• New report by the Work Foundation at Lancaster University and MS Society reveals the employment barriers faced by an estimated 150,000 people in the UK (1 in 400)
• Experts warn UK Government must rethink and reverse welfare cuts to support people with MS in and out of work.

Half of UK workers (50%) living with multiple sclerosis (MS) have compromised their health by staying in a job that did not meet their MS needs. Many quote financial pressures and a lack of support from employers and the government as the cause.

The Work Foundation at Lancaster University – a leading think tank for improving working lives – and MS Society asked 1,125 people living with MS about their employment experiences. The stark findings – which are included in a joint report, No compromises: supporting people with MS to thrive in and out of work – reveal a third (31%) are working in a role below their skill level, meaning many are missing out on opportunities to utilise their skills and knowledge.

As a condition which affects the brain and spinal cord, MS can cause problems with movement, thinking and feeling, and is mostly diagnosed when people are in their 30s and 40s – the prime of their working lives. Women are almost three times more likely to get MS than men. Symptoms are different for everybody and often invisible, but can make commuting, navigating workplace environments and completing certain tasks challenging.

The in-depth study found:

• One in two people (50%) had, at some stage in their lives, left a job because of factors relating to their MS.
• A quarter of people with MS who had left work (28%) said that better Government support – such as access to improved benefits – would have helped them stay in work.
• Nearly a third (26%) said that better employee benefits, including occupational sick pay, would have supported them to remain in employment.
• Nearly half (45%) of those who left work because of their MS said a better understanding of the condition by their employer would have enabled them to stay in employment.
• A similar cohort (41%) said that proper implementation of their reasonable workplace adjustments – such as working from home or allowing more frequent breaks – would have helped them stay in work.

The Government's plans to cut PIP may significantly affect people with MS's ability to work. More than half (55%) of survey respondents stated they had received Personal Independence Payments (PIP) – 41% of whom are currently in work.

The report sets out three recommendations for the Government and employers to help people with MS maintain employment whilst looking after their health. These are:

• Making access to secure and flexible working standard practice
• Improving the quality of and access to in-work government and employer support, such as the Access to Work scheme
• Ensure that all people with MS have adequate financial support, whether in or out of work.

Ben Harrison, Director of the Work Foundation at Lancaster University, says: “With the right support from Government and employers, many people with MS can continue to lead productive and fulfilling working lives. Our research stresses the importance of employers proactively strengthening their understanding of the condition while ensuring that line managers are equipped to properly support colleagues with MS.

“In particular, effective flexible working policies can make the difference between someone with MS feeling able to remain in work without compromising their health, or exiting the labour market altogether. And the reality is many also rely on Government support to remain in employment – including via Personal Independence Payments. It’s critical that Government re-thinks its plans to cut back and limit access to these welfare payments, as doing so could actually lead to fewer people with conditions like MS feeling able to enter and remain in work in the future.”

Ross Barrett, Policy Manager at the MS Society, says: “This stark new research shows many people with MS are leaving work before they want or need to, or are feeling forced to compromise their health due to financial pressures. Everyone with MS deserves the opportunity to thrive at work and realise their full potential, but a lack of support from employers and the government is making this impossible.

“Living with MS can be debilitating, exhausting and unpredictable – not to mention expensive. But access to PIP allows people to meet their extra costs, like visits from carers to help with things like washing, cooking and getting to work in the morning. We’re calling on the UK Government to rethink and reverse their proposed welfare cuts, and focus on conducting a full review of PIP and the wider social security system so it better supports people with MS in and out of work.”

Read the full report.