DWP set to change PIP support for claimants with muscle and joint conditions
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has launched a landmark initiative to speed up treatment for those enduring back, joint, and muscle issues amid lengthy waits for care.
The move is part of the Government's ambitious 'Get Britain Working' white paper, aimed at rapidly returning individuals to work, reports Express.co.uk.
Recent figures show that more than 1.1 million people across England and Wales receive up to £737.20 monthly in Personal Independence Payments (PIP) to help with musculoskeletal conditions.
READ MORE: All the cost of living payments worth between £65 and £500 arriving in February
Get breaking news on BirminghamLive WhatsApp, click the link to join
To combat high levels of economic inactivity, meaning people out of work and not seeking employment, a £3.5 million pot will be shared by 17 Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) in England, focusing on boosting MSK services.
Each area in England and Wales are expected to get a maximum of £300,000, directly addressing a key contributor to economic inactivity.
These efforts align with the Labour Government's commitment to a Plan for Change, with the aim of putting "more money into people's pockets and get the NHS back on its feet".
The revolutionary MSK Community Delivery Programme is set to transform the treatment of musculoskeletal patients through NHS England's trailblazing Getting it Right First Time (GIRFT) scheme.
In a bid to cut waiting times and hasten returns to the workplace, Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) are being equipped with state-of-the-art strategies and directions.
Highlighting the significance of the initiative, Employment Minister Alison McGovern MP stated: "For too long people locked out of work with health issues have been forgotten about and denied the support they need to get well and get working.
"It's stifling our economy and preventing those eager to progress in life from unleashing their full potential."
Adding to this, she proclaimed: "This multi-million-pound funding boost means musculoskeletal patients across the country will get the help they need, as we give clinical leaders the resources to innovate, get people off waiting lists and get Britain working again."
Nearly 2.8 million Brits are currently sidelined from the workforce due to lingering health woes, with MSK conditions ranking close behind mental health issues, according to the government.
A staggering 23%—around 646,000 individuals—cite MSK as their primary health issue.
As of September 2024, England grapples with unprecedented delays for community MSK services, with waitlists ballooning to 348,799 patients.
Moreover, these ailments were to blame for an estimated 23.4 million lost workdays within the UK throughout 2022.
Minister for Public Health and Prevention Andrew Gwynne recently highlighted the significance of addressing musculoskeletal health early on, stating: "With prevention, early detection and treatment, we know that the 17 million people with musculoskeletal issues in England could better manage their conditions, improving their quality of life and enabling them to rejoin the workforce."
He also pointed out the government's commitment, saying: "Through the Plan for Change, the government is taking decisive action to drive down waiting lists, improve treatment options and boost the economy."
The initiative is set into motion across various Integrated Care Board (ICB) regions, aligning with NHS England's 'Further Faster' scheme and the freshly revealed WorkWell programme by the UK Government.
Versus Arthritis Chief Executive Deborah Alsina MBE offered her insights into the extent of the issue by remarking: "With over 20 million people living with musculoskeletal conditions, including 10 million with arthritis, Versus Arthritis understands the devastating impact these conditions can have on working lives."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Yahoo
3 reasons why Starmer could U-turn on controversial benefits cuts to PIP
An upcoming vote in the House of Commons on government proposals to cut £5bn from the benefits bill has sparked a rift in the Labour Party. The Labour leader is reportedly facing a growing backbench rebellion over the government's welfare reforms announced in March, with some reports suggesting as many as 100 backbench Labour MPs have signed a letter saying they can not support the proposals as they stand. Some of the party's MPs have been publicly critical. Imran Hussain said 41,000 disabled people in his Bradford East constituency would be affected and that many were 'rightly horrified' by the policy. Neil Duncan-Jordan, the MP for Poole, is one of those to have signed the letter, branding the reforms wrong". I have signed this letter calling for the government to rethink its stance on disability benefits because I think the current plans are need to be listening to people's concerns and I hope things will begin to change. — Neil Duncan-Jordan MP (@NeilForPoole) May 8, 2025 Ahead of the vote (which is expected to take place some time in June) the anger has reportedly led the prime minister to consider softening the proposed reforms – specifically changes to the eligibility rules surrounding the benefits payments to disabled people. Yahoo News takes a look at what's going on. The government has proposed a raft of benefits cuts, predominantly affecting those who are disabled or have a long-term health condition. One of those cuts is to personal independence payments (PIP), a benefit for people in and out of work that helps with the additional costs of living with a disability. The government wants to limit who is eligible by changing the assessment criteria from 2026. It means at least 800,000 disabled people could lose out on payments, according to figures published by the department of work and pensions. The health component of universal credit (UC) is also to be frozen until 2030, with the amount cut in half for new claimants from April 2026. Under-22s who are disabled or have a long-term illness will also no longer be able to claim a health top-up of universal credit from April 2026, with the money saved set to be reinvested by the government into training young people. In total, the cuts will leave 2.25 million households losing out on £500 per year, according to the government's own impact assessment. Some of the government's welfare reforms are open to consultation, with the public being asked