Reform of welfare is long overdue

In response to the UK Government Health and Disability Green Paper and its response to Health is everyone’s business’ consultation, our Director of Policy Gemma Hope said:

“Reform of welfare is long overdue. All too often disabled people have faced an uphill struggle to get the benefits they are entitled to, with little understanding shown about their day-to-day experiences. 

“Disabled people are far more likely to live in poverty, facing significant additional expenses to undertake daily activities. Official figures show that three quarters of appeals on key benefit decisions are successful and this underlines just how broken the system is. For many, the prospect of appealing after enduring a highly complex, confusing and seemingly punitive application process is just too daunting. Assessments can seem very intimidating and we hope the fluctuating nature of many conditions is handled more sensitively going forward.

“There also needs to be greater support available for disabled people in employment. Disabled workers were disproportionately impacted by the economic fallout of the pandemic, facing reduced hours, furlough or loss of income in other ways. The decision by the government not to increase Statutory Sick Pay following the consultation is a missed opportunity to support some of the lowest paid and economically vulnerable staff in the country.”

Media enquiries

For further information, interview requests and case studies, please contact Claire Farrell on claire.farrell@leonardcheshire.org.