Another Tired Kicking For The Sick And Disabled By Rishi

Sunak apparently wants to explore the possibility of replacing payments to claimants with mental health conditions by treatment or access to services.

Disregarding for the moment those who might be manipulating the system - isn't this what the majority of those with such problems have been crying out for?

How does he plan to make such treatments and services available to claimants?

The accommodation and food sector services are the hardest hit by staff shortages. Plenty of vacancies to be filled. Does it need to be emphasised that low-pay, the inability to provide guaranteed hours, and lack job-security, are the reasons why these sectors cannot attract people into them? Or keep them when they do?

This "sick-note culture" is just dog-whistle politicking.

I think it's about 60 percent of people in the uk that claim benefits, so I presume they're including their own families in the "kicking".

I suppose people must get some sort of kick out of condemning others. Thats all I can assume.

Its a matter of life or death to others.

Nobody knows what everyone who is unable to work "claims" to be wrong with them.

Why the hell would they?

Sarnia

A lot of posters are generalising on here and saying that everyone with a sick note from the GP is genuinely unable to work and the Government should be lined up against a wall and shot for their latest attempt to put a stop to it. That isn't the case. Whilst many are genuine there are those who are jumping on the sick note bandwagon to avoid getting a job. They usually cite mental health issues which are not always visual and a quick Google will tell the dishonest ones what symptoms to mention. Gen Z's are very vocal in their reluctance to work. Clearly something has to be done. Rising benefits are unsustainable and the country needs those people who can to go to work and the genuine ones who cannot to be properly cared for.

Generalising? I think saying " Gen Z are very vocal in their reluctance to work" seems like one hell of a generalization.

How can people believe this stuff? Its just so sad to me.

I am not interested in the money, its insignificant, I am interested in what has happened to society after lockdown, and what we do about that, it is again the most disadvantaged who will be decimated if we dont support people into work.

I had to take drugs, Wwm, and almost 40 years later I still have to. They prevented me from taking my life and they still do - that’s the severity of the depression. Quite literally a lifeline.

MissAdventure

I don't think this government is interested in giving a tailor-made approach, to help people back into work where they can.

Neither do I!

It’s obvious many of here are simply not going to agree with each other.

Many may not have experienced illness, mental of physical, that is so debilitating they can barely lift their heads from their pillows.

I’ve been in ALL sides of this debate, I’ve been this unwell, I been a manager with staff this unwell and I’ve worked as a front facing work coach for several years of my DWP jobs. I can tell you, from personal experience, since ESA (Employment and Support Allowance) replaced Incapacity Benefit around 2011, it made it much harder to “play” at being too unwell too work, and this became even harder when ESA was replaced with Universal Credit.

The simple truth is our welfare bill has beef reduced by introducing UC, capping children’s benefits, and the benefit cap on housing and out of work benefits.

Yes, anyone fit enough to work SHOULD be working and not reliant on benefits, this is so simply implemented if work coaches at jobcentres were properly trained and given longer than 10 minute appointments and were the right people in the right roles, not a number cruncher.

These people, that some of you are so quick to condemn, are human beings who, in the main, are decent honest folk.

I don't think this government is interested in giving a tailor-made approach, to help people back into work where they can.

Well said mae ,exactly how I feel👏👏👏

Galaxy

My friend has a very complex mental health profile, I cant even begin to imagine what her life would have been like without work. Fortunately she found a role that was supportive to her. I think in terms of political discourse we have lost any ability to discuss without leaping to extremes. So there is a point somewhere in the middle between 'all people are swinging the lead' and let's ignore the role work plays in many peoples wellbeing because all Tories are bad.

I partially agree, I cannot abide the expression “swinging the lead”, I have MH issues and a couple of “invisible” disabilities, I look fine unless my arthritis (a third newish condition) when I walk slowly and stiffly and cannot stand for long. I’ve had people accuse me of “swinging the lead” I worked throughout all four children mostly full time since I was 19, retiring finally at 64, having also cared for both my Mum and Dad and assisted DH with his Mum before she finally had to go into residential care with advanced vascular dementia and very poor mobility.