to submit their thoughts until 30 June 2025. However, critics have said that only the less serious reforms — like scrapping the work capability assessment for those applying for the health component of universal credit — are open to discussion. In recent weeks, reports have indicated ministers are considering softening the cut. According to the Financial Times, one of the rumoured changes includes making the proposed changes to eligibility for PIP less strict, which could mean 195,000 fewer disabled people are affected by the reforms. Claimants could also get a longer 'transitional period' — from when they are informed their benefits are cut to their benefits stopping — so they have more time to plan for the loss in income, the Times reported. The rumoured changes reportedly hopes to get frustrated MPs onside, who have taken moral objections with the scale and severity of the cuts, the disproportionate impact for voters in the Labour heartlands, as well as the increasingly positive polling for Reform. Several Labour MPs have taken issue with the cuts, voicing their concerns that Labour has historically supported and championed a robust welfare system. According to the Times, 170 backbenchers warned that they may not support the reforms that make it harder to claim PIP as well as cutting incapacity benefits to increase incentives to work. Added to this, it warned that the scale of the cuts had not been seen since George Osborne's austerity reforms, which the party voted staunchly against. Forty-two MPs — including Nadia Whittome, Diane Abbott and Stella Creasy — wrote to the Cabinet earlier this month saying that the reforms were "impossible to support" and called for "a change in direction". The letter reads: 'The planned cuts of more than £7bn represent the biggest attack on the welfare state since George Osborne ushered in the years of austerity and over three million of our poorest and most disadvantaged will be affected. "Without a change in direction, the green paper will be impossible to support.' Another private letter, signed by 100 MPs, said they could not support the government in the disability vote, the Guardian reported. MPs don't just have the party whip to answer to — they are also held to account by their constituents. While the scale of the PIP cuts are clearly far-reaching, the map indicates that the 10 areas most affected by the government's PIP cuts are in Labour heartlands. In fact, out of top 20 areas where claimants are set to miss out on PIP, 19 voted for Labour in the general election — with Clacton voting for Nigel Farage's Reform UK party. In fact, many of the areas are emerging Labour/Reform UK battlegrounds. And, in the wake of Labour's chastening local election results in May, some have pointed the finger at the government's welfare cuts as one of the key drivers of discontent among the party's traditional voting base. 3. Reform are out-positioning Labour on welfare At a national level, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has pledged to reverse the winter fuel cut and scrap the two-child benefit cap if the party came to power in a naked attempt to target Labour's perceived weakness in the area of welfare. And while the government has signalled a partial U-turn on the winter fuel payment, it continues to dodge calls from campaigners and MPs to ditch the cap. Overall, the most recent YouGov poll seems to indicate the public are also losing faith in Labour on welfare issues, with 69% saying the government is handling welfare issues badly. A DWP spokesperson said: "We are determined to create a welfare system that supports people into work and out of poverty. 'At the heart of the government's reforms is £1bn scheme to help the long-term sick or disabled find good, secure jobs. 'Our Plan for Change will change people's lives for the better. That is why we have raised the national living wage, increased benefits, and given additional help to the poorest households.'
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Free school meals extended for all pupils of families on Universal Credit
Free school meals will be extended for all pupils in England whose families claim Universal Credit from next year. Hundreds of thousands more children across the country will be able to access means-tested free school meals when the provision is extended from September 2026, the Department for Education (DfE) has said. Currently, households in England on Universal Credit must earn below £7,400 a year to qualify for free school meals. But the Government has announced that every pupil whose household is on universal credit will have a new entitlement to free school lunches from the start of the 2026/27 academic year. 🎉 We've won Free School Meals for 500,000+ more children! This is an incredible breakthrough. But the fight isn't over — means-testing still leaves far too many behind. We won't rest until we win #FreeSchoolMealsForAll so every primary pupil can get the best start in school.… — No Child Left Behind (@NoChildBehindUK) June 5, 2025 The move comes after campaigners and education leaders have called for free school meals to be extended to all children whose families are on Universal Credit to ease pressures on young people living in poverty. Nearly 2.1 million pupils – almost one in four of all pupils (24.6%) – in England were eligible for free school meals in January 2024. The DfE has said more than half-a-million more children are expected to benefit from a free meal every school day as a result of the expansion, and nearly £500 will be put back into parents' pockets every year. It suggested that the expansion will lift 100,000 children across England completely out of poverty. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said: 'Feeding more children every day, for free, is one of the biggest interventions we can make to put more money in parents' pockets, tackle the stain of poverty, and set children up to learn. Recommended reading: DWP Winter fuel payments to return for more pensioners 2025 £360 April price rise officially hitting Brits as inflation hits 3.5 per cent Millions to receive up to £70 each in Mastercard compensation case 'This expansion is a truly historic moment for our country, helping families who need it most and delivering our Plan for Change to give every child, no matter their background, the same chance to succeed.' The DfE is due to release data this morning (June 5) showing the number of state school pupils in England who are eligible for free school meals.
