As we head into the end of the year, I’ve been reflecting on just how full 2025 has been – for Access to Work (AtW), for our community and for me personally. It has been a demanding year of change and advocacy. I’ve had my own challenges to navigate, too, including ongoing health issues and the sad loss of my beloved cat in November. So I am very ready for a quiet Christmas break.
In this issue, you’ll find a roundup of the major AtW developments, key news from November and practical tips to help you navigate the system. I’ve also shared what I’m up to this month and included a spotlight on Patchwork Hub, a brilliant resource for accessible employment.
Looking ahead, I’m excited for several big events in spring and for beginning my ILM5 coaching practice. Thank you to everyone I’ve worked with this year – your support and solidarity mean so much.
Quick tips
- Changes of Circumstances are taking around 18 months! AtW are working on requests submitted in June 2024. If you have an urgent issue, phone the helpline as staff may resolve it more quickly.
- If you need to speak to the helpline staff but cannot hear or speak over the phone, you can use Relay UK (converts text to speech and vice versa) on 18001 then 0800 121 7479.
2025 roundup
Summary
2025 has been a challenging year for AtW and for everyone who depends on it, with cuts that began in 2024 becoming deeper, more consistent and harder to challenge. We have seen reductions in:
- Eligibility – fewer people are being approved for AtW at the outset.
- Support approvals – more requests are rejected as reasonable adjustments, business costs or “above minimum need”.
- Award values – even where support is granted, hours and rates have often been reduced, especially for long-standing Support Worker awards.
The scheme has become harder to navigate, with deteriorating communication, no-reply email trials and closure of the complaints inbox.
Despite this, the community response has been remarkable. Disabled people, support workers, employers and allies have organised, shared information, raised visibility and built powerful new networks. While 2026 may bring further challenges, the collective strength, solidarity and determination shown this year give real reason for hope.
Key events
- May – Major changes to AtW leaked to the public by a concerned Case Manager. These plans were officially paused (and never admitted to), but many of the changes have been implemented gradually.
- May – Access to Work Collective founded. Shani Dhanda and Jacqueline Winstanley founded the AtW Collective, which has gone on to lead a media campaign, deliver a letter to Downing Street and start a research project with
- June – Pathways to Work Consultation closed. It ran from 18th March to 30th June and requested feedback on proposals relating to various disability benefits and the AtW scheme.
- July – Collaboration Committee formed. The DWP sought input from various stakeholders, including Disabled People’s Organisations and individual claimants, to help shape AtW reform. The committee met five times between July and October. I have requested the minutes of the meetings via FOI request.
- September – National Audit Office announce an investigation into Access to Work.
- October – Stephen Timms admits to signing an order to apply guidance more scrupulously. This may have been the trigger for harsh cuts since May.
- October – Complaints email closed. Claimants can no longer make complaints by email. They must phone the helpline or make a complaint in writing through their MP.
- October – Government Response to the Pathways to Work Consultation published. The vast majority of responses expressed strong support for the aims of the AtW programme. Respondents converged around suggestions for a simplified, tailored, and streamlined scheme that can deliver funding quickly.
- October – Access to Work Statistics published. They show a 10% drop in the number of people approved for funding.
- November – The Access to Work Practitioners discussion group is founded. The first meeting was held on 11th November to discuss the aims and objectives of the group and how they will be delivered.
Simply click the blue text above to read each article.
November news roundup
2nd November – ‘The DWP has been caught failing on multiple fronts over Access to Work (again)’, The Canary
5th November – Keep Britain Working, final report
Sir Charlie Mayfield published his Keep Britain Working Review. The review explores issues surrounding ill health and disability in the workplace and sets out a plan to ‘keep Britain working’. AtW is mentioned as an adjacent system that needs reform and “…Access to Work have several positive features and good intent, but we heard regularly across the review that they were not delivering effectively in practice…and Access to Work facing long delays and delivery challenges…”
Read the full Keep Britain Working Review
6th November – ‘Government review calls for ‘safer, more supportive’ workplaces for disabled people’, Disability News Service
10th November – ‘‘It makes no sense’: The DWP payment being quietly cut for disabled people’, Yahoo News
13th November – ‘Minister refuses once again to reveal truth about cuts to Access to Work’, Disability News Service
18th November – Freedom of Information Response
The DWP (finally) responded to an FOI request I made regarding renewing software subscriptions. The information provided was heavily redacted and didn’t provide any useful insight into when and how software subscriptions are eligible for renewal.
