Thousands of people with a common condition will no longer qualify for sickness benefits under tough new rules set to be rolled out by the Government. Changes would stop them being able to access sickness benefits for being off work.
Strict rules would mean people who are signed off work mild anxiety would no longer qualify for the support. It’s part of a Government plan to toughen up the sickness benefits system and spend less money on it.
Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride said the “ups and downs of life” should not be compared with serious mental health issues which prevent people from working. A shake-up would look to raise the threshold for what is considered to require time off work.
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Ministers want to ensure only those with severe mental health conditions can be signed off work and access benefits, it has been reported. This would likely mean someone with mild anxiety would no longer meet the eligibility criteria for support while off work.
The changes are set to be introduced next year. Mr Stride told the BBC: “At the heart of the approach that I’m taking – perhaps it’s an old-fashioned belief, but I think it’s one that needs to come back into fashion – is that work is good for you. Work is good for your mental health.
“Getting up in the morning, having a sense of purpose, interacting with other people in the workplace, having that conversation by the watercooler or whatever it may be, is good for our mental health and there is plenty of evidence that shows that.”
He added: “It is very good news that we are more open about discussing mental health. There are far too many people who suffered in silence in the past.
“However, I think we also need to look very carefully about whether we are beginning to label or medicalise conditions that in the past would have been seen as the ups-and-downs of life.”
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