 4% were unsure (DWP).
- 69% of organisations responding to CIPD’s 2025 survey offered occupational health services.
- 39% of employers in the Work Foundation’s 2026 UK leader survey reported occupational health provision.
- 86% of large organisations with 250+ employees in CIPD’s 2025 survey offered occupational health services.
- 28% of microbusinesses offered no workplace health support, while 99% of large employers offered some support (Work Foundation,2026).
- 38% of OH providers had unfilled vacancies — rising to 53% among NHS providers (DWP/DHSC Understanding OH Provision 2023-24).
- 200 providers took part in the DWP/DHSC 2023–24 survey, supplemented by 20 in-depth interviews.
- 95% — the median capacity use reported by OH providers over 12 months, with 24% at full capacity and a further 20% beyond it (DWP/DHSC, 2023-24).
Checked on 15 October 2026. Employer provision figures come from separately dated DWP, CIPD and Work Foundation surveys. Provider capacity figures reflect 2023–24 fieldwork. Keep Britain Working’s final report was published in November 2025, followed by a September 2026 update.
How many UK employers provide occupational health services?
DWP’s Employer Survey 2024 found that 31% of employers in Great Britain provided access to occupational health or vocational rehabilitation services;65% did not and 4% were unsure. This measures employers, not the proportion of employees covered, and combines occupational health with vocational rehabilitation.
DWP described overall access as largely unchanged from 2022. Routes of provision can overlap: an employer may use both an external provider and an in-house resource. Changes in particular routes do not necessarily mean that the overall number of employers offering access has increased.
CIPD’s 2025 organisation survey reported 69% offering occupational health services. The Work Foundation’s 2026 survey of 1,001 UK senior business leaders reported 39%. These ask different questions of different samples; the gap is not a measured rise or fall between years.
How do employers actually buy occupational health?
The single most common route in 2024 was using an external provider on an “as required” basis (19% of employers), according to the DWP Employer Survey 2024. Below that came in-house resource (9%), public-sector or NHS provision (8%) and a long-term external contract (6%). Employers can and do use more than one route, which is why the individual shares don’t simply add to the 31% headline.
These routes are percentages of employers in Great Britain, not shares of total occupational-health spending or provider workload. They show how provision is arranged but cannot establish that the whole market is dominated by a particular contract type.
| How OH is provided | Share of employers (2024) |
|---|---|
| Any access to OH / vocational rehabilitation | 31% |
| External provider, “as required” basis | 19% |
| In-house OH resource | 9% |
| Public-sector / NHS provision | 8% |
| Long-term external contract | 6% |
| No access provided | 65% |
| Unsure | 4% |
DWP Employer Survey 2024, Great Britain. Employers could use more than one route, so the route percentages do not add to the 31% total.
What percentage of UK workers have access to occupational health?
An employer-based percentage cannot be read as the same percentage of workers: large employers cover many more people than small employers. The current employer and provider surveys on this page do not establish a single up-to-date national employee coverage rate.
Access also has different meanings. General health advice, an employee assistance programme, a referral to an occupational-health clinician and a statutory health-surveillance programme are not interchangeable. Check what support is available, who can use it and whether it meets the relevant need.
Are large employers more likely to offer OH than SMEs?
CIPD’s 2025 survey reported occupational-health provision in 86% of large organisations with 250+ staff, compared with 69% of responding organisations overall. These figures concern the survey’s respondents and should not be combined with a different survey’s SME percentage as a like-for-like comparison.
The Work Foundation’s 2026 UK leader survey found that 99% of large employers offered some form of workplace health support, while 28% of microbusinesses offered none. “Some support” is broader than occupational health and must not be described as specialist clinical coverage.
Across 12 types of health support, the Work Foundation reported average provision of 36% per measure. Among employers with predominantly older workforces aged 55+, the average was 21%. This describes an average across support types, not the percentage of all older workers receiving occupational-health care.
Is there a shortage of occupational health professionals in the UK?
The DWP/DHSC 2023–24 provider study found 24% of respondents at full capacity and 20% above their stated maximum, with median capacity use of 95%. The capacity measure was answered by 160 providers; it is a self-reported survey measure, not a census of service availability.
