DWP to send job coaches to visit 'seriously' ill people on mental health wards

Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall said a government trial which put employment advisers on hospital wards to give CV and interview advice had produced "dramatic results"

Job coaches will visit "seriously" ill patients on mental health wards to try and get them back into work, the Government has said.

First reported by the BBC, Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall said a Government trial which put employment advisers on hospital wards to give CV and interview advice had produced "dramatic results". The minister said there had been trials in both Leicester and at the Maudsley Hospital in Camberwell, in south-east London.

Plans for a wider rollout are now in place, and they form part of the minister's plan to reduce the UK's disability and incapacity benefits bill. In an interview with the BBC, Liz Kendall said: "This is for people with serious mental health problems, and the results of getting people into work have been dramatic, and the evidence clearly shows that it is better for their mental health. We really need to focus on putting those employment advisers into our mental health services. It is better for people. It is better for the economy. We just have to think in a different way."

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According to calculations by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), the cost of disability benefits such as Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and Attendance Allowance is set to rise by almost a third over the next five years. By 2028-29, Department for Work and Benefits (DWP) spending could reach £63billion - up from the £48billion it spent last year. Liz said: "I want to see those costs coming down because I want to have people able to work and get on in their work, which is good for them."

However, the work and pensions minister has indicated that some people could lose their benefits if they do not partake in the new initiative, adding: "Benefits system can have a real impact on whether you incentivise or disincentivise work”.

Kendall noted that there was "clear evidence" that the UK was struggling with mental health problems and noted that the extra £30billion expenditure on sickness and disability benefits was due to Brits feeling "a little bit bluesy’" a reference to the words of her Tory predecessor Mel Stride.

At the same time, the minister referenced the fact that the UK was "the only G7 country whose employment rate has not gone back to pre-pandemic levels”. According to official figures released yesterday for the period from June to August, 21.8% of people in the UK are considered "economically inactive," meaning they are between 16 and 64 years old, not employed, or looking for a job. Even though the figure has dropped compared to May to June, it still remains close to the decade-high after rising during the pandemic.

Kendall also told the BBC that job centres would be merged with the national careers service and would offer "more personalised support using AI.” However, face to face work would remain for the people “who really need it.”

Kendall also suggested that she could give powers to regional mayors to help match unemployed people more closely with local vacancies. The DWP would also encourage businesses to “think differently” about workers with mental health conditions and offer flexibility to support and retain workers with health problems.

The DWP is preparing to publish a new employment white paper, which will be released around the time of the Autumn Budget. The paper will outline the government's plans to reform certain benefits, including who might receive them. However, Disability Rights UK have raised concerns over the plans. The charity initially criticised the DWP's July report on the proposals for making no reference to the Equality Act, flexible working or the access to work scheme and only one reference to reasonable adjustments. The Mirror has approached the DWP for comment.