Mental and behavioural disorders were the most prevalent health conditions recorded in government out of work benefits assessments, according to the latest figures from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).
The DWP said that between January 2022 and November 2023 mental and behavioural disorders were recorded in 69 percent of all universal credit work compatibility assessments (WCA). Musculoskeletal issues ranked as the second most prevalent conditions, recorded in 48 percent of WCAs.
Further data showed that in Great Britain the number of people on universal credit health had risen to 2 million by December 2023 up from 1.6 million a year earlier.
WCAs found that of these cases, 272,000 (14 percent) were able to provide acceptable medical evidence of a restricted ability to work pre-WCA, 347,000 (18 percent) were found to have a limited capability for work, and 1.4 million (69 percent) were judged to have a limited capability for work and work-related activity.
The DWP said that changes to the way fit note evidence was requested had resulted in a “step change” in the number of pre-WCA cases. The new process, which began on 1 November 2023, allows for a period of 21 days after fit note expiry before the claimant is considered for removal from the benefits system. This change has increased the pre-WCA caseload by around 11 percent and the overall caseload by 2 percent, the DWP said.
In December 2023, 31 percent of people on universal credit were on universal credit health, up 4 percentage points from December 2022.
And in England, the region with the highest proportion of universal credit health cases relative to overall claimants is the North-East (37 percent), followed by South-West (34 percent) and North-West (33 percent). The lowest is London at 24 percent.
These figures have prompted calls for “tailored” financial support to help people get back into work.
Christopher Rocks, lead economist for the Health Foundation’s Commission for Healthier Working Lives, said: “Ill health is driving the rising number of people on out-of-work benefits, and damaging the economy, so it’s crucial to understand the health challenges faced by people claiming universal credit. The new DWP data is a step in the right direction.”
Rocks said the data showing that 2.7 types of medical conditions, on average, were recorded for each person on universal credit health reflected the complex health needs for many in this group.
“Rather than restricting entitlements to save money, a tailored approach will be key to helping people back into work. This will require more detailed statistics on claimants’ health conditions over time, broken down by demographics at a local level. Such information would enable local areas and employment programme providers to target support effectively, taking better account of health needs. The Health Foundation’s Commission for Healthier Working Lives is actively reviewing evidence to find new and better ways to address our working-age health challenges.”
Nil Guzelgun, head of policy and campaigns at charity Mind, said: “The WCA data highlights the acute need for mental health support. People in the poorest fifth of the population in the UK are twice as likely to be at risk of developing mental health problems. To suggest that people should be facing even lower incomes would be counterproductive and more likely to increase mental health problems.
“We know people would love to work if they had access to the mental health support they need, but that support just isn’t there. There are over 1.9 million people currently on waiting lists for NHS mental health services. The NHS recorded in January the highest referral numbers to crisis care teams since January 2019.
“The suggestion that benefits for disabled people and people experiencing long-term health conditions should be reduced – as the cost-of-living crisis continues – is alarming. People need to be offered tailored support from experts if they are to return to work, not threats of losing what little money they currently have to live on.
“We are calling on politicians and commentators to think more carefully about the impact they are having on people facing exceptionally difficult circumstances. People need more support and action to address the barriers they are facing, rather than threats and suggestions they should be left without support.”
