Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall has said some people on benefits are “taking the mickey” but “there are many more people who want to work after a new report from the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) found 49 per cent of health and disability benefits recipients reported feeling they would never be able to work or work again.
The Work Aspirations of Health and Disability Claimants report is based on a survey of 3,401 health and disability benefit recipients, including people receiving Personal Independence Payment (PIP), Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), and those on the Universal Credit (UC) Health Journey.
The report found 27 per cent felt they might be able to work in future but only if their health improved, increasing to 44 per cent of recipients whose main health condition was related to mental health.
Ms Kendall told ITV: “I think what the survey shows is that despite all the myths, a lot of people who are currently on sickness or disability benefits want to work.”
Asked if people on benefits are “pretending they can’t work” she added: “Many of them have either just lost jobs that they desperately miss, or really want to get back into work once they’ve got their health condition under control.
“So I think that there are many more people who want to work. I have no doubt, as there always have been, there are people who shouldn’t be on those benefits who are taking the mickey and that is not good enough – we have to end that.”
Prior to the general election former prime minister Rishi Sunak called for an end to ‘sick note culture’ and warned against “over-medicalising the everyday challenges and worries of life”.
Ms Kendall said: “There is genuinely a problem with many young people, particularly the Covid generation, but we can’t have a situation where doing a day’s work is in itself seen as stressful.”
She added: “I went to visit one of my local supermarkets recently to see the brilliant work they’re doing with the charity to get young people into work. And we saw two things.
“One was young people with genuine mental health problems, who the supermarket was doing great stuff to help them get work and stay in work.
“But also the managers saying there were some young people who felt just turning up on time or working the day that they needed to, not always taking breaks – they had to understand that that was the world of work, that was just the nature of life and that isn’t stress or pressure.”
The survey also showed two in five recipients were on a waiting list for treatment for their health condition and 50 per cent who were out of work felt their ability to work was dependent on receiving treatment.
Ms Kendall said the Labour Government is determined to “act and put that support in place”, rather than “writing people off” and “blaming them like the last Conservative government did.”
She said: “I don’t blame people for thinking that they can’t, because they’re stuck on a waiting list for treatment. They haven’t had the proper support that they might need from the job centre or the skills that they need to get the jobs, we’ve also got to create more jobs in the areas that need them most.
“So I’m under no illusions about the scale of the challenge that we’ve got. I believe more of those people could work. But even if we just start with those who say they can, we need to do more to get them back into work.”
Key findings from the report
The Work aspirations and support needs of health and disability customers found:
- 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% of 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. Some 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 DWP would make them look for unsuitable work, and 50% were worried they would not get their benefits back if they tried working.
- Despite this, most customers (69%) were open to receiving contact from DWP about offers of support for employment, benefits or disability services. Customers wanted help to develop skills, including emotional, social and communication skills. They wanted help finding and applying for jobs, and help to stay in work, including engaging with employers to ensure their needs were met.
- Customers wanted help from DWP to be personal, with genuine attempts to understand their unique needs and circumstances. They wanted to feel supported rather than coerced, monitored or blamed. They wanted to see more joined-up services so they didn’t need to explain their health conditions repeatedly to different staff and agencies.
You can view the full report online at GOV.UK here.