UK
Health charities and unions lead strong criticism of Sunak’s welfare reforms
Rishi Sunak gave a speech on Friday where he announced the Government would be cracking down on benefits fraud (Image: PA)
Leading mental health and poverty charities and unions have strongly criticised Rishi Sunak’s planned welfare reforms as “deeply damaging” and an “irresponsible war of words”.
The Prime Minister announced a series of major changes to the system on Friday and warned against “over-medicalising the everyday challenges and worries of life”.
Among the proposed changes was a consultation on a “more objective and rigorous approach” in the benefits system, and having so-called specialist work and health professionals charged with responsibility for issuing fit notes instead of GPs in a bid to end the “sick note culture”.
Reacting to the reforms, Dr Sarah Hughes, chief executive of mental health charity Mind, said: “We are deeply disappointed that the Prime Minister’s speech today continues a trend in recent rhetoric which conjures up the image of a ‘mental health culture’ that has ‘gone too far’. This is harmful, inaccurate and contrary to the reality for people up and down the country.
“To imply that it is easy both to be signed-off work and then to access benefits is deeply damaging.
“It is insulting to the 1.9 million people on a waiting list to get mental health support, and to the GPs whose expert judgment is being called into question.”
Centre for Mental Health chief executive Andy Bell also warned Mr Sunak’s suggestion of “over-medicalising” could discourage people from seeking vital support when they need it.
Mr Bell added added the proposed policies would put more people with mental health problems at risk of “benefit sanctions”.
Iain Porter, senior policy adviser at poverty charity the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, said: “This is an irresponsible war of words on people who already aren’t getting enough support, which the Government would rather not talk about.
Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride (left) and Sir Iain Duncan Smith listening to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak giving his speech (Yui Mok/PA)
“Any sensible aspects of the Government’s previously announced planned reforms like a better focus on occupational support have become overshadowed by damaging rhetoric about which illnesses are genuine or not.
“Many people want to work, as the Prime Minister says, but have their hopes dashed by woeful health and wellbeing support and jobcentres unfit for purpose.”
Other reforms announced by the Prime Minister in London included benefits being stopped if someone does not comply with conditions set by a work coach and a pledge to “tighten” the work capability assessment (WCA).
There was also plans for new legislation to prevent “fraudsters” from exploiting “the natural compassion and generosity of the British people”.
The Centre for Social Justice, who hosted Mr Sunak’s speech, said it was pleased to see “a Government that wants to get to grips with surging inactivity”.
But Ash James, director of practice and development at the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, said Mr Sunak should “look closer to home” and singled out NHS waiting lists as a key issue for welfare.
He said: “Long waits lead to more complex problems and we know that the greater the amount of time someone is off work, the less likely they are ever to return.”
Mr James added: “Employers should also be doing more to make such services available to their staff, given the clear link between productivity and the health of a workforce.
“But until the Government gets on top of NHS waiting times by addressing the serious workforce crisis across a whole range of professions including physiotherapy, too many people will continue to be let down and forced out of work.”
Ruth Wilkinson, head of policy and public affairs at the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health, said plans to use specialist work and health professionals were “vague and unclear”.
She said: “If the Government is serious about addressing the issue of economic inactivity, it’s crucial it prioritises investing in occupational safety and health and identifying and tackling the root causes.
“The main focus needs to be on prevention, ensuring work is safe, healthy and supportive and accommodates people’s needs.”
Jen Clark, Amnesty International UK’s head of economic and social rights, said Mr Sunak’s announcement “demonises some of the most vulnerable people in the country” and was “targeting and humiliating people with disabilities because they need financial assistance”.
PM’s welfare reforms dubbed a ‘full-on assault on disabled people’
Disability equality charity Scope said Sunak's “dangerous” plans risk leaving disabled people “destitute”.
by Aine Fox
2024-04-19 11:38
in Politics
Yui Mok/PA
Rishi Sunak has told of the “moral mission” to reform welfare as he announced major changes to the system in the face of criticism of his “hostile rhetoric” and accusations that the proposals are a “full-on assault on disabled people”.
The Prime Minister repeatedly stressed that the system as it stands is letting people down by not being focused enough on the work they might be able to do.
He insisted the changes – including benefits being stopped if someone does not comply with conditions set by a work coach and a pledge to “tighten” the work capability assessment (WCA) – are not solely about cutting costs.
Disability equality charity Scope has questioned whether the announcements are being “driven by bringing costs down rather than how we support disabled people”.
“A full-on assault on disabled people”
Following the speech in London on Friday, the charity described proposals as feeling “like a full-on assault on disabled people” branding them “dangerous” and saying they risk leaving disabled people “destitute”.
Mr Sunak said there will be a consultation on proposed changes to a “more objective and rigorous approach” in the benefits system.
He suggested greater medical evidence could be required to substantiate a claim for personal independence payments (PIP), and that some people with mental health conditions may be offered talking therapies or respite care rather than cash transfers.
He described the Government’s approach as saying “people with less severe mental health conditions should be expected to engage with the world of work”.
Other proposed changes include having so-called specialist work and health professionals charged with responsibility for issuing fit notes instead of GPs – in a bid to end the “sick note culture”.
