Location: United Kingdom
The UK government has published the interim report of the Timms Review of Personal Independence Payment
Alexa Knight, Director of Policy & Influencing at the Mental Health Foundation, said:
“The Timms Review confirms that Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is vital for helping disabled people cover the extra costs due of disability. This includes many with mental health problems. It also highlights how the benefits system is too often unfit for purpose. It can be traumatic, and can fail to properly support people with disabilities.
“Far too much of the debate surrounding this report focuses on why there has been such an increase in people who need PIP. The reality is the UK has faced austerity, seen a rise of harms from social media, endured an ongoing cost-of-living crisis, and suffered a global pandemic - all in the last decade. It should come as little surprise that we've seen a rise in poor mental health. People have been allowed to get sicker – particularly those with mental health problems. We are now facing the consequences of that.
“Rather than deny reality, we must instead turn our focus to how we support disabled people. This is achievable. Not just by adapting the benefits system, but also our health services, our workplaces, and wider society. Prevention must run through our public services. We must make sure people’s mental health issues are caught early. By doing so, we can reduce unnecessary suffering, and prevent people from reaching the point where they need extra financial support just to cope.”