DISABLED Brits have faced “brutal” delays getting back to work support because of DWP chaos.
People have endured waits of more than 100 days to have applications processed for support to help them into, or keep them in, work according to the National Audit Office (NAO).
The report by NAO details “delays and backlogs” in processing applications to the Access to Work scheme.
Applicants – who have a physical or mental health condition or disability – can apply for a grant to help pay for practical or mental health support at work, or money to pay for communication support at job interviews.
Depending on the size of an employer the scheme will refund up to 80% of approved costs under £10,000, according to figures from disabled charity Scope.
It will normally pay any balance over £10,000, up to £69,260 a year.
The average waiting time for an application to be processed reached 109 working days in November 2025, up from 66 working days in 2024/25 and 28 working days in 2021/22.
Well above the department’s 25-day target.
The NAO said delays had “a negative impact” on individuals and employers.
Demand for the scheme has risen in recent years, with the total number of applications more than doubling to 157,000 in 2024/25 from 76,100 in 2018/19.
It added the the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), which funds and administers the scheme, has had a “growing number of complaints” from customers, mostly relating to the time taken to process applications.
While the DWP said it does not have a definitive cause for the increase in applications, it “believes the growth in demand is likely to have been driven by a rise in the identification of mental health conditions and neurodiversity across society”.
Department data shows that the number of people with mental health or learning conditions applying for support via the scheme rose from 11,200 (30% of all customers receiving payments) in 2018/19 to 37,900 (51%) in 2024/25.
Meanwhile, the number of people with conditions categorised as “other”, which the department believes includes those with neurodivergent conditions, also increased.
The report noted the department had increased the number of staff working on the scheme in an attempt to help process the increasing number of cases and tackle the backlog.
This led to an increase in spending on staff from £12.6million in 2021/22 to £24.4million in 2024/25.
Despite this, the NAO said the department “does not expect the backlog to fall significantly in the short term” and is “waiting for the outcome of the Government’s consultation on the future of the scheme before committing to plans for further improvements”.
Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, chairman of Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee, said while the scheme “provides significant value for people with disabilities or physical or mental health conditions to secure or stay in work”, surges in demand have led to “significant backlogs and delays in processing applications and payments, affecting both employees’ job security and employers’ cash-flow”.
He added that the department needed to address the data gaps that have been identified, align its guidance with the Government’s objectives to support case workers, and work to ensure productivity targets are met.
James Taylor, director of strategy at disability equality charity Scope, said : “This report lays bare the brutal reality for disabled people trying to get into and stay in work.”
A DWP spokesperson said: “We are streamlining processes and increasing staffing to improve the customer experience, but we recognise the scheme we inherited is failing both employees and employers and needs reform.
“That’s why we are looking carefully at this scheme and welcome the NAO’s recommendations.
“Through the Keep Britain Working Review, we’re also working with employers to build a system that genuinely supports disabled people to access the opportunities that work provides.”