The PM warned against “over-medicalising the everyday challenges and worries of life” and said an expected rise in benefits spending in the coming years is “not sustainable”.
He said: “We now spend £69 billion on benefits for people of working age with a disability or health condition.
“That’s more than our entire schools budget, more than our transport budget, more than our policing budget.
“And spending on personal independence payments (PIP) alone is forecast to increase by more than 50 per cent over the next four years.”
“Moral mission”
He spoke of a “moral mission” to reform welfare to “give everyone who can the best possible chance of returning to work”, describing the “longstanding and proudly British view that work is a source of dignity, purpose, of hope.”
He said: “For me, it is a fundamental duty of Government to make sure that hard work is always rewarded.
He detailed plans for new legislation to prevent “fraudsters” from exploiting “the natural compassion and generosity of the British people”.
The Prime Minister said: “We are preparing a new fraud Bill for the next parliament, which will align DWP (Department for Work and Pensions) with HMRC (HM Revenue and Customs), so that we treat benefit fraud like tax fraud, with new powers to make seizures and arrest, and we’ll also enable penalties to be applied to a wider set of fraudsters through a new civil penalty.
“Because when people see others in their community gaming the system that their taxes pay, it erodes support for the very principle of the welfare state.”
He rejected suggestions his welfare reforms were lacking in compassion, saying “the exact opposite is true”.
But Scope’s James Taylor said calls were “pouring into our helpline” from concerned disabled people.
“In a cost-of-living crisis looking to slash disabled people’s income by hitting PIP is a horrific proposal.
“Sanctions and ending claims will only heap more misery on people at the sharp end of our cost-of-living crisis.”
“Hostile rhetoric on sicknote culture”
The British Medical Association criticised the “hostile rhetoric on sicknote culture” and cited the need to tackle lengthy waiting lists in the NHS to get people the care they need.
Dr Katie Bramall-Stainer, chairwoman of GPC England, the BMA’s GP committee, said: “With a waiting list of 7.5 million – not including for mental health problems – delays to diagnostics, and resulting pressures on GP practices, patients cannot get the treatment they need to be able to return to work.
“So rather than pushing a hostile rhetoric on ‘sicknote culture’, perhaps the Prime Minister should focus on removing what is stopping patients from receiving the physical and mental healthcare they need, which in turn prevents them from going back to work.”
Rishi Sunak has vowed to take benefits away from people suffering from anxiety and depression and target Personal Independence Payments if he wins the next election
Dave Burke Political Correspondent
John Stevens Political Editor
Rishi Sunak has been accused of trying to make life harder for people struggling with poor health after announcing a "chilling" set of reforms to force people back to work.
The PM denied lacking compassion as he threatened to take benefits away from people suffering from anxiety and depression. In a speech in central London he vowed to target Personal Independence Payments if he wins the next election. He claimed the rising number of people signed off from work is "not sustainable" and claimed he is on a "moral mission" to get people back into work.
Mr Sunak's plans include removing responsibility for issuing sick notes from GPs. He highlighted the growing number of people citing anxiety and depression as their main condition - saying new cases have doubled since 2019. He said if he wins the next election the Tories will “significantly reform and control welfare”.
But Alison Garnham, chief executive of the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) said: “The Prime Minister must know he can’t scare people into good health, but his words this morning will be chilling for low income families up and down the country who rely on our social security system for help.
"His government needs to address the reasons people can’t go to work – like poor health – rather than make life harder for those who are struggling. The PM should focus on delivering investment in the NHS, improving employment support and providing social security for everyone who needs it, including the record number of children currently living in poverty.”
And James Taylor of disability charity Scope said: “This feels like a full-on assault on disabled people. These proposals are dangerous and risk leaving disabled people destitute. In a cost of living crisis looking to slash disabled people’s income by hitting PIP is a horrific proposal.”
Campaigners also warned that changes would hit people waiting for mental health support. Dr Sarah Hughes, chief executive of charity Mind, said services are at "breaking point". She said: “To imply that it is easy both to be signed-off work and then to access benefits is deeply damaging. It is insulting to the 1.9 million people on a waiting list to get mental health support, and to the GPs whose expert judgement is being called into question.
“People need to be offered tailored support from mental health professionals if they are to return to work, not face threats of losing what little money they currently have to live on." She went on: "Demonising people for failures of the systems meant to support them is incredibly unhelpful and we urge the government to reassess its approach to this issue."
Mr Sunak hit back at critics, saying in his speech: "Some people will hear this speech and accuse me of lacking compassion. Of not understanding the barriers people face in their everyday lives. But the exact opposite is true. There is nothing compassionate about leaving a generation of young people to sit alone in the dark before a flickering screen watching as their dreams slip further from reach every passing day. And there is nothing fair about expecting taxpayers to support those who could work but choose not to."
Latest figures show 2.8 million people are “economically inactive” due to long-term sickness, which Downing Street says is “driving an unsustainable increase in welfare spending”.
The Government says a consultation on PIP will explore changes to the eligibility criteria, assessment process and types of support that can be offered. Mr Sunak said: “Since 2019, the number of people claiming PIP citing anxiety or depression as their main condition, has doubled with over 5,000 new awards on average every single month.
"But for all the challenges they face it is not clear they have the same degree of increased living costs as those with physical conditions. And the whole system is undermined by the way people are asked to make subjective and unverifiable claims about their capability.
