Recommendation 5

Deciding what workplace support the scheme should fund for each individual applicant is difficult and the Department’s case managers need more support to help them make consistent decisions. The Department intends that the support funded through the scheme is tailored to a worker’s individual needs. However, assessing what each applicant requires is complex and resource-intensive. In 2024–25, 37,900 people with mental health or learning conditions received Access to Work funding, up from 11,200 in 2018–19. The nature of mental health and neurodivergent conditions, in tandem with changes to the nature of work, make it challenging for case managers to assess what workplace adjustments an applicant needs. People who provided written evidence describe the system as arbitrary and unreliable, with support being reduced or removed without a clear rationale, change in need and sometimes without warning. The Department acknowledges that its focus on processing cases quickly in order to clear the applications backlog has resulted in some decisions not being consistent with the principles it has set to guide funding decisions. To improve decision-making, the Department has introduced new training for its staff, for example about the 5 questions they should ask applicants, but we consider that case managers would benefit from more support and guidance to help them make consistent decisions. recommendation The Department should set out what more it plans to do to support its case managers, including improving its guidance to better support staff in assessing what support should be funded for people with a wide variety of health conditions.