Government plans to get more disabled people jobs could see people forced to work when they are not well enough, charities have warned.

People with disabilities and long-term health conditions could be given more support to work from home, as part of plans to reduce the numbers claiming sickness benefits.

The Government will spend £25.9bn on incapacity benefits this year, a 62% real-terms rise on 2013/14 (£15.9bn), with current projections predicting a further 13% real-terms rise to £29.3bn – with an extra 500,000 people coming onto these benefits – by 2027/28 if nothing changes.

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Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride said the Government is considering changes to the Work Capability Assessment, the test aimed at establishing how much a disability or illness limits someone’s ability to work.

The plans are part of a post-COVID drive to encourage more people with long-term conditions into the workplace, following a £2bn investment earlier this year.

Mr Stride told the Commons: “We know many people who are on out-of-work benefits due to a health condition want to work, and, assisted by modern working practices, they could do so while managing their condition effectively.

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“We have seen a huge shift in the world of work in the last few years, a huge change that has accelerated since the pandemic.”

But shadow work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall described the proposals as “tinkering at the edges of a failing system”.

How plans could be ‘catastrophic’

The plans could force people into work when they are not well enough – and see them have their benefits cut if they are unable to do so.

James Taylor, executive director of strategy at disability equality charity Scope, urged ministers to ensure new employment support for disabled people is “flexible, and voluntary”.

He said: “We’re worried these proposals will end up forcing huge numbers of disabled people to look for work when they aren’t well enough, making them more ill.

“If they don’t meet strict conditions, they’ll have their benefits stopped. In the grips of a cost-of-living crisis this could be catastrophic.”

Sarah White, head of policy at national disability charity Sense, meanwhile warned the plans could “cause huge anxiety for disabled people up and down the country”.

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“We’re seriously concerned that if the Government does overhaul its assessment process without putting any additional support in place, then disabled people are just going to be put under more pressure to find work, without having the support they need to do so,” she said.

“At a time where people are living on empty, it’s more important than ever for the government to make sure the right support is in place so that reforms make a difference – not pile on more pressure onto people’s budgets,” Citizen’s Advice chief executive, Dame Clare Moriarty, added.

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