Access to Work

Although you can apply for a grant at any time, to avoid delays in receiving your equipment you should follow our Access to Work Procedure.

1. Check eligibility – Confirm your eligibility to apply for the grant.
2. Get an Occupational Health referral – If you think are eligible, please ask your manager or Employee Relations Adviser to complete a referral to Occupational Health for an appointment with one of our advisers. If you have already been referred to us for the condition(s) you are applying for assistance for, you do not need to do this.
3. Occupational Health approval – In your meeting with an Occupational Health Adviser (OHA) they will be able to identify if you will benefit from applying to Access to Work. If you do not need a referral, please email ohquery@essex.ac.uk or your OHA for approval.
4. Make your application – Once the OHA has recommended that you would benefit from making an application, you can start the application process. Please ensure you name your OHA or Occupational Health (ohquery@essex.ac.uk) as your main contact so that we receive the communications from Access to Work. Please note that no one can apply on your behalf. If you need assistance completing the form, please let us know. 
5. Access to Work application process – Your application will be allocated to an AtW Case Manager who will contact you to discuss your needs further. They will ask what adjustments are already in place, and what you think would help you in the workplace. If needed, they may arrange for you to have a workplace assessment. This involves a phone or video call with an assessor who will make suggestions based on the challenges you face due to your disability. These recommendations will be given to your case manager, who will confirm them with you and complete a report detailing your recommendations and the grant you have been awarded.
6. OHA Approval – Once complete, the report will be sent to yourself and the main contact you listed on your application. If this was not OH, please make sure to provide us with a copy of the report once received. We will then review the recommendations to ensure they are appropriate for your condition and compatible with our policies. Once confirmed, we will either purchase what has been recommended or seek advice on alternatives that can be purchased. Please ensure you check your Essex email or provide us with an alternative, as we may need to contact you for further information.
7. Grant fulfilment – Equipment and support will be purchased using our Access to Work budget. Neither you nor your department should not pay for any equipment unless stated on your grant. We will need to contact you about your case to ensure correct equipment is delivered. If coaching sessions have been recommended and you have not been provided with a list of providers, we do have one available. If manager or colleague training has been recommended, this must be organised by yourself or your manager, but is still funded by our Access to Work budget.
8. Reimbursement from Access to Work – If you have received a support worker (including coaching), please ensure you keep a record of the dates and how much support you have received, as we need this information to claim the reimbursement. If you have been allocated a grant to cover travelling to work, as this is self-funded you must reimburse this yourself, which can be done online or via post.

To be eligible for support you must:

• have any condition or impairment that affects your ability to carry out your job or travel to work - you do not need to have a diagnosis for a condition
• be aged 16 or over
• be in, or about to start in, your role at the University
• be normally resident and working in, England, Scotland or Wales

You can apply for Access to Work up to six weeks before you start work, and it is recommended that new starters apply in the first six weeks, as these are prioritised by DWP. 

If applying after this, your application will take longer - currently 24 weeks (as of August 2024) 

AtW can provide you with support with the extra costs of working that may occur because of a disability and/or long term physical and/or mental health condition(s). Examples include:

• specialist software, such as screen readers or voice to text software
• a support worker, such as a driver or job coach
• mental health support, such as counselling
• training or mentoring
• adapted equipment, such as chairs and desks

What cannot be funded?

There are some things Access to Work will not fund, including:

• support that has been put in place before you applied to Access to Work
• a diagnosis, such as dyslexia or autism assessments
• equipment that is standard for the job, such as a standard computer chair, or that is covered as a reasonable adjustment.

When you apply, Access to Work will ask:

• how does your condition affect you?
• what help you are getting already?
• what kind of help you think you need?

You will also need to give:

• University of Essex address and postcode
• the name of a workplace contact who can authorise your Access to Work recommendations - please ensure you provide the name of the clinician you have had an appointment with.

Following the application, you will not be contacted immediately. If you need to amend your application before you are contacted, please call the Access to Work helpline. 

Equipment will be purchased by Occupational Health under our Access to Work budget unless otherwise specified, at the discretion of the Occupational Health team. Some equipment may not be purchased if it is not in line with requirements or standards, but alternatives can be offered - see below for further information. 

Please note there can sometimes be delays in equipment being purchased if the recommended company is a new supplier to the University.

Equipment purchased under Access to Work is owned by you, so you can move it if you change roles within the University. If you leave the University, you may be able be able to transfer equipment to your new employer, but you cannot automatically transfer awards for support workers or travel – please contact the Access to Work team to discuss new arrangements.

Unsupported equipment

Access to Work may recommend equipment or software that we cannot provide or support. Certain IT equipment or software may not be compatible with our current IT systems or meet our data protection standards. In this situation we will work with the DITS team and AtW to find an alternative solution where this is possible.

We are unable to provide:

• ReMarkable tablets - do not meet cybersecurity requirements, currently we are only able to provide Samsung Galaxy tablets via DITS. 
• Grammarly premium - does not meet data protection standards.  
• Kneeling chairs - not suitable under DSE regulations. 
• MindView Workplace - does not meet cybersecurity requirements, we can provide SimpleMind as an alternative. 

If you think your employee may be eligible and may benefit from Access to Work support or are aware they wish to make an application, please complete a referral to OH.

If you receive Access to Work documentation for one of your employees, please send this to ohquery@essex.ac.uk. 

If your health or working conditions change, please call the Access to Work helpline to report a change in your circumstances. 

You may get another assessment and a change to your grant.