The DWP has published the results of a survey today which they claim shows that 200,000 people claiming health and disability benefits are ready for work now, if the right job or support were available.
The survey has been released to coincide with time To Talk day, which encourages people to talk about their mental health. Its findings include:
- 27% of customers felt they might be able to work in future but only if their health improved. Customers with mental health conditions were more likely to feel this way: 44% of customers whose main health condition was a mental health condition felt they might be able to work again if their health improved.
- 5% - approximately 200,000 - customers felt they could work right away if the right job or support was available. Customers whose main health condition was a cognitive or neurodevelopmental impairment—including memory and concentration problems alongside learning difficulties and disabilities, as well as autism—were around twice as likely to feel this way compared to other customers.
- 49% of customers felt they would never be able to work or work again. 62% of these customers were over the age of 50, and 66% felt their health was likely to get worse in the future.
- The findings indicate a link between take up of health and disability benefits and challenges in the healthcare system: two in five customers (41%) were on a waiting list for treatment for their health condition(s), and half (50%) who were out of work felt their ability to work was dependent on receiving treatment.
- There is a potential opportunity in the rise of homeworking. A quarter (25%) of customers felt they couldn’t work, but when asked if they could work from home said they could. But customers were worried about the risk of social isolation and tended to see homeworking as a stepping stone to in-person work.
- A key challenge is the complex relationship many customers have with DWP. Of those customers not in work who didn’t rule out work permanently, 60% were worried that DWP would make them look for unsuitable work, and 50% were worried they would not get their benefits back if they tried working.
Work and Pensions Secretary, Liz Kendall MP said:
“Today’s report shows that the broken benefits system is letting down people with mental health conditions who want to work.
“People claiming Health and Disability benefits have been classed by the system as “can’t work” and shut out of jobs and have been ignored – when they’ve been crying out for support.
“That is a serious failure. It’s bad for people, bad for businesses, which miss out on considerable talent, and bad for the economy.”
Whilst the fear of losing benefits if you try work is clearly a failing of the benefits system, the lack of suitable jobs and appropriate support within the workplace seems to have a great deal more to do with employment rights than it does with benefits.
But the main aim purpose of this survey, as far as the government is concerned, is undoubtedly to support whatever changes are proposed when the Green Paper is finally published in the Spring.
You can read more about the Work Aspirations of Health and Disability Claimants survey here.