The study found 38% of providers had unfilled vacancies, rising to 53% among NHS providers. It surveyed 200 providers and conducted 20 in-depth interviews. The results indicate recruitment pressures at that time but do not establish a current national headcount or retirement forecast.
| OH supply measure | Figure | Source (period) |
|---|---|---|
| Providers at full capacity | 24% | DWP/DHSC (2023-24) |
| Providers beyond maximum capacity | 20% | DWP/DHSC (2023-24) |
| Median capacity use over 12 months | 95% | DWP/DHSC (2023-24) |
| Providers with unfilled vacancies | 38% | DWP/DHSC (2023-24) |
| NHS providers with unfilled vacancies | 53% | DWP/DHSC (2023-24) |
| Providers in telephone survey | 200 | DWP/DHSC 2023–24 fieldwork |
| Additional in-depth interviews | 20 | DWP/DHSC 2023–24 fieldwork |
Why is occupational health access on the policy agenda?
The Keep Britain Working final report was published on 5 November 2025, with a further update in September 2026. The review considers how employers, health services and government can help people remain in or return to work. It is policy evidence, not a replacement for existing workplace health and safety duties.
Coverage, quality and effectiveness answer different questions. Offering a service does not show that every eligible worker uses it or that it resolves every work barrier. Employers should consider what advice is needed and whether it leads to appropriate action.
Occupational health is distinct from an employer’s core risk-assessment duty, but the two are close cousins: both are about anticipating harm to workers and acting before it lands. For the compliance side — how many employers assess risk, how the duty is enforced and what it costs to get it wrong — see our risk assessment statistics and HSE enforcement statistics pages. Work-related ill-health case counts and sickness-absence totals are covered elsewhere and deliberately kept off this page, which stays on provision and access.
Frequently asked questions
How many UK employers provide occupational health services?
DWP’s 2024 survey found 31% of employers in Great Britain provided access to occupational health or vocational rehabilitation services;65% did not and 4% were unsure. CIPD’s 2025 and the Work Foundation’s 2026 surveys give different figures for their own samples and questions.
What percentage of UK workers have access to occupational health?
The current employer and provider sources here do not establish a single national employee coverage percentage. Employer provision rates cannot be converted directly into worker coverage, and access to general support is not the same as access to a specialist clinician.
Are large employers more likely to offer occupational health than SMEs?
The surveys show a size-related gap. CIPD found 86% of large organisations with 250+ staff offered occupational health in 2025. The Work Foundation found 99% of large employers offered some form of workplace health support in 2026, while 28% of microbusinesses offered none; that broader measure is not OH-only.
Is there a shortage of occupational health professionals in the UK?
DWP/DHSC’s 2023–24 provider survey found 38% had vacancies, including 53% of NHS providers. Median reported capacity use was 95%, with 24% at full capacity and 20% above it. Those dated survey findings show pressure, not a precise current shortfall in clinicians.
How often are these statistics updated?
This page was checked on 15 October 2026. Its employer, provider and policy sources have different release schedules. Each figure is labelled with the relevant survey period rather than assuming a fixed annual or biennial update cycle.
Related guides
- Risk Assessment Statistics UK: Compliance Facts & Data
- Work-Related Stress Statistics UK: HSE Facts & Data
- HSE Enforcement Statistics UK: Fines, Prosecutions & Notices
- Stress risk assessment: the HSE Management Standards explained
- Who can carry out a risk assessment? The competence question explained
Sources & references
- DWP Employer Survey 2024 — Great Britain employer provision
- DWP/DHSC — Understanding Occupational Health Provision 2023–24
- CIPD — Health and wellbeing at work 2025
- Lancaster University — Unequal support,2026
- Keep Britain Working — final report,November 2025
- Keep Britain Working — September 2026 update
Occupational health manages harm after it appears — risk assessment prevents it. Train your team to assess workplace risks properly.
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Mark writes about workplace health & safety, risk assessment and accredited online training for Risk Assessment Training, part of Online CPD Academy.