"So in the coming days we will publish a consultation on how we move away from that to a more objective and rigorous approach that focuses support on those with the greatest needs and extra costs.”
Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey said: “This was a desperate speech from a Prime Minister mired in sleaze and scandal. Millions of people are stuck on NHS waiting lists, unable to get a GP appointment or struggling to access mental health support.
“Rishi Sunak is attempting to blame the British people for his own government’s failures on the economy and the NHS and it simply won’t wash.”
Sunak says welfare reforms not about cost cutting as ‘hostile rhetoric’ criticised
Rishi Sunak has told of the “moral mission” to reform welfare as he announced major changes to the system in the face of criticism of his “hostile rhetoric” and accusations that the proposals are a “full-on assault on disabled people”.
The Prime Minister repeatedly stressed that the system as it stands is letting people down by not being focused enough on the work they might be able to do.
He insisted the changes – including benefits being stopped if someone does not comply with conditions set by a work coach and a pledge to “tighten” the work capability assessment (WCA) – are not solely about cutting costs.
Disability equality charity Scope has questioned whether the announcements are being “driven by bringing costs down rather than how we support disabled people”.
Dangerous
Following the speech in London on Friday, the charity described proposals as feeling “like a full-on assault on disabled people” branding them “dangerous” and saying they risk leaving disabled people “destitute”.
Mr Sunak said there will be a consultation on proposed changes to a “more objective and rigorous approach” in the benefits system.
He suggested greater medical evidence could be required to substantiate a claim for personal independence payments (PIP), and that some people with mental health conditions may be offered talking therapies or respite care rather than cash transfers.
He described the Government’s approach as saying “people with less severe mental health conditions should be expected to engage with the world of work”.
Other proposed changes include having so-called specialist work and health professionals charged with responsibility for issuing fit notes instead of GPs – in a bid to end the “sick note culture”.
The PM warned against “over-medicalising the everyday challenges and worries of life” and said an expected rise in benefits spending in the coming years is “not sustainable”.
He said: “We now spend £69 billion on benefits for people of working age with a disability or health condition.
“That’s more than our entire schools budget, more than our transport budget, more than our policing budget.
“And spending on personal independence payments (PIP) alone is forecast to increase by more than 50% over the next four years.”
Duty
He spoke of a “moral mission” to reform welfare to “give everyone who can the best possible chance of returning to work”, describing the “longstanding and proudly British view that work is a source of dignity, purpose, of hope.”
He said: “For me, it is a fundamental duty of Government to make sure that hard work is always rewarded.
He detailed plans for new legislation to prevent “fraudsters” from exploiting “the natural compassion and generosity of the British people”.
The Prime Minister said: “We are preparing a new fraud Bill for the next parliament, which will align DWP (Department for Work and Pensions) with HMRC (HM Revenue and Customs), so that we treat benefit fraud like tax fraud, with new powers to make seizures and arrest, and we’ll also enable penalties to be applied to a wider set of fraudsters through a new civil penalty.
“Because when people see others in their community gaming the system that their taxes pay, it erodes support for the very principle of the welfare state.”
He rejected suggestions his welfare reforms were lacking in compassion, saying “the exact opposite is true”.
But Scope’s James Taylor said calls were “pouring into our helpline” from concerned disabled people.
“In a cost-of-living crisis looking to slash disabled people’s income by hitting PIP is a horrific proposal.
“Sanctions and ending claims will only heap more misery on people at the sharp end of our cost-of-living crisis.”
Waiting lists
The British Medical Association criticised the “hostile rhetoric on sicknote culture” and cited the need to tackle lengthy waiting lists in the NHS to get people the care they need.
Dr Katie Bramall-Stainer, chairwoman of GPC England, the BMA’s GP committee, said: “With a waiting list of 7.5 million – not including for mental health problems – delays to diagnostics, and resulting pressures on GP practices, patients cannot get the treatment they need to be able to return to work.
“So rather than pushing a hostile rhetoric on ‘sicknote culture’, perhaps the Prime Minister should focus on removing what is stopping patients from receiving the physical and mental healthcare they need, which in turn prevents them from going back to work.”
Rishi Sunak pledges to remove benefits for people not taking jobs after 12 months
Sky News
Updated Fri, 19 April 2024
People who are fit to work but do not accept job offers will have their benefits taken away after 12 months, the prime minister has pledged.
Outlining his plans to reform the welfare system if the Conservatives win the next general election, Rishi Sunak said "unemployment support should be a safety net, never a choice" as he promised to "make sure that hard work is always rewarded".
Politics live: 'Moral mission' to end 'sicknote culture', says Sunak
Mr Sunak said his government would be "more ambitious about helping people back to work and more honest about the risk of over-medicalising the everyday challenges and worries of life" by introducing a raft of measures in the next parliament. They include:
• Removing benefits after 12 months for those deemed fit for work but who do not comply with conditions set by their work coach - such as accepting a job offer
• Tightening the work capability assessment so those with less severe conditions will be expected to seek employment
• A review of the fit note system to focus on what someone can do, to be carried out by independent assessors rather than GPs
• Changes to the rules so someone working less than half of a full-time week will have to look for more work
• A consultation on PIP to look at eligibility changes and targeted support - such as offering talking therapies instead of cash payments
• The introduction of a new fraud bill to treat benefit fraud like tax fraud, with new powers to make seizures and arrests.
