The UK government would institute job coach visitations for patients who have been in hospitals due to serious mental illness. It would seek to help the victims of mental disorder regain their jobs after leaving the hospitals. This follows an experiment that has already been proven whereby employment advisers aided the job seekers in preparing curriculum vitae as well as preparing for interviews. According to the Secretary of Work and Pensions, Liz Kendall they produced highly successful results.
Kendall stressed that the new rollout is part of the overall strategy to curb the annual spending of the UK on benefits for disabilities and incapacity. Government statistics indicate that benefits are expected to increase by 1.7% next April, though they will be less than wage growth and the estimated 4.1% state pension increment. Disability rights have since expressed their concerns over the implications of this move.
The Institute for Fiscal Studies expects disability benefit costs to sharply increase going forward. According to it, spending on disability benefits is likely to rise from the £48 billion in 2023-24 to £63 billion by 2028-29. In a conversation, Kendall expressed how much she would have liked to take this down even further, pointed out that people ought to be working to make themselves better and not be dependent on such benefits.
Kendall suggested the existing scheme of benefits may penalize people for working, and therefore benefits may be lost as part of reform. She pointed to several successful programs, such as in Leicester and the Maudsley Hospital in London, where employment support is an integral part of mental health services that have shown positive changes in users’ mental health.
The proposed changes come in the light of around 21.8% of those aged from 16 to 64 being economically inactive, indicating the persistent problems of labor market post-pandemic. Although the number reduces a little from an earlier phase of this year, it still continues near the decade-high level and, therefore, calls for the innovative approach necessarily addressing related health work barriers.
Kendall is calling on more employers to embrace flexible working practices in a bid to be far better suited to accommodate people who have mental health problems, suggesting this would also serve to boost staff retention levels in the workplace. In addition, she pledged to overhaul the job centers and to bring them into line under the national careers service, and also use artificial intelligence to personalize support.
Disability Rights UK has expressed concerns about the government’s moves in relation to the scope of equality for its proposals under the Equality Act, and with their considerations on the need for reasonable adjustments in the workplace. The Department for Work and Pensions is currently working on a new employment white paper that will be published in conjunction with the Budget and spending review, where the overall possible benefits’ reforms will be mentioned, underlining the need for the workforce to be catered for in their diversity.
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