Is home-based entrepreneurship the way out of Britain's disability crisis?
Yesterday, the government issued the final part of its Keep Britain Working report.
THE PROBLEM
Sir Charlie Mayfield, the former managing director of John Lewis and author of a major government-commissioned review, says Britain risks "sliding into an avoidable crisis" over workplace ill health, as new analysis reveals the problem is costing employers a staggering £85 billion annually.
Sir Charlie has outlined the "enormous" toll that worker ill health is taking on British business.
The figures are stark. The report found ill health preventing Britons from working now costs the country approximately 7 per cent of GDP. Over 1 in 5 working-age people are now out of work and not looking for work.
Sir Charlie's intervention comes as pressure mounts on ministers to tackle the rising tide of economic inactivity linked to long-term sickness.
The OBR has previously stated that government spending on those on working age, health and disability benefits is projected to rise from £56billion in 2024 to £75billion in 2030.
THE SOLUTION?
Could homeworking be an answer to the high levels of unemployment in the UK due to disability and ill health?
Business leaders argue that entrepreneurship is one way out of the UK’s health crisis.
Paul Harrison is co-founder of The Travel Franchise, an organisation that trains and supports individuals with little or no prior experience in selling travel, helping them to become ABTA-protected homeworking travel consultants. Today, more than 750 entrepreneurs operate successfully under the Not Just Travel brand.
He says: “Our model enables people to move away from relying on benefits or sick pay and build successful, independent travel businesses on their own terms.
Paul Harrison continues: “Building your own business can be one of the most fulfilling things you can do - especially if you have a disability or illness that has limited your quality of life for years. With the right support and training, we have proved that people overcoming immense challenges can become entrepreneurs in their own right, earning significant amounts as a result, while also improving their mental and physical wellbeing.”
Wendy Dunford was a police officer in Dorset for 23 years, but suffered a spinal cord compression which resulted in the loss of use of her legs four years ago. She is now a successful Not Just Travel consultant and says: “Looking at me now, you wouldn’t know what I have been through. I had to leave the Police a few months ago on medical retirement. However I am using this negative experience to create a positive opportunity by owning my own business and embracing this new challenge. The condition has left me with some neurological symptoms, but being able to run my own exciting travel business on my terms is a dream come true and gives me routine, a goal and incredible mentorship that you wouldn’t get anywhere else.”
Dimple Lakhani, 52, established a travel business through The Travel Franchise with her daughter Sonali, who was diagnosed with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, a rare condition affecting her digestive system. She is tube-fed, uses a walking stick, and lives with chronic pain and fatigue.
Unable to pursue her dream of working at an airport, mother and daughter became travel agents instead. Sonali manages social media and holiday searches, sometimes working from her hospital bed.
The family travels to warm destinations like Dubai and Turkey for relief. Their personal experience has created a successful niche helping customers with special and medical needs. Sonali says the travel business has given her a renewed purpose. Since starting their travel business in 2021 they have made nearly £1Million in bookings.
Keep Britain Working: Final report - GOV.UK
Seeking comments from business owners and HR specialists:
- Can entrepreneurship and flexible self-employment provide a real route back to work for those currently locked out by ill health or disability?
- Should government policy and business support schemes focus more on purposeful entrepreneurship as a health and wellbeing tool?
- How can employers and HR teams better support workers transitioning from sickness absence into self-directed work?
- What role might remote work and digital skills training play in tackling long-term economic inactivity?
- What barriers still exist - financial, regulatory or cultural - that prevent more people from starting their own ventures while managing a health condition?