He insisted the changes were not about making the benefits system "less generous", adding: "I'm not prepared to balance the books on the backs of the most vulnerable.
"Instead, the critical questions are about eligibility, about who should be entitled to support and what kind of supports best matches their needs."
But Labour said it was the Tories' handling of the NHS that had left people "locked out" of work, and a disabled charity called the measures "dangerous".
The latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows 9.4 million people aged between 16 and 64 were "economically inactive", with over 2.8 million citing long-term sickness as the reason.
Mr Sunak said 850,000 of them had been signed off since the COVID pandemic and half of those on long-term sickness said they had depression, with the biggest growth area being young people.
He also claimed the total being spent on benefits for people of working age with a disability or health condition had increased by almost two-thirds since the pandemic to £69bn - more than the entire budget for schools or policing.
"I will never dismiss or downplay the illnesses people have," said the prime minister. "Anyone who has suffered mental ill health or had family and friends who have know these conditions are real and they matter.
"But just as it would be wrong to dismiss this growing trend, so it would be wrong to merely sit back and accept it because it's too hard, too controversial, or for fear of causing offence."
The prime minister said he knew critics would accuse him of "lacking compassion", but he insisted "the exact opposite is true", adding: "There is nothing compassionate about leaving a generation of young people to sit in the dark before a flickering screen, watching as their dreams slip further from reach every passing day.
"And there is nothing fair about expecting taxpayers to support those who could work but choose not to.
"It doesn't have to be like this. We can change. We must change."
But Labour said the "root cause of economic activity" was down to the Tories' failure on the health service, with record NHS waiting lists hitting people's ability to get back in the workplace.
Acting shadow work and pensions secretary Alison McGovern said: "After 14 years of Tory misery, Rishi Sunak has set out his failed government's appalling record for Britain: a record number of people locked out of work due to long-term sickness and an unsustainable spiralling benefits bill.
"Rather than a proper plan to get Britain working, all we heard today were sweeping questions and reheated proposals without any concrete answers."
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey called it "a desperate speech from a prime minister mired in sleaze and scandal", adding: "Rishi Sunak is attempting to blame the British people for his own government's failures on the economy and the NHS and it simply won't wash."
Meanwhile, disability charity Scope said the measures were a "full-on assault on disabled people", adding they were "dangerous and risk leaving disabled people destitute".
James Taylor, director of strategy at the charity, said calls were already "pouring in" to their helpline with people concerned about the impact on them, adding: "Sanctions and ending claims will only heap more misery on people at the sharp end of our cost of living crisis."
PM to unleash ‘sick-note squads’ as he tells Brits ‘you don’t get anything in life without hard work’
Rishi Sunak has called for an end to 'sick note culture', telling Britain ‘you don’t get anything in life without hard work’ as detailed government plans for a benefits crackdow
Setting out his plans during a speech in London on Friday, the detailed his "moral mission" to stop "fraudsters" from exploiting "the natural compassion and generosity of the British people".
Waging war on those exploiting loopholes, the PM's proposed overhaul of the benefits system saw him reject suggestions that his welfare reforms lacked compassion.
The Prime Minister said: "Some people no doubt will hear this speech and accuse me of lacking compassion, of not understanding the barriers people face in their everyday lives.
Adding: "There is nothing fair about expecting taxpayers to support those who could work but choose not to."
Mr Sunak unveiled his vision for a "new welfare settlement for Britain" on Friday morning, pledging not to dismiss or downplay illness but calling for a "more ambitious" approach to helping people back to work.
However, the British Medical Association (BMA) has urged Rishi Sunak to avoid using a "hostile rhetoric on sicknote culture" following the announcement.
It comes as Work and Pensions secretary Mel Stride told : "We are absolutely staffing up" when asked about the government's proposed crack down on sick notes.
"In many cases it means actually just having a different configuration of existing resources," he said.
The Prime Minister set out the new fraud Bill ahead of the next parliament, describing how it will align the Department for Work and Pensions with HM Revenue and Customs in a bid to reduce benefits fraud.
He added that the new powers would allow the government to "make seizures and arrest" in certain instances, allowing "penalties" to be applied to those exploiting the system through a new civil penalty system.
"Because when people see others in their community gaming the system that their taxes pay, it erodes support for the very principle of the welfare state," Sunak said.
"This is not about making the welfare system less generous to people who face very real extra costs from mental health conditions.
"We actually want to make it easier to access, with fewer requirements," the PM said.
He added that the Government's "overall approach is about saying that people with less severe mental health conditions should be expected to engage in the world of work".
Rishi Sunak said an expected rise in benefits spending is "not sustainable".
In a statement following the announcement, Dr Katie Bramall-Stainer, chairwoman of GPC England, the BMA's GP committee, said: "Fit notes are carefully considered before they are written, and a GP will sign their patient off work only if they are not well enough to undertake their duties.
"We do recognise the health benefits of good work, and that most people do want to work, but when they are unwell, people need access to prompt care.
