A new notice signals plans to source occupational health, EAP and physiotherapy, reflecting wider moves to reduce absence and meet workforce needs.
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A fresh prior information notice from City of Wolverhampton Council sets out plans to procure an integrated package of employee assistance, occupational health and physiotherapy to enhance staff health and wellbeing. The Employee Health Services notice, published in November 2025, reflects a broader push across the public sector to modernise workforce support, manage risk and keep people in work.
The council’s prior information notice signals a coming competition for three linked services:
The stated aim is to enhance employee health and wellbeing. As a prior information notice, it is brief. It does not set out the contract structure, value, term or delivery model. That is typical at this stage and suggests the council is sounding out the market ahead of a formal specification.
Across 2025, public bodies have been reshaping occupational health and support packages. In May 2025, the Crown Prosecution Service flagged the need for a full range of occupational health and Employee Assistance services to support staff well-being and ensure legal compliance (Occupational Health Services).
Local government is moving in the same direction. In September 2025, Exeter City Council sought a comprehensive occupational health service to support employee wellbeing and ensure compliance with health and safety legislation (Occupational Health Service Provider). In December 2025, Cumberland Council went further, seeking services to enhance workforce attendance, meet health surveillance obligations and promote employee wellbeing (Occupational Health Services).
Others are bundling related benefits. In May 2025, Kent County Council signalled a package spanning Occupational Health Services, Employee Assistance Programmes and Employee Benefits (Employee Support Services). In the NHS, the Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust outlined a comprehensive Employee Assistance and Benefits Programme in May 2025 (Employee Assistance and Benefits Programme), while West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust sought occupational health and wellbeing services for staff and volunteers (Occupational Health Services).
Wolverhampton’s inclusion of physiotherapy echoes a clear theme: attention to musculoskeletal disorders as a driver of absence. In May 2025, Staffordshire County Council set out plans for an Occupational Physiotherapy service focused on managing musculoskeletal disorders and reducing sickness absence across the council and supported schools (Occupational Physiotherapy Service).
Blue‑light and civic leaders are commissioning targeted support, too. In June 2025, the City of London Corporation and City of London Police sought occupational health physiotherapy services to support functional capability assessments, rehabilitation and workplace ergonomics (Occupational Health Physiotherapy Services).
The scale of provision is also rising. South Lanarkshire Council’s June 2025 notice covered a cost‑effective physiotherapy service for approximately 17,500 employees, aimed at supporting wellbeing and recovery (Employee Physiotherapy Services). In August 2025, City of Doncaster Council focused its physiotherapy brief on improving function, facilitating recovery, promoting self‑management and working with Health Partners (Occupational Health Physiotherapy Service).
Employee Assistance Programmes remain a cornerstone of mental health provision. Some buyers are expressly widening coverage. In October 2025, Avon & Somerset Police and other regional forces opened market engagement for EAP services for staff and their families, with goals that include reducing absenteeism and improving mental health (Employee Assistance Programme Services). In March 2025, Derbyshire Constabulary likewise explored options for an EAP offering confidential support to employees and their families (Employee Assistance Programme).
Niche provision is growing. In August 2025, Sunderland City Council sought an independent, confidential Employee Counselling Service for its employees and organisations linked to its occupational health services (Employee Counselling Service). Higher education is taking a dual‑track approach: in July 2025, Queen’s University Belfast sought comprehensive counselling for staff and students, including an Employee Assistance Programme and a Student Counselling Hub (Counselling Services Contract).
Regulators are specifying fuller pathways. In September 2025, the Nursing and Midwifery Council sought a provider to deliver comprehensive occupational health support and an EAP, including pre‑employment screening, case management and wellbeing support (Occupational Health Services Required).
Public bodies are experimenting with how these services are delivered. In June 2025, Birmingham City Council sought qualified Occupational Health Physicians to support its service, primarily through virtual consultations (Occupational Health Physician Services). In August 2025, Oxfordshire County Council explored a Workplace Health MOT service that would take holistic checks and advice into workplaces (Workplace Health MOT Service).
Other buyers are clear about supplier models and scope. In June 2025, AWE sought to engage a single supplier for a comprehensive occupational health service that includes management, health assessments, emergency medical response and training (Occupational Health Services). And in May 2025, Kent County Council and, separately, the Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust both signalled interest in bundling EAP with employee benefits, a sign that buyers see value in co‑ordinating support and incentives alongside clinical advice.
Transport and local government are also linking wellbeing to attendance outcomes. In May 2025, CalMac Ferries Ltd invited bids for occupational health and an Employee Assistance Programme “aimed at enhancing employee wellbeing and reducing absenteeism” (Occupational Health and Employee Assistance). That mirrors the emphasis and language seen in several policing notices focused on staff and family support.
The Wolverhampton notice lands amid rising demand for services that are clinically robust, easy to access and demonstrably effective. The examples above point to priorities that are likely to inform specifications:
While the Wolverhampton PIN is concise, the market context is clear: buyers are combining occupational health with allied support and, in some cases, benefits packages. Coverage may extend to volunteers, as the NHS example shows, or align with targeted services such as counselling and workplace health MOTs.
Next, look for a formal tender from City of Wolverhampton Council setting out scope, delivery model and performance expectations. Several cues are worth watching, based on the 2025 pipeline:
For suppliers, the Wolverhampton PIN is an early signal. For the wider sector, it is another marker of how workforce health is being organised: more integrated, more outcome‑driven and, increasingly, tailored to the risk profile of different workforces.
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