People with mental ill health, may be worse off with changes to Incapacity benefits

Everyone has days when they feel miserable; ups and downs are an inevitable part of life, however for some people these lows don’t go away, they can become overpowering and affect their ability to cope with everyday life. It is estimated 1 in 4 people in Britain will experience some form of mental distress at some point in their lives. Many of these people end up having to go on benefits for a while. However mental health charities suggest that they may be worse off under the government’s new benefit changes.

In October last year Incapacity benefit, and Income support, paid on the grounds of illness or disability changed for new customers; and has now been replaced with the new Employment and Support allowance (ESA). This new allowance aims to help get 1 million people off Incapacity benefits by 2015.

The emphasis of ESA is getting people back into work. The main difference is that within weeks of getting signed off from work, claimants are sent for a new ‘Work Capability Assessment’ undertaken by an expert health professional. In the first thirteen weeks of a new claim, while waiting to be assessed, people will receive a reduced rate of benefit. At the assessment if their illness or disability is considered severe enough, then they will go into a ‘support group’ and receive a higher rate of ESA benefit. Other claimants will go into the ‘work group’ and will be required to engage in a back to work programme. Failure to do so is likely to result in cuts in their benefits.

At the moment people on the old Incapacity benefits will not be affected by these changes, however the Department of Work and Pensions report that, all existing Incapacity benefit claimants should be transferred onto the Employment and Support allowance by 2013.

The Mental Health forum suggest that the majority of people with mental health problems do want to return to work, and therefore sanctions on benefits are completely unnecessary. With 40% of Incapacity benefit claimants having mental health problems, the worry with the new Employment and Support allowance is that it will cause claimants added distress without getting them any closer to a job, and maybe even push them into work that is unsuitable.

Previously Incapacity benefit provided a security for people with mental ill health that may have been difficult for them to give up on. Therefore the introduction of a more personalised system, to help people get back into work, is a good opportunity to change a situation where people are stuck in the benefit system. It has been suggested that three-quarters of the 2.6million people claiming Incapacity benefits are actually capable of work; and that the new Employment and Support allowance can give people who may have abandoned work because of depression, that little extra push that they need to get back into employment.

One of the concerns raised, is that the professionals employed to undertake these assessments, may have a general medical background but not have enough expertise in the area of mental health, and therefore would not be suitably qualified to make accurate judgements. Mental health problems are not as visible as other disabilities; and can also fluctuate from day to day. Without having the specialist knowledge in this area of health, it is very possible that people will get placed into the wrong group.

It is also very possible that these assessments can exacerbate mental illness. When a person first goes off sick, it is often the time when they need the most support, and may be finding life overwhelming and difficult to cope with. Just waking up and facing the day can be extremely difficult, and yet while people are feeling like this, not only will they most probably find themselves dealing with financial hardship, they also have to face going to a formal interview. This undoubtedly is going to add unnecessary psychological stress on people who are already extremely anxious, and is quite likely to result in symptoms worsening.

However for the majority of people with mental health problems who do want to work; having access to support, to help achieve this is likely to be very useful. Having a sense of purpose, which working can provide, can help raise people’s self esteem and confidence. Also having structure to the day, participating in activity, interacting with people, and learning new skills can all have a positive effect on a person’s mental health.

Upon being placed in the work group, claimants will automatically be referred to a ‘Pathways to work’ advisor, who be able to offer personalised support and financial help to get them back into work, if they are able. They can also look at overcoming any barriers to work, help with how people can manage their disability or health condition within a work context, and refer them to any training that may help in finding employment.

Whether the timing of these changes to the benefit system is right, at a time when jobs are becoming so scarce is also debateable. Recent figures from the Office for National Statistics report that before December 2008, the number of job vacancies had dropped by 153,000 over the year, and a high proportion of those; 69,000 were from the three months just before December. They reported that this was the lowest figure of job vacancies since 2001. With the countries economy in such a bad way, the number of jobs available is likely to drop even further.

Another barrier for people with mental health issues are employer’s attitudes. Mind, a leading mental health charity, suggest that helping people with mental health problems back into employment, will not work unless requirements are also put on employers. In a recent study undertaken by them, they found the stigma attached to mental ill health is still rife. It is reported that fewer than 4 in 10 employers would be willing to employ people with mental health problems. Mind put forward that employer’s opinions are the biggest barriers to employment, and suggest the government should provide training for employers to try and inform and change these attitudes.

It seems that Employment and Support allowance may provide an opportunity to change the situation where people are stuck in the benefit system, and it may well be able to help people who want to work find employment. However introducing sanctions if people do not co-operate, and having to attend formal assessments is very likely to cause added stress and possibly even exacerbate mental illness. The practicalities of ESA are also debateable, as the number of jobs available is likely to keep dropping in the current economic climate. ESA is also unlikely to work while a high number of employers are unwilling to take on people with mental health issues. It is evident that changes may not be effective until the health professionals, the advisors, and employers have undertaken substantial training in the area of mental health. As it is now, people with mental ill health, may indeed be worse off under the Employment and Support allowance.


For information look at:
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/welfarereform/incapacity.asp
http://www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk/JCP/Customers/WorkingAgeBenefits/Dev_015412.xml.html