Epoch Times
2 days ago
- Epoch Times
Gang Leaders to Face 10 Years in Jail for Forcing Children to Conceal Drugs
Gang leaders who force vulnerable people—including children—to hide drugs or cash in their bodies will face up to 10 years in prison, as part of a bill currently going through Parliament. The Home Office confirmed on Tuesday that the new criminal offence of 'coerced internal concealment' is being introduced to the Crime and Policing Bill. It will target a practice which involves people hiding items in their bodies to avoid detection when transporting goods from one location to another. Known by its street names as 'plugging,' 'stuffing,' or 'banking,' the method is typically employed by organised gangs to transport drugs, money, and sim cards, either by swallowing the items or hiding them inside of their bodies. This is often connected to County Lines drug operations, with estimates suggesting that tens of thousands of children are involved. 'Truly Evil' Internal concealment of foreign objects can be dangerous and even fatal, particularly if drug packages split open when inside the body. Announcing the measures on Tuesday, safeguarding minister Jess Phillips said the new offence will go alongside other measures in the bill 'to turn the tables on gang leaders and hold them to account for exploiting children and vulnerable adults.' Related Stories 12/6/2024 3/15/2024 Phillips said, 'There is something truly evil about the gang leaders who degrade young girls, young boys and vulnerable adults in this way, forcing them to put their lives at risk.' Safeguarding minister Jess Phillips during her visit to the West Midlands Police control room in Birmingham, England, on Feb. 19, 2025. Joe Giddens/PA Wire 'As part of our Plan for Change, this government will give police and prosecutors the powers they need to dismantle these drug gangs entirely and secure convictions that reflect the severity of these crimes,' she added. County Lines County Lines are drug dealing networks, named for the mobile phone lines used to coordinate the drug sales often across county boundaries. They are run by 'Line Holders' who coordinate 'runners' to deliver drugs. Often, these runners are children and vulnerable adults, such as those with mental health problems or addictions. The Children's Society In order to break down the organised crime group peddling drugs and exploiting children, the government has invested £42 million this year into the County Lines Programme. The latest statistics from the programme show that since July 2024, police have shut down 1,225 lines and arrested 2,038 people, resulting in the charging of over 800 violent offenders. There were also 2,192 safeguarding referrals for vulnerable people and children. Cuckooing Another form of criminal exploitation associated with County Lines is 'cuckooing,' where drug dealers take over the homes of vulnerable people, such as drug addicts, the mentally ill, single parents, and even the elderly. Drug dealers will accommodate their runners at these properties because they are less conspicuous than using their own homes or hotels. The National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) says that while use of the properties may start out as consensual, like in cases where the resident is an addict, arrangements can 'quickly sour' and gang members may use violence to occupy the property. Last year's raids saw police forces visit 853 addresses used by drug dealers for cuckooing. File photo of British police officers dated Oct. 22, 2014. Joe Giddens/PA Wire County Lines are not limited to the drugs trade. Following a major operation in December 2024 which resulted in the arrest of 1,600 people, officers confiscated firearms and bladed weapons, which NPCC County Lines lead Commander Paul Brogden County Lines Evolving County Lines have typically been associated with drug running from cities to suburban and rural areas, but researchers and law enforcement say that the structure of these networks is changing. According to researchers from the universities of York, Liverpool, and Leeds, the term 'County Lines' is now outdated, because drug distribution has also evolved to encompass the local drug supply rather than the solely 'out-of-town' drug supply system originally considered typical of this form of organised crime. Researchers said in May that as both types of drugs networks involve the exploitation of the young and vulnerable, 'criminal exploitation' should be considered the defining characteristic of this crime and the focus of investigating officers across the UK. The NPCC said in November last year that it has also observed that County Lines are becoming more localised, with fewer lines running across police force jurisdictions. They found that external lines operating across force boundaries have reduced by 12.2 percent, while internal lines which start and end within the jurisdiction of one police force have increased by 232 percent, year-on-year.
