Our response to the Government's consultation on work and health

We recently submitted our response to the Government’s Green Paper consultation on work, health and disability. We asked people with cancer for their thoughts to help shape our thinking, and in our response we set out the support people with cancer need to manage the financial impact of cancer, and to help them remain in or return to work. 

At the end of 2016, the Government published a consultation document outlining proposals for tackling some of the issues faced by people with disabilities and other long-term health conditions, such as cancer, when it comes to employment and welfare support. It looks at a range of issues, including what financial and employment support is currently available, how the health and welfare systems work together, what the role of employers is and how to support people to stay in or return to work after illness.  

To gather your input, we asked people with cancer who had experience of claiming Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) to complete our survey, and we were delighted when over 300 people took part. We used the feedback to shape our thinking and demonstrate to the Government how important it is to take the views of people with cancer into account.

Our survey results showed that:

• Having enough financial support through the welfare system is very important, as it helps people with cancer to think about work and engage in employment support.
• Some people with cancer feel a lack of trust towards the Department for Work and Pensions and Jobcentres. This could make it difficult for work coaches to foster constructive relationships with people to support them with their work and health needs.
  
• Many people with cancer feel apprehensive about engaging with Jobcentre staff and would prefer to discuss their health and work needs with a healthcare professional.
  
• Cancer can affect people in very different ways. It’s important that undertaking any employment support activity is voluntary for people in the Support Group - otherwise it could impact on their health and wellbeing. 

We fed these views into our response. In addition:

• We welcomed the ambitious nature of the Green Paper and the opportunity to set out how the proposals could impact on people with cancer.
  
• We set out the innovative ways that Macmillan is helping people with cancer to remain in and return to work, and to deal with the financial impact of their diagnosis and treatment. 
  
• We highlighted areas we’d like to discuss further with the Government – including how our knowledge and experience of supporting people with cancer can be used to inform the Government’s proposals. We also set out how it’s vital that any changes are informed by, and developed with, people affected by cancer and other health conditions.
  
• We shared our concerns about some of the plans (based on what people with cancer told us through the survey) and what we think needs to be done to make sure people get the right support, at the right time. 

The Government will now be looking at all the responses it has received and deciding how to take their plans forward. We see our response to the Green Paper consultation as just the start of the process to improve the working lives of people affected by cancer and other conditions across the UK, so we’ll be continuing our work in this area.

To find out more about how we help employers to support people with cancer to stay in or return to work, visit our website. You can also access support to help you with your finances and work.

If you would like to know more about our work on the Green Paper, please contact Grace Brownfield at gbrownfield@macmillan.org.uk