Welcome to IPS Focus
Free, personalised job support for people receiving mental health care in Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire.
IPS Focus is a free and voluntary employment programme commissioned by the NHS Bath, North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire Integrated Care Board.
At Shaw Trust, we deliver the service to help people receiving mental health support find and keep paid work.
We offer one to one job support in Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire through rapid work search, help with applications and interviews, and ongoing guidance once you start a role. We also work closely with your mental health team so your job search and workplace support match your needs.
Our Individual Placement and Support (IPS) report shows how well the model works. 73% of people we supported into jobs were still in their role 13 weeks later, and the same number said that employment improved their wellbeing.
Who it's for
To be eligible for IPS Focus, you must be:
- Over 18 years old
- Registered with a Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon or Wiltshire GP
- Currently under the care of secondary mental health services, or on the GP Serious Mental Health Register
- Interested in getting a paid job
The programme is voluntary, so you can opt out at any time, if you don’t feel it’s right for you.
What’s included
IPS employment support in Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire includes:
- Personalised career planning: Help with setting up your own vocational plan, tailored to your short- and long-term employment goals.
- Job searches: Support to find and apply for roles, including CV writing and interview preparation.
- Employer engagement: We approach local employers, help grow your network and support you to find opportunities that match your strengths.
- In-work adjustments: Ongoing guidance as you transition into a new or changing role, setting you up for success.
The benefits
Whether you prefer to meet in-person or remotely, our one to one job support covers:
Finding work:
- Writing targeted CVs, personal statements, cover letters and applications.
- Job searching, registering with agencies or job sites and preparing for interviews.
- Approaching employers on your behalf, and ways to discuss gaps in your work history.
Looking after your wellbeing:
- Applications for Access to Work funding or other support schemes.
- Signposting to related services, like debt management and housing.
- Benefits support and better off in work calculations, so jobs fit your finances.
Staying in work:
- Advising your employer on how to support your work wellbeing.
- Help with sharing your mental health with employers.
- Advocating for reasonable adjustments.
8 key principles of IPS
1. Focuses on competitive paid employment
IPS is built on the belief that everyone is capable of thriving in real, paid work, not just in voluntary or sheltered roles. Competitive employment is seen as a key driver of recovery, independence, and social inclusion. Employment specialists work with you to identify meaningful roles in the open labour market, supporting you to build sustainable careers rather than short‑term placements. This principle reinforces that paid work is both achievable and central to wellbeing.
2. Open to those who want to work
IPS operates on a zero‑exclusion basis if you express a desire to work and are eligible. There are no tests, and no exclusions based on diagnosis, symptoms, substance use, housing status, or past employment history. This principle ensures that motivation is the only requirement, promoting fairness and widening access to opportunity.
3. Provides job searches consistent with individual preferences
IPS is highly personalised. Employment specialists take time to understand your interests, strengths, values, and long‑term goals, ensuring job searches align with what matters to you. This includes preferences around job type, hours, location, work environment, and career progression. By centering your choice, IPS increases job satisfaction, retention, and long‑term success.
4. Provides rapid job searches
Rather than lengthy pre‑employment training or assessments, IPS begins job searching within weeks of engagement, often within the first month. This rapid approach helps maintain motivation, reduces anxiety, and demonstrates belief in your ability to succeed. It also ensures that employment becomes a core part of your recovery journey, not a distant goal.
5. Encourages co‑location and partnership working with clinical teams
Employment specialists are embedded within mental health teams, attending meetings, sharing information (with your consent), and working collaboratively with clinicians. This integration ensures that employment goals are treated as part of your overall care plan. It also enables timely support, consistent messaging, and a holistic approach that recognises the link between mental health and meaningful work.
6. Develops relationships with local employers
IPS specialists proactively build trusting, long‑term relationships with employers in the community. You will learn about workplace cultures, hiring needs, and job requirements, enabling them to match individuals to roles that genuinely fit. These relationships also help employers feel confident in offering opportunities to people with mental health conditions, fostering more inclusive workplaces.
7. Provides ongoing, individualised support once in work
Support does not end when someone gets a job. IPS offers time‑unlimited, tailored in‑work support for both the employee and the employer. This may include help with onboarding, workplace adjustments, confidence‑building, problem‑solving, or career development. The goal is to ensure you not only gain employment, but keep it – and progress in ways that feel meaningful to you.
8. Provides benefits advice
IPS includes access to accurate, personalised welfare benefits guidance, helping you understand how employment may affect your financial situation. This support reduces anxiety, dispels myths about losing benefits, and empowers you to make informed decisions. Clear benefits advice is essential for building confidence and ensuring that you feel secure as you move towards work.
How it works
Everyone’s journey into work is different, so we tailor our support to you. Your employment specialist first gets to know your skills, career goals and preferences. Then, we create a vocational plan together. This helps you put everything into action, so you can find the right job for you.
We support you whether you’ve never worked before, are returning to work, or are already employed and need help to stay in your job. We’ll help you search for roles, prepare for interviews and build your confidence along the way.
We’ll also link with your healthcare providers to make sure our job support matches your mental health needs, and boosts your mental wellbeing inside and outside the workplace.
Join IPS Focus today
Getting IPS employment support is simple:
- Speak to your mental health professional during a routine appointment.
- Complete our quick and easy form.
Alternatively, contact us by:
Email: ipsfocus@shaw-trust.org.uk or Phone: 01225 263 600
Frequently asked questions
What is IPS?
IPS joins work and health support together, so people who have health problems can look for, return to, or stay in work.
We’re the second largest provider of NHS in Britain after the NHS, and have helped over 19,000 people access employment and wellbeing support.
Who is IPS Focus for?
We’re offering job support to help people with serious mental illness into work. We’re aiming to link them to good jobs while looking after their mental health, whether that’s through primary care (like their GP) or secondary care (more specialist support). If you’d like to know more about eligibility, get in touch with our team.
Is IPS Focus free?
Yes, the service is fully funded by the NHS, so it’s free for you to access.
What makes IPS different?
IPS Focus offers highly intensive, one to one job support. It takes on smaller numbers of people to give the best possible support. The programme covers job coaching and mentoring in a hands-on way, helping people find jobs while looking after their mental health and wellbeing. This includes help getting a job with anxiety, support finding work with depression, or advice on managing your role alongside another mental health condition.
Does IPS really work?
Yes, IPS is proven to work. In fact, our IPS programmes show*:
- 62% of people at risk of falling out of work kept their job.
- 73% of people who found a job kept it for 13 weeks.
- Of those 73%, 68% still had their job 26 weeks later.
- 73% of people who found work improved their wellbeing.
- 63% of people who didn’t find work, but used the programme, still reported improved wellbeing.
To request this information in other formats please contact: studio@shaw-trust.org.uk
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