Not all Tories are “bad”, but I utterly despise our current govt who “appear” not to give two damns about “normal” people, the vulnerable and the disabled.

Not They - Try

Galaxy

My friend has a very complex mental health profile, I cant even begin to imagine what her life would have been like without work. Fortunately she found a role that was supportive to her. I think in terms of political discourse we have lost any ability to discuss without leaping to extremes. So there is a point somewhere in the middle between 'all people are swinging the lead' and let's ignore the role work plays in many peoples wellbeing because all Tories are bad.

Of course there is a middle point, but it is very difficult to achieve, when austerity has been the watchword for years on end, and all the support services have been stripped away.

For example, my doctor respected my insistence that I did not want to take drugs to get over my breakdown, and arranged for me to have counselling on the NHS.

They getting that within a weeks notice now. It was a win win because my feelings were respected, the drug bill was saved - and who knows how long I would have continued to take them, and I gained enormously from the counselling sessions to the extent that t changed my behaviour for good.

My friend has a very complex mental health profile, I cant even begin to imagine what her life would have been like without work. Fortunately she found a role that was supportive to her. I think in terms of political discourse we have lost any ability to discuss without leaping to extremes. So there is a point somewhere in the middle between 'all people are swinging the lead' and let's ignore the role work plays in many peoples wellbeing because all Tories are bad.

Galaxy

I am afraid that for many of the most disadvantaged in our society not looking at why they cant access work will result in their lives continuing to be more disadvantaged. I do wonder if that status quo is what people want.

Of course it isn’t, but I’m sure as hell we don’t want a mealy-mouthed billionaire telling the poorest in our society that they need to move their asses, or else the welfare net will be removed.

WWW my boss didn't believe how ill I was. He had no time, nor empathy for those with disabilities and made no allowances for my physical limitations.

My mental health was severely impacted by his behaviour. I cut everyone off and retreated, so I do understand. I lost friends because of it. Eventually, I realised that they were not actually friends. It is too painful for me to talk about, even now.

I despise that phrase Swinging the lead.

I am afraid that for many of the most disadvantaged in our society not looking at why they cant access work will result in their lives continuing to be more disadvantaged. I do wonder if that status quo is what people want.

If many of those

Marydoll

*WWM*, I had been telling my manager for months that my work load was far too excessive, I had the same conversation with my HT, all to no avail.

It all came out in the wash eventually, when he had to employ more staff to cover my overloaded remit.

Just think how you would have felt though, if like me you had a total breakdown and was off sick for a couple of months as you recovered, to now read that particularly those with mental health issues were often found to be swinging the lead.

He is hitting the most vulnerable - with what he knows will never come to fruition, but doing it to gain votes from the right of the party, as you can clearly see from this thread.

WWM, I had been telling my manager for months that my work load was far too excessive, I had the same conversation with my HT, all to no avail.

It all came out in the wash eventually, when he had to employ more staff to cover my overloaded remit.

It would be worth looking at the impact of lockdown on peoples working habits, it has completely changed them, the impact was first felt in the over 50s and it is now impacting the younger generation. If we do what was a basically an experiment on society we cant be surprised when it impacts societal behaviour.

Germanshepherdsmum

It’s very necessary to do something Wwm. Too many people who can work are relying on sickness benefits. That hits productivity and it sends the benefits bill through the roof. Why should those who keep on regardless pay for those who don’t want to?

I would be interested in how many is too many. Has Sunak provided a breakdown of the figures?

No?

I thought not.

Oh! And well done all those stalwarts who work through regardless how ill they are.

I clearly swung the lead when I found myself at work not knowing who I was, where I was or anyone around me as a result of severe work related stress. I had been telling my manager for months that my work load was far too excessive.I was off for 2 months as I recovered from a total breakdown. I am clearly someone who doesn’t know the meaning of hard work and the incentive to get up every morning. My original job was eventually split between 3 full time posts.

It’s very necessary to do something Wwm. Too many people who can work are relying on sickness benefits. That hits productivity and it sends the benefits bill through the roof. Why should those who keep on regardless pay for those who don’t want to?