Universal credit ‘ruining lives’ and making mental health patients more ill, report warns

Obstacles ‘at every stage of the system’ cause unnecessary distress and mean vulnerable people miss out on crucial support

The government’s universal credit benefits system is “ruining lives” with burdensome red tape for people with mental health issues, a report has warned.

Campaigners are calling for more support for people with mental health problems on out-of-work benefits, including an end to sanctions for those in crisis who can’t attend job interviews.

A report by the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute (MMHPI), set up by consumer champion Martin Lewis, found that nearly half of working age people receiving benefits have a mental health problem.

The vast majority said the current system made their condition worse.

Lisa Emery, 43, from Southampton, was medically retired in 2005 due to depression and anxiety, and repeated battles with the Department for Work and Pensions over her benefits have led to periods where she has been suicidal.

While the applications process and communications have been intimidating, she told the campaign that assessments are particularly difficult.

“I feel like I’m always having to prove myself to interviewers,” she said.

Lisa Emery says assessors took her less seriously ‘because I had makeup on and I basically wasn’t rocking in my chair’ (Lisa Emery)

“I have to try and get across to them that mental health fluctuates, and some days you can be doing quite well and others you might struggle to get out of bed. In one interview, the assessor suggested I wasn’t bad as I’d made out because I had makeup on and I basically wasn’t rocking in my chair.

“They didn’t seem to have any understanding of the nature of mental illness.”

In its benefits assault course report, the MMHPI surveyed nearly 500 people with mental health conditions about their experiences of the system.

It found than nine out of 10 said the process caused them anxiety, with 45 per cent classing it as severe anxiety.

Many struggled to gather appropriate medical evidence and 93 per cent said their condition deteriorated in anticipation of having to attend the medical assessment.

Crucially they found that more than four out of five felt there was a lack of understanding from assessors about mental health conditions.

“Accessing the benefits system can be a difficult task for anyone, but if you’re struggling with your mental health it can feel almost impossible,” said Helen Undy, chief executive of MMHPI.

“The obstacles that people with mental health problems face at every stage of the system not only cause unnecessary distress, they’re also resulting in people missing out on crucial support they are entitled to, or falling out of the system entirely.

“This urgently needs to change, as it’s ruining lives.”

The report calls on the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to improve benefits assessors’ understanding of mental health and make the system more accessible, particularly for those with severe mental health conditions.

This could include increasing communication channels, which was one of the areas singled out by Amanda who said messages to her assessor frequently go unanswered and that calls to find out information are fruitless.

Patients in acute mental health crisis may be unable to leave the house but face losing out-of-work benefits if they do not attend assessments and look for work.

The report calls for exemptions, in line with those receiving treatment for drug and alcohol dependency, to protect them from sanctions.

A DWP spokesperson said: “Universal credit is a force for good, and where challenges remain we will continue to make improvements.

“We are committed to supporting the most vulnerable claimants, and our new partnership with Citizens Advice will provide further tailored help.”