"With a waiting list of 7.5 million - not including for mental health problems - delays to diagnostics, and resulting pressures on GP practices, patients cannot get the treatment they need to be able to return to work."
The PM warned against "over-medicalising the everyday challenges and worries of life" during his speech on welfare reform on Friday.
He is expected to say the focus must shift to what work people might be able to do, amid concerns that some are being unnecessarily written off as sick and "parked on welfare".
Mr Sunak will add that there is a "growing body of evidence that good work can actually improve mental and physical health".
Last month, Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride faced criticism for saying there is "a real risk" that "the normal ups and downs of human life" are being labelled as medical conditions.
The Government's plans for getting specialist work and health professionals to issue fit notes will often mean "a different configuration of existing resources," the Work and Pensions Secretary said.
Mel Stride told : "We have already gone out to the various health boards around the country and we have 15 of the 42 in England who in the autumn will be participating in something called WorkWell, which is the name for what I described earlier of bringing together the medical assistance but also that critical work-based advice and support as well."
Mr Stride said a call for evidence launched on Friday will help determine "exactly what the model is and exactly how it will work," but broadly, a GP would send a patient with a bad back to WorkWell, where an advisor may contact their workplace to make adjustments such as relocating their office to the ground floor.
As part of the reform, Mr Sunak is announced a review of the fit note system, suggesting specialist work and health professionals should be charged with responsibility for issuing them instead of GPs.
It comes after recent NHS data showed almost 11 million fit notes were issued last year, with many being repeat fit notes "issued without any advice, resulting in a missed opportunity to help people get the appropriate support they may need to remain in work".
Mr Sunak is expected to refer to challenges presented since the pandemic, with the government saying a "significant number of working aged people have become inactive due to long term sickness which has in large part been driven by mental health conditions".
He is expected to say: “We don’t just need to change the sick note, we need to change the sick note culture so the default becomes what work you can do – not what you can’t.
“Building on the pilots we’ve already started we’re going to design a new system where people have easy and rapid access to specialised work and health support to help them back to work from the very first Fit Note conversation.
“We’re also going to test shifting the responsibility for assessment from GPs and giving it to specialist work and health professionals who have the dedicated time to provide an objective assessment of someone’s ability to work and the tailored support they need to do so.”
Since 2020, the number of people out of work due to long-term sickness has risen significantly, reaching 2.7 million people in January 2024.
A large proportion of those report suffering from depression, bad nerves or anxiety, although most of those report these as secondary conditions rather than the main one keeping them out of work.
Lucy Jackson
Fri, 19 April 2024
RISHI Sunak has faced major criticism after announcing changes to the welfare system which could make it more difficult for disabled people to access benefits.
In a speech on Friday, Sunak said there will be a consultation on proposed changes to a “more objective and rigorous approach” in the benefits system.
The proposed changes include having so-called specialist work and health professionals in England charged with responsibility for issuing fit notes instead of GPs – in a bid to end the “sick-note culture”.
READ MORE: DWP warning claimants they could lose their benefits
Sunak also suggested greater medical evidence could be required to substantiate a claim for personal independence payments (PIP), and that some people with mental health conditions may be offered talking therapies or respite care rather than cash transfers.
He described the Government’s approach as saying “people with less severe mental health conditions should be expected to engage with the world of work”.
The PM warned against “over-medicalising the everyday challenges and worries of life” and said an expected rise in benefits spending in the coming years is “not sustainable”.
He said: “We now spend £69 billion on benefits for people of working age with a disability or health condition.
“That’s more than our entire schools budget, more than our transport budget, more than our policing budget.
“And spending on personal independence payments (PIP) alone is forecast to increase by more than 50% over the next four years.”
READ MORE: Everything you need to know about this weekend's independence march
He detailed plans for new legislation to prevent “fraudsters” from exploiting “the natural compassion and generosity of the British people”.
The Prime Minister said: “We are preparing a new fraud Bill for the next parliament, which will align DWP (Department for Work and Pensions) with HMRC (HM Revenue and Customs), so that we treat benefit fraud like tax fraud, with new powers to make seizures and arrest, and we’ll also enable penalties to be applied to a wider set of fraudsters through a new civil penalty.
“Because when people see others in their community gaming the system that their taxes pay, it erodes support for the very principle of the welfare state.”
He rejected suggestions his welfare reforms were lacking in compassion, saying “the exact opposite is true”.
But disability equality charity Scope has questioned whether the announcements are being “driven by bringing costs down rather than how we support disabled people”.
Following the speech in London on Friday, the charity described proposals as feeling “like a full-on assault on disabled people” branding them “dangerous” and saying they risk leaving disabled people “destitute”.
The Scottish Government has been contacted for comment.
GPs could lose power to sign people off work sick as PM wants to get people back into work
Jon Macpherson & Neil Shaw
Fri, 19 April 2024
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is considering removing the power of GPs to sign people off work sick in an effort to tackle the growing "sick note culture".
In a major speech on welfare reform, Sunak is expected to argue that the focus should shift to what people can do, rather than what they cannot. The government is concerned that some people are being unnecessarily written off as sick and "parked on welfare".
The move comes amid concerns that the rise in homeworking during the pandemic has led to an increase in people taking time off work for mental health reasons. However, Mr Sunak's proposals have been met with criticism from some quarters.
