Slashing benefits to sick people and magical thinking

By Savi Hensman

October 30, 2014

UK government ministers are considering slashing Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) to most people unable to work because of sickness or disability, the BBC has reported.

Journalists have seen internal documents suggesting that new claimants in the Work Related Activity Group could be given just 50p, rather than £28.75, more per week than people on job seekers allowance.

Years ago, ESA replaced Incapacity Benefit (IB). A discredited ‘work capability assessment’ means that many applicants are turned down, though this is often overturned on appeal.

Most others are placed in the WRAG in the hope that they may be able to return to the workplace in time, and may have their benefits docked if they are thought not to be doing enough to get ready for work. Some are placed in a Support Group where they are not threatened in this way (though even these may be repeatedly reassessed).

But earlier this year (2014) the BBC got hold of memos from the Department for Work and Pensions which showed this had not worked. Apparently “Employment outcomes actually appear lower than under IB."

This is not surprising. Modern medicine means that many more people survive serious illnesses and injuries but this not mean they are completely cured. More rehabilitation would improve results for some, but availability is patchy.

It is unpleasant enough for individuals and families when their lives are badly disrupted by sickness or accident. There may be anxious waits by someone’s bedside, struggles to do things that were formerly easy, problems in paying bills when household income plummets.

On top of all this, being humiliated and threatened with destitution may hinder, rather than help, recovery. Doctors and nurses, with the help of a patient’s family, friends and community, may strive to make him or her better. But all of this can be undone by a cruel system which victimises people when they are their most vulnerable.

In addition some disabled people are unable to get jobs because of employers’ attitudes or workplace practices which discriminate. But hassling those who have been discriminated against will not change this.

Yet instead of recognising that the whole approach is flawed, the government may try to make things even harder for the majority of people on ESA, along with others in their household. Already those with a partner in paid work often stop getting payments after a year.

A quick glance around a hospital emergency department, or at healthcare statistics, is a reminder that people of working age are at constant risk of a health crisis.

For example, according to a 2013 Stroke Association briefing, there are approximately 152,000 strokes in the UK every year, and about a quarter of these are among people under 65.

A fifth of strokes are fatal and, even for those who pull through, there is a significant risk of a further stroke, especially in the first month. More than half of stroke survivors are left dependent on others for everyday activities.

A report the previous year, on ‘The financial impact of stroke on people of working age’, points out that, even now, it is often a struggle to make end meet, with lower income and higher costs, for instance for transport, heating, social care or adaptations.

In a survey of stroke survivors aged 25-59, nearly two-fifths reported that they had to cut back on food. Making such people even poorer is unjust and cruel.

To believe that people with serious illnesses or injuries can get better if they just try harder is magical thinking which does not work in real life. Yet this appears to be the basis of much government policy.

Constant verbal attacks by politicians and their media allies on people on benefits have won the backing of much of the public for this irrational and cruel approach. But there may also be a certain attraction in a view of the universe in which, if you are good or make enough of an effort, everything turns out well.

In reality, more support for people on ESA and less pressure would not only help them, but also allow them to contribute more to their families and communities.

And more might be able to get back into the workplace if they could afford to eat properly, get around and rebuild their mobility and confidence, as well as having speedy access to services such as prolonged physiotherapy.

It is time for a more just, compassionate and truthful approach.

Also from Ekklesia on ESA and WCA:

* Beyond the Barriers: ESA, the Work Programme and recommendations for a new system of support: http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/beyondbarriers

* Welfare that Works: Employment and Support Allowance (ESA): http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/19670

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© Savitri Hensman is a widely published Christian commentator on politics, welfare, religion and more. An Ekklesia associate, she works in the equalities and care sector.