Universal credit has become a serious threat to public health

Universal credit has become a serious threat to public health, doctors have said, after a study revealed that the stress of coping with the new benefits system had so profoundly affected claimants’ mental health that some considered suicide.

Public health researchers found overwhelmingly negative experiences among vulnerable claimants, including high levels of anxiety and depression, as well as physical problems and social isolation exacerbated by hunger and destitution.

“Universal credit is not only failing to achieve its stated aim of moving people into employment, it is punishing people to such an extent that the mental health and wellbeing of claimants, their families and of [support] staff is being undermined,” the report states.

It concludes that universal credit is actively creating poverty and destitution, and says it is not fit for purpose for many people with disabilities, mental illness or chronic health conditions. It calls for a radical overhaul of the system before the next phase of its rollout next year.

“When you feel like ‘I can’t feed myself, I can’t pay my electric bill, I can’t pay my rent,’ well, all you can feel is the world collapsing around you. It does a lot of damage, physically and mentally … there were points where I did think about ending my life.”

An armed forces veteran said helplessness and despair over universal credit had triggered insomnia and depression, for which he was taking medication. “Universal credit was the straw that broke the camel’s back. It really did sort of drag me to a low position where I don’t want to be sort of thrown into again.”

Compared to the legacy benefit system, participants found universal credit more remote, inflexible, demeaning and intrusive. It was less sensitive to claimants’ health and personal circumstances, researchers said. This heightened claimant anxiety, sense of shame and guilt, and feelings of loss of dignity and control.

the universal credit system as labyrinthine, dysfunctional and prone to administrative error. They experienced the system as “hostile, punitive and difficult to navigate,” and struggled to cope with payment delays that left them in debt, too poor to eat regularly, and reliant on food banks.

Although new claimants are supposed to wait five weeks for a first benefit payment, the average wait for participants on the study was seven and a half weeks, with some waiting as long as three months. Researchers were told of claimants who were so broke they turned to begging or shoplifting. alongside the human costs, universal credit was placing extra burdens on NHS and social care, as well as welfare charities such as food banks. It also affected the wellbeing of advice staff, who reported high stress levels and burnout from dealing with the fallout on claimants. It is assumed that it would help people into work and that people would be better off. It’s not the case. It’s pushing people into poverty and hardship. It’s a broken system”