The Royal College of Psychiatrists has described the government's plans as "disappointing", while the Centre for Mental Health charity has said they risk "belittling people's struggles". Disability equality charity Scope has also expressed concerns, saying it would question whether Sunak's announcements are being "driven by bringing costs down rather than how we support disabled people".
Today (April 19), Mr Sunak – in his vision for a "new welfare settlement for Britain" – is expected to pledge not to dismiss or downplay illness, but to call for a "more ambitious" approach to helping people back to work. He is due to say: "We should see it as a sign of progress that people can talk openly about mental health conditions in a way that only a few years ago would've been unthinkable, and I will never dismiss or downplay the illnesses people have."
"But just as it would be wrong to dismiss this growing trend, so it would be wrong merely to sit back and accept it because it's too hard; or too controversial; or for fear of causing offence. Doing so, would let down many of the people our welfare system was designed to help."
He will say there is a "growing body of evidence that good work can actually improve mental and physical health". Mr Sunak will add: "We need to be more ambitious about helping people back to work and more honest about the risk of over-medicalising the everyday challenges and worries of life."
The Government said recent NHS data showed almost 11 million fit notes were issued last year, and said many are repeat fit notes "issued without any advice, resulting in a missed opportunity to help people get the appropriate support they may need to remain in work".
Mr Sunak is expected to announce a review of the fit note system, suggesting specialist work and health professionals should be charged with responsibility for issuing them instead of GPs. Responses from healthcare professionals, employers and people with lived experience will be sought in a call for evidence launched on Friday.
Mr Sunak is expected to refer to challenges presented since the pandemic, with the Government saying a "significant number of working-aged people have become inactive due to long-term sickness which has in large part been driven by mental health conditions".
He is expected to say: "We don't just need to change the sick note, we need to change the sick note culture so the default becomes what work you can do – not what you can't. Building on the pilots we've already started we're going to design a new system where people have easy and rapid access to specialised work and health support to help them back to work from the very first Fit Note conversation."
"We're also going to test shifting the responsibility for assessment from GPs and giving it to specialist work and health professionals who have the dedicated time to provide an objective assessment of someone's ability to work and the tailored support they need to do so."
Since 2020, the number of people out of work due to long-term sickness has risen significantly, reaching a record high of 2.8 million people as of February 2024, according to the latest estimates from the Office for National Statistics. A large proportion of those report suffering from depression, bad nerves or anxiety, although most of those report these as secondary conditions rather than the main one keeping them out of work.
James Taylor, Scope director of strategy, said: "We've had decades of disabled people being let down by failing health and work assessments; and a broken welfare system designed to be far more stick than carrot. Much of the current record levels of inactivity are because our public services are crumbling, the quality of jobs is poor and the rate of poverty amongst disabled households is growing."
He added: "We hope this system has been designed with disabled people and has been crafted to work with them not against them."
Alison McGovern, Labour's acting shadow work and pensions secretary, said: "A healthy nation is critical to a healthy economy, but the Tories have completely failed on both."
"We've had 14 Tory years, five Tory prime ministers, seven Tory chancellors, and the result is a record number of people locked out of work because they are sick – at terrible cost to them, to business and to the taxpayer paying billions more in spiralling benefits bills."
"Today's announcement proves that this failed Government has run out of ideas, announcing the same minor alternation to fit notes that we've heard them try before. Meanwhile, Rishi Sunak's £46 billion unfunded tax plan to abolish national insurance risks crashing the economy once again."
Back to work: Rishi Sunak sets out plans to sack ‘sick note culture’
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has outlined plans to strip GPs of their power to sign people off work, much to health charities dismay.
Should he be re-elected in the next general election, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has vowed to end what he calls ‘sick note culture’, after discovering that almost 11 million fit notes were issued last year by GPs
Referencing figures, which came from NHS data, Sunak said: ‘Most worryingly of all the biggest proportional increase in economic inactivity due to long term sickness came from young people. Those in the primes of their life just starting out on work and family, instead parked on welfare.
‘There is nothing compassionate about leaving a generation of young people to sit alone in the dark before a flickering screen watching as their dreams slip further from reach every passing day.’
To address this, this morning Sunak delivered a speech in which he said: ‘We don’t just need to change the sick note, we need to change the sick note culture so the default becomes what work you can do – not what you can’t.
‘Building on the pilots we’ve already started we’re going to design a new system where people have easy and rapid access to specialised work and health support to help them back to work from the very first Fit Note conversation.
‘We’re also going to test shifting the responsibility for assessment from GPs and giving it to specialist work and health professionals who have the dedicated time to provide an objective assessment of someone’s ability to work and the tailored support they need to do so.’
However, various mental health experts have remarked that this is far from the correct approach. Despite Rishi Sunak claiming that this method will help ease pressures on medical staff, NHS bosses have warned ‘overwhelmed’ services have been unable to cope with a big cost-Covid increase in people needing help.
Dr Sarah Hughes, chief executive of the mental health charity Mind, said: ‘We are deeply disappointed that the Prime Minister’s speech today continues a trend in recent rhetoric which conjures up the image of a ‘mental health culture’ that has ‘gone too far’.