Read the full software subscriptions FOI and response
18th November – The Employment of Disabled People 2025, statistical release
The government released statistics relating to the employment of working-age disabled people in the UK. There are 5.5 million disabled people in employment in the UK, and the disability employment rate was 52.8%, compared to 82.5% for non-disabled people.
Read the full statistical release
17th to 21st November – Questions in parliament
Written questions related to AtW were directed to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions across a number of days:
24th November – ‘DWP’s Access to Work wait times double in 18 months: ‘It’s like they don’t care’’, Yahoo News
26th November – Portal change
From 26th November, signing in to the AtW portal has been changed to GOV.UK One Login. No other changes have been made to the portal itself, only the sign-in process. So far, users haven’t reported any additional difficulties due to this change.
Read more about how to use the GOV.UK One Login
27th November – FOI response
Catherine Eadie submitted an FOI asking why the complaints email inbox was closed. She requested the date and reason for the change, who approved it, relevant internal communications, the new complaints process and any impact assessments. She also asked how the DWP will monitor the effect on disabled customers.
The DWP’s FOI team said the complaints routes were “realigned” at the end of September to meet DWP security policies and the Public Sector Equality Duty. They stated there are no plans to monitor or evaluate the impact of this change, as it reflects existing policy and practice.
The response signposted the DWP’s email policy, the Access to Work complaints procedure and the reasonable adjustments guidance in the AtW customer factsheet.
Read the full complaints FOI request and response
28th November – ‘DWP failure to provide up-to-date figures on Access to Work cuts is ‘major warning sign’, says campaigners’, Disability News Service
Simply click the blue text above to read each article.
What I’m up to in December
A pretty quiet month, winding down for Christmas.
1. Regular Free Talks from NeuroRocket
Access to Work talks aimed at neurodivergent workers, run by NeuroRocket and delivered by me. There is always plenty of time to ask questions.
Timetable
12th December – Part 1: Before you apply
Don’t worry if you can’t make it on the day – you will be sent a link to the recording to view later.
FREE 1:1 SUPPORT – These 30-minute advice sessions are funded by The People’s Postcode Lottery and NeuroRocket. Spaces are limited and aimed at those for whom cost is a barrier to support and who need help with their personal situation, rather than generic information.
2. Attending the International Day of Disabled People: A Bristol Celebration, 6th December
Catch me hanging out at the M-Shed in Bristol for a powerful celebration of Disabled leadership. There will be a Q&A session with Bristol-based Disabled leaders, workshops, stalls, campaigns and more!
3. Taking a break for Christmas, back on 5th January 2026
I’ll be taking a much-needed rest over the Christmas and New Year period. My last working day of 2025 will be 19th December.
Spotlight on…
Patchwork Hub
Patchwork Hub is an accessible employment platform designed to connect disabled people and those with long-term conditions to flexible, inclusive job opportunities. They focus on removing barriers at the recruitment stage, offering resources, training and a jobs board that highlights roles with genuinely accessible employers.
While Patchwork Hub does not support AtW applications, they can play a key role before AtW becomes relevant, by helping people find work that already understands and accommodates access needs. For employers, they offer guidance on inclusive hiring and the chance to reach candidates who are often excluded by traditional recruitment.
If you are looking for accessible work, or you want to recruit disabled talent, Patchwork Hub is worth exploring.
That’s all for now
See you next month,
Alice 😊
P.S. Missed an issue of the newsletter? You can catch up in my newsletter archive.