The Centre for Mental Health has issued a stark warning that reducing the value or availability of disability and incapacity benefits will jeopardise people's mental health and prove to be a false economy for the Government.
This response comes in light of the Government's social security green paper, "Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working."
Andy Bell, Chief Executive of the Centre for Mental Health, emphasised the critical role of the social security system in protecting disabled individuals:
"Disability benefits such as Personal Independence Payment (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.”
Bell also acknowledged that reforms to the social security system are long overdue. He criticised the Work Capability Assessment as unfair and outdated, and expressed disappointment that the Government plans to replace it with the existing PIP assessment. "This is a missed opportunity to create a more effective approach," he noted.
The Centre for Mental Health highlighted the significant barriers faced by individuals with mental health difficulties in accessing necessary benefits. With the value of many benefits falling behind rising living costs, Bell pointed out that half of those living with a mental illness are already in food poverty. "It’s vital to turn this around," he urged.
Reducing entitlements to disability or incapacity benefits will not improve living standards or help more people into employment, Bell argued. "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," he warned.
The Centre for Mental Health expressed strong support for the Government's ambition to help more disabled people into paid work. Bell welcomed proposals to make it easier for individuals to try out work without risking their benefits. He highlighted the potential of the Connect to Work programme to expand access to effective employment support.
Bell praised the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) approach for its transformative impact on people's lives and its long-term benefits. He stressed the importance of ensuring that social security reform supports 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," he cautioned.
The Centre for Mental Health also voiced concerns about proposals to restrict access to some benefits for young people. While recognising the importance of work for young people and the detrimental effects of youth unemployment, Bell warned that limiting access to benefits could be counter-productive.
Bell called on the Government to reconsider its approach and take 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," he concluded.
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