By James Rodger

Copyright birminghammail

The Department for Work and Pensions is bringing in a big change for claimants who use GP surgeries. DWP job coaches will soon be in GP surgeries and mental health services. The DWP has unveiled a further £167 million investment in Connect to Work, a scheme which is intended to support sick and disabled people into employment. The funding will impact GP surgeries, mental health services and community-based referral partners. Pat McFadden, work and pensions secretary, said: “Writing off people with long-term health conditions or disabilities fails them and fails our economy. We are giving people a hand up, not a handout, realising their potential and providing them with the skills to succeed.” READ MORE Mortgage warning for UK households as they risk being ‘squeezed’ Areas affected include the North East; South Midlands; Devon, Plymouth and Torbay; Buckinghamshire; Oxfordshire; West Sussex and Brighton; Berkshire; Cumbria; and York and North Yorkshire. “Thanks to local areas hitting the ground running, it is already delivering results – proving that when we invest in people and communities, everyone wins,” McFadden said. James Taylor, executive director of strategy at disability equality charity Scope, said: “There are a million disabled people who want to work but are denied the opportunity, and investment in specialist, personalised employment support for disabled people is essential. “But the government must make sure it’s not pressuring people who are not well enough to work. Support must be optional and flexible, instead of built on a culture of fear. “Investment in employment support must not be a trade-off with disability benefits, which are vital for covering the extra costs disabled people face, whether they’re working or not.” Ayla Ozmen, director of policy for campaigns at anti-poverty charity Z2K, added: “The government must also look at how our broken and cruel social security system is fuelling this problem. “Rather than seeking to make the system even meaner through more ill-considered cuts, we want to see the Timms Review set out a positive vision for disability benefits reform that actually addresses the barriers to work faced by disabled people.” Mikey Erhardt, policy lead at Disability Rights UK, said: “Putting job coaches into GP surgeries is a huge risk. We know that due to its years of failure and dangerous practices, the majority of disabled people do not trust the DWP. “Putting DWP workers into health settings only further blurs the lines between health and work. You can’t work yourself out of poor health. We know it’s the failure of government to make work safe, accessible and well-paying, which means that hundreds of thousands leave work because they are getting sicker. “We struggle to understand how working on a CV will help someone unable to work because their physical or mental health is a barrier. If anything, this will just make people less likely to seek help –worried that the toxic interactions they have at the Jobcentre will now carry over to their local GP.” Alexa Knight, director of policy and influencing at the Mental Health Foundation, said: “When someone is both out of work and experiencing a mental health problem, the focus should always be on helping that person feel better first, before finding them a job. “Once someone does feel well enough to begin exploring a return to work, programmes like this, which aim to provide holistic employment and health support in familiar locations, can be a real benefit to their health and ability to rejoin the workforce.”