Prime Minister Rishi Sunak wants to cut benefits for 420,000 sick and disabled people in the UK in an attempt to force them back into the workforce.
Work and Health Programme in the UK
The £100m Work and Health Programme in England and Wales will terminate at the end of autumn, and Sunak will use this time to cut disability benefits simultaneously.
COVID and the Workforce
Since COVID, 2,8 million people are out of work due to long-term illness, and Sunak is determined to reform the welfare system.
New ‘Work and Health’ Advisors
In 2022/23, health professionals issued almost 11 million ‘fit notes’. The Government consultation document will create new “work and health advisors” to conduct in-depth work and health conversations.
Power Left in Untrained Worker’s Hands
A plan was hatched to give those without medical training the power to decide whether an employee is sick.
Health Condition Versus Reaching Targets
This move has many questioning whether workers’ overall health condition is prioritised or whether it’s about achieving targets.
£69BN on Benefits
Sunak took to the stand to explain that, at present, the UK is spending £69bn on benefits for those of working age with either a health condition or disability.
Pip Under Discussion
The PM announced that the personal independence payment (PIP), which aids those with disabilities and sicknesses, would be under discussion.
“Assault on Disabled People”
After this announcement, Sunak faced criticism and accusations. The charity Scope stated, “It’s a full-on assault on disabled people.”
Unveiled Plans for the Welfare System
Among the unveiled plans were general practitioners’ rights to issue sick notes, mental health patients offered treatment as opposed to benefits, and those available to work who deny available work having their employment claims closed.
Job Vacancies With No One to Fill Them
Downing Street said there are over 900,000 job vacancies, yet a quarter of a million people last worked for a year ago.
Work and Health Programme
Sunak did not mention the end of funding for the Work and Health Programme (WHP), which was launched in 2017 and helps disabled people return to work.
Whp Helps Disabled People
This primary voluntary programme had aided more than 300,000 people as of 2023, with almost 31% still retaining their jobs after two years.
Disabled and Their Helpers at Risk
The UK has a few programmes that help disabled people and has done so since 2000. Minimising or axing them leaves room for disabled people to battle to find work and the staff needed to help them find work.
Providers Speak Out
The director of Maximus UK, Gareth Parry, told the MPs that they’re “getting to a point where there isn’t any specialist disability provision in place for people who require it.”
No Dedicated Disabled Minister Appointed
This news comes as an additional blow after Downing Street announced earlier in the year that it wouldn’t appoint a new minister of state for disabled people.
Disabled Forgotten Amidst Crisis
The disability charity Scopes director of strategy, James Taylor, begged the question as to the message this non-appointed will send to the 16 million disabled British people.
DWP Believes in the Support
The Department of Work and Pension (DWP) stated that The Work and Health Programme is part of a broader range of support aimed at assisting the disabled and those suffering from long-term illnesses in finding and maintaining employment.
Back to Work Plan Has Support
They believe the government’s plan to invest £2.5 billion in a Back to Work Plan is a great initiative and will aid those with disabilities and long-term health conditions.
Sunak Backs His Decision on Benefit Cuts
Sunak has mentioned that he is not dismissing or downplaying illnesses but is trying to find the most practical and “more ambitious” approach to see the workforce flourish again.
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The post UK Cracks Down on Disability Benefits, Affecting Hundreds of Thousands of Brits first appeared on Edge Media.
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