The UK government is set to expand a job coach programme targeted at seriously ill patients on mental health wards, with an aim to get more people back to work. Work and Pensions Secretary, Liz Kendall, disclosed the plan citing the success of trials to give employment advisers CV and interview advice on hospital wards. Kendall said studies have shown that getting seriously mentally ill people back to work resulted in “dramatic outcomes” which is not only good for their mental health but also better for the economy. There are concerns, however, by disability right campaigners regarding the proposal.
The government’s plan to expand the job coach programme comes as benefits are expected to surge by 1.7% in April, in line with rising prices. Disability benefits particularly would skyrocket almost a third in the next four to five years, the Institute for Fiscal Studies predicted. As a result, Kendall expressed a desire to reduce the costs as she highlighted operations at the Maudsley Hospital in Camberwell and projects in Leicester as models for the extended job coaches programme. The hospital programmes offered employment support to mentally ill patients, including training on writing CV and interviews.
According to Kendall, focus on putting employment advisers into mental health services would improve the situation. With projected job losses, some people would lose their benefits since the benefit system can impact whether work is incentivised or disincentivised. She urged employers to rethink their strategy towards workers with mental health challenges and to adopt flexibility to support them.
Kendall dismissed the initial employment report by Disability Rights UK for making only one reference to reasonable adjustments and making no reference to the Equality Act, flexible working, or the access-to-work scheme. Despite criticisms of the plan regarding the negative impacts on disability benefits, the government is set to release its employment white paper during the budget and spending review outlining its plans for reform of some benefits, including whom they apply to. It is also considering the roles of regional mayors to match unemployed people to local vacancies. There are also plans to merge job centres with the national careers service and to use AI for more personalised support
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