12th October 2026
Britain is spending billions of pounds on sickness benefits while the Department for Work and Pensions has failed to carry out millions of reassessments intended to check whether claimants still qualify for support.
An investigation published by The Times on 11 October has revealed that around 1.8 million people receiving the health-related element of Universal Credit are waiting for a reassessment. Some have been waiting for years, with one case reportedly stretching back 16 years.
The figures raise serious questions about the administration of the welfare system, the rising cost to taxpayers and the support available to people who might be capable of returning to work.
But there is an important qualification. The fact that someone has not been reassessed does not mean they are wrongly claiming benefits. The number who would lose entitlement following a review is not known.
How did the backlog develop?
The system is supposed to review some claimants after a specified period, particularly where their health condition might improve. The aim is to establish whether the existing level of support remains appropriate and whether someone might benefit from help to return to employment.
However, reassessments were suspended or curtailed during the Covid pandemic and have not resumed at the scale needed to clear the resulting backlog.
The DWP says it has faced limited capacity alongside a surge in new applications for health-related benefits. It has prioritised assessments for new claimants and people who report a change in their circumstances.
That helps explain how the backlog developed, but it does not answer the question of why the system has been allowed to fall so far behind.
When a department knows that millions of cases require attention, the failure to establish an effective review programme becomes a management and resource problem in its own right.
Are people receiving money they should no longer get?
That is the obvious question, but the available figures cannot provide a definitive answer.
Some people will still have serious, long-term conditions and will continue to qualify for support. Others may have conditions that have improved, although improvement does not necessarily mean that they are able to work or that their entitlement should end.
The Times investigation describes a taxi driver who said he had recovered following heart surgery and wanted to return to work. Despite informing the department, he reportedly remained on the benefit because he had not been reassessed.
His case illustrates a potential weakness in the system. A benefit intended to provide financial protection during a period of ill health can become an ongoing payment when the process for reviewing eligibility breaks down.
It also shows why the issue should not be reduced to a simple argument about people claiming money they do not deserve. Some claimants may want to move on but find themselves caught in administrative delays.
The unanswered question is how many cases fall into this category and how many involve people who continue to need the support they receive.
The cost to the taxpayer
The financial implications are substantial. The government is already under pressure to control public spending, with rising welfare costs competing against demands on the NHS, councils, education and defence.
If some people are receiving payments that would no longer be appropriate following a reassessment, delays could mean public money is being spent unnecessarily.
But it would be wrong to calculate supposed savings by multiplying the number of people awaiting reassessment by the average benefit payment. We do not know how many would have their payments changed, by how much, or when any change would take effect.
There is also a cost to failing to help people who could return to employment. People who want to work may lose confidence, skills and opportunities if they remain outside the labour market for extended periods.
A properly functioning system should be able to protect those who cannot work while identifying those who might be able to do so with appropriate support.
Why does the system struggle to get people back to work?
The reassessment backlog is only one part of a wider problem.
The government has become increasingly concerned about the number of working-age people who are economically inactive because of ill health. The Times investigation reports that sickness-related benefit claims have risen sharply since the pandemic.
However, identifying someone as potentially able to work is not the same as finding them a job.
Some people face significant physical or mental health difficulties. Others may be able to work reduced hours or undertake different duties but need an employer willing to accommodate their circumstances.
In rural areas such as Caithness, the challenge can be even greater. Limited public transport, a shortage of suitable vacancies and long journeys to work can make employment difficult to access, even for someone who wants to return.
A reassessment process that simply changes a person's benefit status without offering realistic help into employment may reduce spending on paper without solving the underlying problem.
What should happen next?
The government needs to establish how large the outstanding backlog really is, how long people have been waiting and how quickly it can be cleared.
It should publish regular figures showing how many reassessments are completed, what the outcomes are and how many people subsequently move into employment.
It should also distinguish between people who remain eligible for support, those whose circumstances have changed and those who could benefit from help returning to work.
There is a case for more face-to-face assessments where they would help establish someone's circumstances, alongside telephone and other assessment methods where appropriate. But the method matters less than having a system that works, reaches fair decisions and reviews cases when promised.
Above all, reassessment should not be treated merely as a way to cut the benefits bill. It should ensure that people who need support receive it, while helping those who can work to do so.
A failure of administration as well as welfare policy
The revelation that 1.8 million people are awaiting reassessment raises legitimate questions about public spending and the government's ability to manage a major public service.
Taxpayers are entitled to expect that benefit rules will be administered properly. Equally, people who are genuinely unable to work are entitled to a system that treats them fairly and does not leave them facing unnecessary uncertainty.
The government cannot know whether its welfare policies are working properly if it does not review cases when it is supposed to.
The immediate task is to clear the backlog and establish what the evidence shows. Only then can ministers judge how much of the growing welfare bill reflects continuing need, how much might be reduced through effective employment support, and whether changes to eligibility rules are required.
Until those questions are answered, Britain is left with a costly and troubling uncertainty: a system designed to provide support and encourage a return to work has allowed millions of cases to go without the reviews intended to keep it working properly.
Sources
The Times, “Revealed: Nearly two million on sickness benefits left unchecked”, 11 October 2026: https://www.thetimes.com/uk/welfare-inquiry/article/revealed-how-2m-people-on-benefits-may-not-even-qualify-b3lhdg7wk
Department for Work and Pensions, ESA: Outcomes of Work Capability Assessments, September 2026: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/esa-outcomes-of-work-capability-assessments-including-mandatory-reconsiderations-and-appeals-september-2026