The UK government is considering making major changes to its social care system, potentially impacting on those suffering from health conditions such as Depression and Anxiety. The forthcoming changes have been announced by the Work and Pensions Secretary, Mel Stride, who is expected to provide further details shortly.
Stride's Green Paper announcement is expected to include a full review of the current system of disability benefits, in particular Personal Independence Payments (PIP). The proposed changes are likely to involve a review of eligibility criteria and assessment processes.
The goal of the proposed reforms is to abandon the system of fixed cash benefits. This may mean that some people, particularly those whose health conditions do not involve additional costs, may not be eligible for regular payments but may benefit from better access to treatment.
I’m determined to make our benefit system fit for the future and fair to the taxpayer, transforming lives and unlocking potential.
The next chapter in our welfare reform story – the Modernising Support Green Paper.https://t.co/3ehXyy7dec pic.twitter.com/zJpXAqDjQ6
— Mel Stride (@MelJStride) April 29, 2024
Impact on Individuals with Mental Health Issues
During an interview, Stride indicated that these changes could potentially affect people with ‘mild mental health problems’. These people could lose their financial support under the reforms.
James Taylor, Chief Strategy Officer of disability equity charity Scope, criticised the proposed changes, urging an end to the ‘reckless assault’ on disabled people. He was concerned that the changes were more focused on cutting spending than actually helping those in need.
“It’s hard to have any faith that this consultation is about anything other than cutting the benefits bill, no matter the impact. The Government needs to end this reckless assault on disabled people and focus on how to fix the real underlying issues.” said James Taylor.
Numbers of PIPs granted for mental health conditions have surged since 2019, doubling to more than 5,300 each month. This is consistent with the overall number of awards, which has also doubled to 33,000 per month.
Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak has acknowledged that the current structure of disability benefits is not working as intended. Instead, He stated that Monday's Green Paper is 'the next chapter in our welfare reforms' making the benefit system 'fairer to the taxpayer, better targeted to individual need and harder to exploit'.
“It’s clear that our disability benefits system isn’t working in the way it was intended, and we’re determined to reform it to ensure it’s sustainable for the future, so we can continue delivering support to those who genuinely need it most.” said Rishi Sunak.
The Green Paper's three principal changes are as follows:
- Changing PIP eligibility criteria to better reflect how conditions affect a claimant’s daily life
- Making the PIP assessment more closely linked to someone’s condition, including removing assessments entirely for some conditions supported by medical evidence.
- Moving away from a fixed cash benefit for some conditions, providing either one-off grants for specific costs such as home adaptation, or ensuring access to “alternative means of support”.
The announcement of these proposals will be followed by a consultation period lasting 12 weeks, until 23 July. During this period, stakeholders will be able to give their views on the proposed changes.