A new report by the Institute for Public Policy Research’s (IPPR) cross-party Commission on Health and Prosperity has called on the government to commission specialist employment support for disabled people and those with long-term conditions after a three-year inquiry.
The report, Our greatest asset: The final report of the IPPR Commission on Health and Prosperity, concludes that health could solve many of Britain’s most pressing economic challenges, including low growth and productivity. To achieve this, the country will need to move from a sickness model of health policy to one of health creation.
In order to improve health, the report says financial security and a sense of purpose is desperately needed. However, it notes that while work can offer us fulfilment, social networks, learning and progression, poor-quality jobs can also un undermine our health, with sickness caused by work on the rise. Some occupations, such as caring roles, have seen particularly high rates of workers becoming inactive due to sickness.
The report found that when people leave work due to sickness, there is too little support to find appropriate work. While the UK’s disability caseload has risen sharply, there is still too little specialist employment support for disabled people and those living with long-term conditions. Employment services are prone to pushing people (often coercively) into ‘any work’, but often not appropriate work.
With these key findings in mind, the IPPR has called for the government to introduce various measures to bolster the workforce and ensure people with disabilities and long-term health conditions are able to access jobs which promote good health instead of exacerbating existing health conditions. This includes:
In implementing these recommendations, particularly the ‘try first scheme’, the Commission says we would increase the extent to which people can work over a period of months without a risk to losing their existing benefit or work capability status.
However, the Commission warns that there are potential pitfalls that come with these recommendations, including that claimants could prioritise retaining the security of their current award, rather than seeking work.
Ken Butler, DR UK’s Welfare Rights and Policy Adviser has welcomed the report’s suggestions, but warns that any new policies directly affecting disabled people should be coproduced.
“The current UC rules already mean that if someone has a limited capability for work and loses universal credit (UC) due to obtaining work they will retain their (LCW) status if reclaiming UC within six months. However, this is not a guarantee that they will not then face a new work capability assessment (WCA).
“If the Government is to introduce reforms to the WCA then this should only be done in co-production with Disabled people to understand what effective models are for supporting Disabled people to move towards work. Support should be offered to prepare for work without any threat to benefits. This must include the removal of conditionality and benefit sanctions,” he said.
He adds that tackling barriers to work is also key: “Disabled people face disproportionate barriers to accessing work and staying in work. The systemic reasons for this are many, including discrimination in the workplace and societal barriers such as inadequate transport, lack of training and a lack of support for those who acquire disabilities while in work.
“The Disabled People’s Manifesto and the Disability Employment Charter outlines many ways that these barriers should be tackled,” he added.
