DWP crackdown on benefit claimants in Birmingham, Solihull and Black Country

Benefit claimants in Birmingham, Solihull and the Black Country are among those set to face a new Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) crackdown to reduce economic inactivity. Almost a third of the 6.5 million Brits on Universal Credit have been deemed unfit to work following a DWP assessment, causing growing concern over the escalating cost of the welfare bill.

In a recent speech on welfare reforms, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: "The proportion of people who are economically inactive in Britain is still lower than our international peers and lower today than in any year under the last Labour government.

"But since the pandemic, 850,000 more people have joined this group due to long-term sickness. This has wiped out a decade's worth of progress in which the rate had fallen every single year."

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He added: "Just as it would be wrong to dismiss this growing trend, so it would be wrong merely to sit back and accept it. We need to be more ambitious about helping people back to work. And more honest about the risk of over-medicalising the everyday challenges and worries of life."

The region with the highest number of claimants who can't work is the North-East (37 per cent), while London has the lowest number (24 per cent). In the West Midlands, ill-health prevents 29% of Universal Credit recipients from working.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) have launched a new initiative, WorkWell, to address this issue. The scheme will provide people in 15 areas of England with a fast track to local services such as physiotherapy and counselling.

The goal is to offer them the necessary health support to find a job that meets their needs or to remain in their current job without having to resort to sickness benefits.

Much of the West Midlands is included in the measures, which begin in October. Birmingham, Solihull and the Black Country are on the list, along with Coventry, Warwickshire and Worcestershire.

WorkWell is for anyone with a health condition or disability, including mental health issues, who wishes to work. It is a voluntary service, so people will be able to self-refer, or may be referred to WorkWell through their GP, employer or the community sector. Those requesting a sick note from their GP so they can be excused from working and claim incapacity benefits will be directed to the service so that they can be helped to overcome any health-related obstacles.

Advice will be offered on workplace adjustments, such as flexible working or adaptive technology, and help will be given in starting conversations with employers on health requirements. Access will be provided to local services such as physiotherapy, employment advice and counselling.

Covering a third of Integrated Care Boards across England, the pilot would be rolled out nationally if it proves a success in stopping so many people falling out of work due to ill-health where the right adjustments and support could prevent this.

Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said: "It is fantastic that 15 ICSs can now start to get their WorkWell plans off the ground to provide more intensive, early-intervention support to their populations.

"ICS leaders know that with the right support, people living with poor health and long-term conditions can find that good quality work helps prevent them from becoming more unwell. This helps people to live a fuller life, which in turn reduces pressure on health services."

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