‘This is harmful, inaccurate and contrary to the reality for people up and down the country. The truth is that mental health services are at breaking point following years of under investment with many people getting increasingly unwell while they wait to receive support.’
‘To imply that it is easy both to be signed-off work and then to access benefits is deeply damaging,’ Sarah said. ‘It is insulting to the 1.9 million people on a waiting list to get mental health support, and to the GPs whose expert judgement is being called into question.’
Echoing a similar tone, Richard Kramer, chief executive of Sense, a charity for people with disabilities, remarked the announcement as an attack on disabled people.
‘The government’s ongoing onslaught on disabled people is hard to watch, with the prime minister today taking aim at people who are long-term sick in a cruel speech demonising people with ‘sick notes’, Richard said. ‘This rhetoric is unbelievably damaging and unhelpful, presenting disabled people as ‘shirkers’ who don’t want to work. But this isn’t the case – while employment isn’t right for everyone, many disabled people do want to work.’
Against the backdrop of Rishi Sunak introducing new measures to help people back to work, this was first flagged by chancellor Jeremy Hunt when he delivered his autumn statement – a new service called WorkWell is due to be launched this year in 15 areas across the country. The platform is designed to help people struggling with their mental health and musculoskeletal conditions slowly return to work.
Although, Alison McGovern, the acting shadow work and pensions secretary for Labour has claimed that it is time to see the back of the Conservatives as after 14 years, ‘five Tory prime ministers, seven Tory chancellors…the result is a record number of people locked out of work because they are sick – at terrible cost to them, to business and to the taxpayer paying billions more in spiralling benefit bills.’
Rishi Sunak accused of 'whipping up fear' in welfare 'sick note' speech
Stewart Paterson
Fri, 19 April 2024
Rishi Sunak (Image: PA)
RISHI Sunak has been accused of trying to “whip up fear” in a bid to win votes after a speech on social security reform stating “we need to change the sick note culture”.
The Prime Minister said he was on a “moral mission of reforming welfare to give everyone who can, the best possible chance of returning to work”.
He made a speech at the Centre for Social Justice, founded by former work and pension secretary and Tory leader, Iain Duncan Smith, the architect of Universal Credit.
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The Prime Minister said the number of people unable to work through ill health has risen since the pandemic, placing a burden on the welfare system.
Sunak said there are “critical questions about eligibility, about who should be entitled to support and what kind of support best matches their needs.”
He announced if the Tories retain power, they would “tighten up” work capability assessments in the next parliament.
He said the government would test shifting responsibility for assessments from GPs to “specialist work and health professionals”.
The speech has been met with anger from anti-poverty campaigners and SNP politicians.
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Peter Kelly, Poverty Alliance director, said: “Rishi Sunak is attempting to whip up fear, stigma and division in order to win votes. That’s deeply cynical.
“He and other political leaders have repeatedly failed to unlock this country’s vast wealth to strengthen our society and build a better future.
“Instead, they have weakened our health service and the other public services that we need for a strong and healthy country.”
He added: “A sick society makes people sick.”
Erica Young, Citizens Advice Scotland’s social justice policy officer, said: “There is a real risk this sort of language can create a culture of fear and put people off seeking any type of support, including the support offered in Scotland based on the principals of dignity, fairness and respect.
“The use of DWP contracted health assessors to determine capacity for work has been linked to suicide, self-harm and severe distress, which must not be replicated in changes to the fit note system”
The SNP meanwhile, said he was blaming the sick and disabled for his own failures.
David Linden Glasgow East MP, the SNP’s Social Justice spokesperson, said: “Rishi Sunak’s disgraceful attempt to blame his party’s appalling record in government on people who are sick and disabled made for grim watching.
“Instead of trying to pass the buck, his government should be boosting investment into the NHS and finding ways to deliver well-paid jobs, which will help to grow the economy and protect people’s health and household budgets.”
Sunak to warn against ‘over-medicalising everyday worries’ in welfare speech
Aine Fox,
Thu, 18 April 2024
Rishi Sunak is to call for an end to the “sick note culture” and warn against “over-medicalising the everyday challenges and worries of life” in a major speech on welfare reform.
The Prime Minister will say the focus must shift to what work people might be able to do, amid Government concerns some are being unnecessarily written off as sick and “parked on welfare”.
The speech comes a month after Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride faced criticism for an interview in which he said there was “a real risk” that “the normal ups and downs of human life” were being labelled as medical conditions which then held people back from working.
Those comments were described as “disappointing” by the president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, while the Centre for Mental Health charity said they risked “belittling people’s struggles”.
Disability equality charity Scope has said it would question whether Mr Sunak’s announcements are being “driven by bringing costs down rather than how we support disabled people”.
On Friday, Mr Sunak – in his vision for a “new welfare settlement for Britain” – is expected to pledge not to dismiss or downplay illness, but to call for a “more ambitious” approach to helping people back to work.
He is due to say: “We should see it as a sign of progress that people can talk openly about mental health conditions in a way that only a few years ago would’ve been unthinkable, and I will never dismiss or downplay the illnesses people have.
“But just as it would be wrong to dismiss this growing trend, so it would be wrong merely to sit back and accept it because it’s too hard; or too controversial; or for fear of causing offence. Doing so, would let down many of the people our welfare system was designed to help.”
