Reducing the value or availability of disability and incapacity benefits will put people’s mental health at risk and will be a false economy for the Government, Centre for Mental Health warned today.
Responding to the Government’s social security green paper, Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working, Centre for Mental Health chief executive Andy Bell said: “Our social security system provides vital protection for disabled people. Disability benefits such as PIP support people with the extra costs of being disabled, while incapacity benefits provide for those who are unable to work. Access to both of these benefits is essential for people’s mental health, so restricting them will undermine their very purpose.
“Reforms to our social security system are long overdue. We’ve known for many years that the Work Capability Assessment is unfair and outdated, but replacing it with the existing PIP assessment is a missed opportunity to create a more effective approach.
“For too long, people with mental health difficulties have faced too many barriers to getting the benefits they need, and the value of many benefits has fallen compared with rising living costs. Half of people living with a mental illness are in food poverty already. It’s vital to turn this around.
“Reducing entitlements to disability or incapacity benefits will do nothing to raise living standards or help more people into employment. Evidence shows that when governments tighten benefit rules, people’s mental health gets worse. If more people fall into poverty, both the prevalence and severity of mental ill health is likely to rise.
“We fully and wholeheartedly support the Government’s ambition to support more disabled people to get into paid work. We welcome proposals to make it easier for people to try out work without risking their benefits. Evidence-based employment support can help more people with a wide range of mental health needs to have a higher standard of living. The Connect to Work programme has the potential to expand access to effective employment support.
“The Individual Placement and Support (IPS) approach changes people’s lives and has long-term benefits. It is essential that social security reform backs up the expansion of IPS, rather than hindering it. The use of benefit conditions and sanctions for those who are out of work risks undermining the expansion of IPS, as well as causing continued harm to people’s health.
“We are concerned about proposals to restrict access to some benefits for young people. While we understand the importance of work to young people, and the scarring effects of youth unemployment, limiting access to benefits may be counter-productive for many.
“We hope the Government will look again at the evidence and ensure it takes the necessary steps to raise living standards and improve the nation’s mental health. Instead of cutting back on people’s entitlements to vital funds, the Government could tackle the causes of the rise in the number of people requiring disability and incapacity benefits. Levels of mental distress and ill health have been rising for too long, and mental health services have not been able to keep up with increasing demand. Taking action to prevent distress, and speeding up access to vital mental health support, is a better way to address the rise in the number of people who are missing out on paid work.”
