News Release, 5 July 2006
On the day that the Welfare Reform Bill was released by the Department of Work and Pensions, Andrew McCulloch, Chief Executive of the Mental Health Foundation, said:
“I very much welcome the good intentions behind the plans set out in the Bill, but it is highly unlikely that they will get people with mental health problems off Incapacity Benefit and back to work in their current form. The plans are at risk of pressurising people with mental health problems to attend work-focused health-related assessments and interviews when they may not be ready or able. Threatening to cut their benefits if they fail to show will only create additional problems for claimants.
“The Personal Capability Assessment, used to decide whether claimants are fit to work, must reflect the fluctuating nature of most mental health problems. And advisers who have the job of assessing claimants and helping them to find work need training on mental health issues in order to make educated decisions about a person's ability to return to the workplace. Finally, we need to put in place supported employment services to help people return to work – these are sadly lacking in the UK. If the Government do not work to better understand the lives of people with mental health problems, the plans will be at risk of failing.”
Read the Welfare Reform Bill (on the Department of Work and Pensions Website)
Return to news releases 2006
Notes to editors
For further information and interview requests contact please contact the press office on 020 7803 1105 / 1128 or email the press office
The Mental Health Foundation is the leading UK charity working to improve services for both people with mental health problems and people with learning disabilities. It is the only charity to fund and work with both service users and providers and plays an important role in funding research and new approaches to prevention, treatment and care. The Foundation’s work includes allocating grants for research and community projects; contributing to the public debate; educating policy makers and healthcare professionals and striving to reduce the stigma attached to mental illness.
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