Plans to reshape the UK’s disability benefits system are raising growing concern among healthcare advocates and support organizations. Early indications point to significant changes targeting long-term conditions commonly affecting older adults.
According to DevonLive, the proposal titled PIP Reforms to Hit Over-40s With Back Pain Hardest Under £5BN Welfare Cuts highlights fears that people living with chronic pain may face disproportionate losses.
While full details of the reform have yet to be confirmed, documents from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) suggest that a large number of PIP recipients could see their support scaled back under broader efforts to reduce public spending.
Back Pain and Arthritis Sufferers at Highest Risk
According to detailed breakdowns, 194,000 people currently claiming PIP for back pain may be affected, with 79% expected to lose eligibility under the revised criteria.
Likewise, among the 279,000 individuals receiving support for arthritis, 77% may be excluded. For those suffering from other regional musculoskeletal conditions, 71% of 136,000 claimants could lose benefits.
These changes are tied to a new eligibility threshold requiring applicants to score four or more points in at least one category related to daily activities like dressing, preparing meals, or managing hygiene. Claimants who do not meet this threshold will no longer qualify for financial support.
Scope of Cuts by Condition
Beyond musculoskeletal issues, other conditions are also at risk, though to varying degrees. Anxiety and depression — the most expensive single category, with spending doubling post-Covid to £3.4 billion annually — may see 48% of recipients affected.
For ADHD, 19% of claimants may be excluded. Among people with learning disabilities, just 3% are likely to lose eligibility. Around one-third of those with cancer could lose support, while about half of those with multiple sclerosis and one in four with cerebral palsy may no longer qualify.
Older Adults Most Exposed to Changes
Age is a key differentiator in the impact of the reforms. The majority of people over 40 years old currently receiving PIP are likely to lose access, compared to only a quarter of claimants in their twenties.
Commenting on the figures, Louise Murphy from the Resolution Foundation remarked:
The groups affected are predominantly older people with musculoskeletal conditions.
It’s really striking that over three quarters of claimants whose main condition is arthritis or back pain are likely to lose support, whereas at the other end of the scale, when you look at people whose main condition is a learning disability or autism, very few are likely to be affected by these reforms.
Charities Warn of Wider Consequences
Nine of the UK’s leading disability charities, including Scope, Sense, Mencap, and Mind, have publicly urged the government to pause the reforms. In a joint letter to Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall, they wrote:
We cannot condone a plan that risks condemning more disabled people to a life of poverty.
They are calling for a full assessment of the impact these changes will have on employment, homelessness, education, and the NHS before any rollout takes place.
Minister Defends Reforms Despite Internal Party Tensions
In a speech delivered in London, Liz Kendall defended the controversial changes by citing macroeconomic pressures:
We are the only economy in the G7 whose employment rate still hasn’t returned to pre-pandemic levels, and spending on sickness and disability benefits in most other comparable countries is either stable or falling since the pandemic, yet ours continues to inexorably rise.
She continued:
There is nothing Labour about accepting the cost of this economic – but above all, social – crisis, paid for in people’s life chances and living standards.
Acknowledging political resistance, she noted:
Welfare reform is never easy and it is rarely popular, perhaps especially for Labour governments – But added
No responsible Labour government can resile from taking decisions because they are too difficult, because this is not good enough for the people we came into politics to serve.
Kendall also highlighted the scale of PIP growth, stating:
There are 1,000 new PIP awards every day – the equivalent of adding a city the size of Leicester every single year – She argued the system in its current form is
Not sustainable or fair for the people who need support and for taxpayers.
Minister Defends Reforms Despite Internal Party Tensionsofficial Assurances and Behavioral Factors
The Department for Work and Pensions has responded to public concern by stating:
The majority of people who are currently getting PIP will continue to receive it.
We will never compromise on protecting people who need our support, and our reforms will mean the social security system will always be there for those who will never be able to work, and that their income is protected.
They confirmed a review of the PIP assessment process is underway, to be conducted in consultation with disabled individuals and advocacy groups.
Meanwhile, the Office for Budget Responsibility has flagged that claimants might adapt their behaviors in response to new scoring thresholds, potentially reducing the projected savings.
