Nearly half of those with multiple sclerosis surveyed by MS Society said they felt the process caused their condition to relapse or deteriorate

Many multiple sclerosis sufferers required to undergo assessments to claim disability benefits are having their health damaged as a result, a survey suggests.

The MS Society found that nearly half (48%) of people with the disease of the nervous system who had an assessment for Employment Support Allowance (ESA) felt the process caused their condition to deteriorate or relapse. Just over a third who had a face-to-face assessment for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) said the same.

The charity says the disability benefits system fails to take adequate account of the fluctuating and hidden symptoms of MS, or the extent of their impact.

Its chief executive, Michelle Mitchell, said: “Having MS is enough; it should not be made harder by a welfare system that doesn’t make sense for people living with the condition.

“Lack of understanding of the condition and the failure to use information from medical professionals is causing stress or contributing to relapses and deteriorating health. This is counterintuitive to a system designed to support people with disabilities.”

ESA, and its eligibility test, Work Capability Assessments, and PIP have been dogged by controversy. The fairness of the assessments have been called into question repeatedly and there have been severe delays in processing claims, leaving people stressed and penniless while they wait.

As well as the detrimental impact on health recorded by the survey, a number of respondents said the changes to the benefits system had forced them to spend less, including on treatment.

Around one in 10 said they had reduced outlay on attending hospital appointments and a similar proportion said they had cut down on medical treatment or prescriptions. About a third said they were spending less on food, 28% on transport and 41% on socialising with family and friends.

Under the welfare reform and work bill, currently going through the committee stage in the House of Commons, people considered capable of work at some point in the future or of beginning to move into work immediately will see their ESA reduced.

Mitchell said: “Living with a chronic, disabling, neurological condition such as MS is hard – it is also expensive. There are often substantial extra costs which add an average of £200 a week to the household bills. Steps must be taken to make sure the disability benefits system is working for those who rely on it or people with MS will continue to struggle.”

The charity launched a campaign on Monday, MS: Enough: Make welfare make sense, calling for a number of reforms to the benefits system, including assessments that take proper account of evidence provided by professionals who understand the condition. It also wants the government to carry out a full impact assessment of any further changes to disability benefits, including the effects on other areas of public spending such as health and social care.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest The MS Society has launched a campaign urging changes to the benefits system

A spokesman for the Department of Work and Pensions said: “We understand that going through the assessment process can be difficult for people suffering from conditions such as MS and our staff work hard to make it as straightforward as possible.

“The purpose of an assessment is to identify the support that a claimant needs and they are carried out by registered and experienced health professionals. Our staff receive training and guidance for a range of medical conditions including fluctuating conditions such as MS.”

The MS Society’s online survey was completed by 1,780 UK adults with MS, of whom 242 had had an assessment for ESA and 269 had had a face-to-face assessment for PIP. Estimates suggest there are about 100,000 people in the UK with the condition.