‘Keep Britain Working’ – DWP Review

We have a few thoughts on the Department for Work and Pensions press release that was published on Friday 24th January 2025. This DWP review focuses on the rising levels of long-term sickness, its impact on the economy in Britain, and how the UK Government will get more people back to work.

Extract –

‘This phase will conclude in Spring with a report based on the findings from his (Sir Mayfield) conversations with company bosses, employees who have been supported to stay in work, and organisations who help those out of work, to inform wider engagement. Recommendations to the government are expected later this year’.

Thoughts-

  •  Non-disclosure of disabilities in workplaces is rife because of stigma. Those who have disclosed their ill health to employers/HR are more likely to have done so because support was already available.
  • People living with M.E. and other chronic illnesses are less likely to have disclosed due to stigma and absence of appropriate support.
  • Sir Mayfield will have conversations with:
    Company bosses – who most likely have very limited knowledge about M.E or other chronic illnesses (the biggest chunk of long term sickness), have no idea how to keep them in employment (and regularly don’t attempt to). Employees who have been supported to stay in work – See above point re non-disclosure. Also what works for some conditions will not work with M.E. and other chronic illnesses. Organisations who help those out of work. Unless these organisations have significant experience helping people living with M.E/chronic illnesses (such as Astriid), this does not make them ‘experts’ in this area.
  • Where are the conversations with disability organisations? There needs to be a focus on disability/chronic illness AND business surely?
  • Speak to those who have never received adequate/appropriate support within workplaces. Ask what support we need to be able to stay in/re-join employment.
  • If the DWP are not including M.E./C.F.S. and other chronic illnesses within this campaign they need to make that very clear as the rhetoric seems indiscriminate at the moment. There seems to be no acknowledgement that disabilities and chronic illnesses are all different and as such need to be managed and ‘treated’ accordingly.
  • What Government data will Sir Whitfield be looking at within this review? We ask this in the wake of the Government fabricating a story during press rounds last week. The Government’s own data shows PIP benefit fraud to be ZERO in 2024 yet Ministers were talking about clawing back millions/billions of pounds of taxpayers money by clamping down on PIP benefit fraud. This is a deliberately divisive misinformation campaign that will create even more stigma and suspicion for the whole disabled and chronically sick community.This doesn’t seem to be a very open process.

We have today written to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Liz Kendall MP and Minster of State for Social Security and Disability Sir Stephen Timms with our concerns re lack of representation. We believe representation is important for people living with M.E/C.F.S and other chronic illnesses as these people make up a large percentage of those being targeted by DWP with their ‘economically inactive’ and ‘get back to work’ rhetoric.

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