Business Disability Forum has responded to the Chancellor’s budget statement along with the publication of the Government’s ‘Transforming Support: The Health and Disability White Paper’ (15 March).
Business Disability Forum’s Head of Policy, Angela Matthews, said:
“The contribution that disabled people make to the economy and growth is often overlooked. Therefore, we welcome mention of the workforce inclusion of disabled people in the Chancellor’s budget statement as well as the publication of the Health and Disability White Paper.
“Disabled people can experience financial disadvantage when moving into employment because pay from an employer and payments from benefits simply don’t sync. We are pleased that the benefits system has been reviewed to ensure disabled people can retain some of their benefits in work while they financially readjust.
“The discussion on occupational health in the budget and the white paper is also positive. We know that quality occupational health support can make a significant difference to the working lives of disabled people but often a more collaborative approach between occupational health providers, employers and employees is needed. Occupational health, however, needs to be one of many workplace health interventions available so that people can get access to what works for their situation at the right time.
“The Chancellor said that the budget is about ‘breaking down barriers that stop people working.’ While we welcome many of the measures, we do not believe today’s announcements go far enough to achieve this for employees and potential employees with disability and long-term conditions.
“People cannot work – get work or stay in work – if their conditions are not ongoingly supported and managed by the appropriate NHS interventions. Employees working in our member organisations are still on NHS waiting lists and are off sick while medical procedures are still being postponed.
“The support available for people who experience life-changing illness or disability is often limited and fragmented once they leave hospital. Work and health settings must join up and provide better, more work-ready effective interventions to ensure people can supportively and safely phase back into employment.
“For many disabled people receiving support from the Government’s Access to Work scheme has made having a job possible. Yet, Access to Work only currently supports people already in work or who have an interview arranged. A ‘back to work’ investment must include Access to Work being available to anyone with a disability who is looking or who wants to look for employment. Access to Work is currently overwhelmed and under-resourced, but investment to expand it could make a huge difference, both to the inclusion of disabled people in the labour market, and for the wider economy. We were disappointed not to see this mentioned in the Budget or White Paper.
“We will continue to discuss the measures announced with our Members and to assess their impact on disabled people and employers.”
You can read more about our response to the Budget and White Paper on the BDF blog .
