DWP responds to mental health concerns over Universal Credit online claim system

A DWP minister has addressed concerns over the impact of its online system for Universal Credit. Thousands more people are starting claims as they are moved across from older benefits such as Income Support, tax credits, income-based Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA), and income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA).

Whereas legacy benefits rely solely on contact being made through phonelines and jobcentres, Universal Credit is mainly administered online. Most claimants apply via the internet, setting up an account where they can log in to view a statement of their upcoming payments, notify DWP staff of changes, and send and receive messages via a journal if there are queries or concerns.

Responding to a question about whether the DWP had looked into the mental health impact of this digital platform, a minister says statistics show most claimants are happy with it. There are now around seven million people in Britain who are on Universal Credit, with 2.6 million (38 per cent) in employment and 4.3 million (62 per cent) out of work. Local figures for Birmingham show there are 206,000 people on Universal Credit with 62,000 (30 per cent) working and the other 144,000 (70 per cent) not in employment.

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Liberal Democrat MP Rachel Gilmour (Tiverton and Minehead) asked if the DWP had carried out "an assessment of the impact of the journal system for Universal Credit on the mental health of applicants and users." While Ms Gilmour's parliamentary question did not elaborate on any complaints that may have prompted the question, a number of claimants on BirminghamLive's Cost of Living group have at times expressed frustrations with the replies - or in some cases the lengthy wait for a response - from jobcentre staff via their journal.

In a written response, Sir Stephen Timms, Minister for Social Security and Disability, said: "DWP are committed to providing the best possible support for all our customers, including the most vulnerable in society. Within Universal Credit, we recognise that customers have individual needs and different barriers, so we train and support all our work coaches to be able to respond appropriately to a customer's situation.

"We have no plans to assess the impact of the journal system on the mental health of applicants and users., Independent research published in 2018 showed that the majority of customers found the journal easy to use. The DWP Customer Experience Survey for 2023-2024 showed that 88 per cent of people found it easy to use their UC online account."

The DWP has separately said it is continuing with the "accelerated" transfer of people onto Universal Credit from legacy benefits, and is aiming to have sent out Migration Notice letters to everyone who is affected by December 2025, giving them three months to move across. The aim is for all these older benefits to be closed down by the start of the 2026/2027 financial year, with tax credits first to be abolished in April 2025.

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