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A leading doctor has said GPs do not have the time to assess the costs involved for patients receiving benefits under the government’s welfare reform proposals.
Dr Jay Verma, GP partner at Shakespeare Health Center in Hayes, west London, says family doctors are open to reform, but workforce shortages and continued high demand already mean they have little time to take on additional work. , or none at all.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) wants to make significant changes to the way Personal Independence Payment (PIP) benefits work to tackle the growing number of claimants with mental health conditions.
Reforms could include ending regular cash payments and instead offering applicants one-off grants for things like home improvements.
Under the proposal, a new six-tier disability benefits system would see many recipients receive less money than they currently do, and benefits would be awarded based on people’s individual conditions and specific needs. Become.
The tiered system is based on a Norwegian model known as the ‘basic benefit’, which provides monthly cash payments at one of six different rates, depending on the severity of symptoms, equipment and clinical needs, and other support. will be paid.
Under the Norwegian model, people can receive financial support for a variety of things, including electricity to charge their wheelchairs, transportation costs, food related to special diets, clothing, bedding and shoes. This evidence will be reviewed by a doctor contracted to her DWP counterpart in Norway and a final determination of eligibility will be made.
“I can’t imagine a scenario where GPs would be willing to start looking at home health costs, mobility aids and the cost per mile of taxis when they have a patient who needs our clinical skills,” says Dr Verma. Told. I.
“Incidentally, the DWP might want to know that this is an area in which occupational therapists are experts. But the problem is that there aren’t enough of them either.
“As a GP, I am open to reforms that will help clinicians and patients, but any proposals, if they are to copy models from other countries, must bear in mind that the funding system is very different to the NHS. We are paid per patient per year rather than per consultation (£107 in 2024-25) and our contract as GPs is not with the DWP.
Rishi Sunak outlined his plans for welfare reform earlier this month and also talked about tackling Britain’s “sick note culture”. The government will introduce a new NHS algorithm that will allow patients to self-report their medical conditions to reduce the burden on GPs.
Dr Verma, who is also chairman of the general medicine section of the Royal Society of Physicians, said: ‘The problem with Fit Notes, especially in recent years, is not that we lack the editing ability to write imaginative prose, but rather that the patients we see are increasingly The number of people with multiple long-term health conditions is increasing, and the number of patients reporting mental health concerns is rapidly increasing.
“When a patient asks for consent, my priority is to treat or manage the condition causing the problem. There will always be people who will try to take advantage of this system, and the government It would be wise to meet with your doctor and hear their experiences and ideas.”
The welfare reform plan will be subject to a 12-week consultation until 23 July. It is highly unlikely that there will be enough time to implement these changes before the general election, which is expected to be held by the end of the year.
Charities argue that threatening mental health patients and stripping them of benefits increases the risk of harm and delays their return to work.
Marjorie Wallace, chief executive of mental health charity SANE, said: “SANE’s particular concern about the new proposals is that mental health issues are often invisible, “The benefits are subject to change, and benefits are assessed too frequently.” It is based on “snapshot” judgments that do not take into account how mental illness can be hidden and disabling.
“At a time when there is a severe shortage of mental health professionals such as doctors, nurses, and counselors, we are making ill-informed decisions forcing people to work when they are at risk of relapse and treating depression and anxiety. “We are concerned that this may worsen other symptoms.”
Mr Sunak insisted there was a “moral basis” for a review of the benefit system as the government warned that case numbers and costs were soaring.
The DWP said 2.6 million people of working age were currently claiming PIP and Disability Living Allowance, with 33,000 new PIP payments being made each month. This is expected to cost taxpayers £28bn a year by 2028-2029, representing a 110 per cent increase in spending since 2019.