Today, the UK government released the “Get Britain Working” White Paper, which lays out their approach to employment support, including for people who experience mental health problems.
Commenting on the White Paper Mark Rowland, our Chief Executive, said:
"For too long, the discussion around enabling people who are too unwell to work to return to the workplace has been toxic and unrelated to the real experiences of people in receipt of benefits. Our own research shows that people on low incomes in the UK experience poverty stigma, which is associated with worse mental health. We’re pleased to see the ‘Get Britain Working’ White paper – and the language of government spokespeople talking about this announcement - suggest a departure from this narrative. The focus should always be on getting people better first, then helping people find the kind of work for them that will sustain good mental health.
“It’s positive to see greater funding for NHS Talking Therapies in England and an expansion of the IPS programme, both of which are vitally needed to help people access the support they require to return to the workforce. However, references in the White Paper to sanctions remain worrying, and the wait to hear about changes to the Work Capability Assessment will be concerning for many, so we urge the government to publish their proposals for the welfare system as soon as possible.
“The clear statement by the Secretary of State this morning that ‘there is a genuine problem with mental health in this country,’ and the government’s greater focus on prevention, provide us hope that this could be the start of a new approach of prioritising the country's mental wellbeing. We now need to see the investment in prevention of poor mental health to make this a reality."