People on long term incapacity benefit because of mental health problems could be identified by their GPs three years before they stop working, researchers from the University of Glasgow have found.

The research, led by Professor Jill Morrison from the School of Medicine, also says that there is no significant variation across GP practices in the UK in the rate of patients claiming long term sick benefit. The research team say that the varying rates of benefit claims are due to population differences and not to GPs issuing sickness certificates inappropriately.

The research, which also involved the universities of Manchester and Stirling as well as the NHS, was published in bmj.com

The number of people claiming incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance in the United Kingdom has increased by over 300% in the last 30 years and the annual cost to the UK economy is around £100 billion, says the study.

The authors investigated data from the 1995, 1998 and 2003 Scottish Health Surveys and from the 1991 to 2007 British Household Panel Survey to examine variation in incapacity benefit claims across the country.

The results show that there was a significant increase in the frequency of GP consultations for patients with mental health problems in the three years prior to them claiming incapacity benefit.

Professor Morrison says the current policy of getting people who are on long term benefit back to work may not be very effective, and instead argues that it would be better to identify patients who are at risk of ending up on long term benefit and focus on keeping them in work.

She also pointed out that a large proportion of people on long-term sick leave were unlikely to return to employment.

She said: “There will always be a proportion of people who are at such a low ebb that unless there is a drastic improvement it will be very difficult for them to be able to work. If they stop working, there’s a vicious circle where they have financial problems and that brings on new worries and problems.

“The Government is looking at targeting people on the margins who, with extra support or encouragement, may be able to return to work. But I don’t think you can ever eradicate the problem.”

The researchers, who included  say GPs, can target people who could become dependent on benefit up to three years before this occurs by identifying patients who have frequent consultations for emotional distress. However, they add that “further work should concentrate on determining what outcomes are achieved by general practitioners who provide additional emotional or occupational support for patients identified as at risk of becoming dependent on long term benefits.”


First published: 18 August 2010

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