He will say there is a “growing body of evidence that good work can actually improve mental and physical health”.
Mr Sunak will add: “We need to be more ambitious about helping people back to work and more honest about the risk of over-medicalising the everyday challenges and worries of life.”
The Government said recent NHS data showed almost 11 million fit notes were issued last year, and said many are repeat fit notes “issued without any advice, resulting in a missed opportunity to help people get the appropriate support they may need to remain in work”.
Mr Sunak is expected to announce a review of the fit note system, suggesting specialist work and health professionals should be charged with responsibility for issuing them instead of GPs.
Responses from healthcare professionals, employers and people with lived experience will be sought in a call for evidence launched on Friday.
Mr Sunak is expected to refer to challenges presented since the pandemic, with the Government saying a “significant number of working aged people have become inactive due to long term sickness which has in large part been driven by mental health conditions”.
He is expected to say: “We don’t just need to change the sick note, we need to change the sick note culture so the default becomes what work you can do – not what you can’t.
“Building on the pilots we’ve already started we’re going to design a new system where people have easy and rapid access to specialised work and health support to help them back to work from the very first Fit Note conversation.
“We’re also going to test shifting the responsibility for assessment from GPs and giving it to specialist work and health professionals who have the dedicated time to provide an objective assessment of someone’s ability to work and the tailored support they need to do so.”
Since 2020, the number of people out of work due to long-term sickness has risen significantly, reaching a record high of 2.8 million people as of February 2024, according to the latest estimates from the Office for National Statistics.
A large proportion of those report suffering from depression, bad nerves or anxiety, although most of those report these as secondary conditions rather than the main one keeping them out of work.
James Taylor, Scope director of strategy, said: “We’ve had decades of disabled people being let down by failing health and work assessments; and a broken welfare system designed to be far more stick than carrot.
“Much of the current record levels of inactivity are because our public services are crumbling, the quality of jobs is poor and the rate of poverty amongst disabled households is growing.”
He added: “We hope this system has been designed with disabled people and has been crafted to work with them not against them.”
Alison McGovern, Labour’s acting shadow work and pensions secretary, said: “A healthy nation is critical to a healthy economy, but the Tories have completely failed on both.
“We’ve had 14 Tory years, five Tory prime ministers, seven Tory chancellors, and the result is a record number of people locked out of work because they are sick – at terrible cost to them, to business and to the taxpayer paying billions more in spiralling benefits bills.
“Today’s announcement proves that this failed Government has run out of ideas, announcing the same minor alternation to fit notes that we’ve heard them try before. Meanwhile, Rishi Sunak’s £46 billion unfunded tax plan to abolish national insurance risks crashing the economy once again.”
Prime Minister right to focus on people not being well enough to work – but has offered a problem statement not a plan
With the UK the only G7 economy yet to return to pre-pandemic employment levels, the Prime Minister is right to make reducing long-term sickness a top economic priority. But his latest announcement is a problem statement not a plan, the Resolution Foundation said today (Friday).
The Foundation notes that proposals to reform sicknotes could offer improvements, especially if tied to more support to keep people attached to their current employer when they have a serious illness or acquire a disability. However, sickness absence rates, while currently up on pre-pandemic levels at 2.6 per cent, remain well below the rates seen in the 1990s (such as 3.1 per cent in 1995).
Furthermore, while the rhetoric in the Prime Minister’s speech focused on mental ill-health, which is a growing issue for long-term sickness and those out of work entirely, it is actually a declining reason for short-term sickness absence from work (down from 11 to 8 per cent between 2019 and 2022).
The far bigger announcement today is the consultation on the future of Personal Independence Payments (PiP). Reform of PiP is inevitable, with DWP spending on working-age disability benefits up 86 per cent in 2022-23 compared to 2010-11 (in real terms), and with a further 60 per cent rise forecast by 2028-29.
But while the speech set out the problem rising ill-health is creating for the Treasury, it did not offer a plan for addressing it, nor address any of the many difficulties involved in doing so. For example, while the Prime Minister made the case for reform on the basis of rising numbers of people with mental ill-health claiming benefits, any major reforms will also impact those with physical disabilities too. That’s because those whose primary health condition is physical currently account for the majority – 62 per cent – of PiP claimants in England and Wales.
The lack of a plan in part reflects how challenging disability reform is, says the Foundation. After all, major – and highly controversial – reforms were also carried out in the 2010s, but they ultimately failed to make major savings. The Labour Party too has not set out any material proposals in this area.
Finally, the Foundation says that disability reforms aren’t just about the public finances, they are important for family finances too. People with disabilities are among the poorest in society, with one-in-three adults in the poorest tenth of the population having a disability.
Louise Murphy, Senior Economist at the Resolution Foundation, said:
“Rising economic inactivity, and especially rising inactivity due to long-term sickness, is one of the biggest economic challenges Britain faces in the 2020s. Not only is it reducing employment and growth, and increasing public spending, it is harming the living standards of those who are too ill to work.
“But the Prime Minister today has set out a problem statement rather than a plan, particularly when it comes to proposals to overhaul our main disability benefit.
“This may reflect the very challenging nature of disability benefit reforms. But whoever wins the next election will need to go beyond rhetoric and consultations if they’re to stem the rising benefit bills and help more people into work.”
