Sweeping changes to the welfare system could be leaving people already struggling with mental health issues contemplating suicide.
That is the fear of one man who claims he was told by an adviser for the Department of Work and Pensions that it was not there to “spoon-feed” people having difficulties re-applying for benefits.
Chris Hyde, from Chalk, said he only discovered
his entitlement to Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) was to be stopped more
than three weeks after he received what would be his final payment.
The 52-year-old art and design degree student
said he was left without money to buy food and incurred bank charges when direct
debits could not be paid.
Mr Hyde, who had been receiving £97 a week in
benefit after a nervous breakdown caused him to lose his job, believes not
enough is being done to help people with mental health problems having to
re-apply.
He claims that a staff member at the DWP’s
JobCentre Plus central team, based in Canterbury, was less than sympathetic when
he phoned to inform them of his predicament.
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“I just feel that not enough is being done to
help people like myself. The only relevant information you can get is off their
website, but that’s no good if you don’t have the internet or have problems
reading.
“Thankfully I’m on medication but this could
easily push people into feeling suicidal.”
Mr Hyde, who lives in Chalk Road, Chalk, suffered
a breakdown after his mother’s death and was unable to continue working at the
Asda warehouse in Dartford.
He had been receiving ESA for more than a year
and is still under the care of a mental health team.
Mr Hyde said he received a letter telling him of
the halt to his benefit payments on June 24, having last been paid on June
7.
He is appealing the decision, and is now being
paid an interim lower rate of £67 a week until the matter is resolved.
Mr Hyde said the stress of dealing with the
appeal and the delay in the final decision being made by the DWP has simply
added to the pressure he is under.
He said: “I’m not sure if it’s because of the
stress, but I suffer from black-outs and my doctor is now sending me for a
neurological scan.
“I would take any job but I’m not supposed to go
out on my own because of the black-outs and I’m not supposed to have a bath when
I’m alone.
"I’m under the mental health team and have a care
worker but they are saying I’m perfectly well and fit to work. It’s
nonsensical.”
“Advisers are focused on making sure people get all the help and support they need, and we have specialist staff to support people with disabilities.”
The changes to benefits represent part of government plans for the biggest shake-up of the welfare system for decades.
MPs argue they are necessary to tackle the rising cost to the taxpayer and cut the budget deficit.
However, charities and opposition politicians fear a rise in rent arrears and a subsequent increase in homelessness.
For those without access to the internet, the relevant telephone numbers provided by the Department of Work and Pensions website are:
- People with new benefit claims – 0800 055 6688
- People wanting help finding a job – 0845 6060 234
- People with existing benefit claims – 0845 608 8501
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