National Audit Office finds delays in Access to Work have doubled

A new report from the National Audit Office (NAO) has found that delays and backlogs for the Department for Work & Pensions (DWP) Access to Work scheme have more than doubled in the last four years.

Earlier this week, the DWP launched a call for evidence in relation to the Access to Work scheme. Ahead of the evidence session, the NAO have published a report on the scheme.

According to the NAO report:

The Access to Work scheme is intended to provide support for people’s needs within the workplace over and above an employer’s legal duty to make reasonable adjustments.

As the Canary previously reported:

Access to Work is, in theory, supposed to provide financial support to disabled people to help them get into and stay in work. The fund can be used towards specialist equipment, transport, and support workers. However, as the Canary has reported, the programme has, for a long time, been failing disabled people, and the department is quietly cutting it without any consultation and little transparency.

Of course, this means disabled people are struggling to get into work because of their accommodations can’t be met.

Additionally, in November, we reported that:

The founder of an organisation that supports thousands of disabled people in navigating Access to Work has come forward about the underhanded process by which the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is making “drastic cuts” to the crumbling scheme.

Access to work came under fire recently after a disabled people’s organisation came forward about the DWP making underhanded and “drastic” cuts to the scheme.

The DWP was attempting to limit funds for specialist equipment. It would also create stricter rules on support worker rates of pay and on awarding job aid support workers.

DWP — The numbers

In total, 74,200 people received help from Access to Work from 2024-25. This is a 97% increase from 37,700 in 2018-19. On 31 March 2025, 62,100 applications were awaiting a decision from the DWP, compared to only 21,700 on the same date in 2022. This figure has almost tripled in only three years.

Even more shocking is that outstanding payment requests more than quadrupled, from 6,900 to 31,700, over the same period.

The total number of Access to Work applications in 2024/25 was 157,000. This is more than double the number of applications (76,100) in 2018-19.

This means that only 47% of people who applied for access to work in 2024/25 actually received help.

The average time the DWP takes to process applications has also increased dramatically, from 66 working days in 2021-22 to 109 in 2024-25.

The report states:

While the scheme clearly has benefits, DWP recognises it does not know whether the scheme provides value for money.

The government is clearly attempting to push more disabled and chronically ill people into work. Meanwhile, it is failing to put the necessary measures in place to make sure that disabled people are actually able to work or keep their already existing jobs. Without these measures, disabled people will not be able to find or stay in safe, suitable, and rewarding work.

Featured image via National Audit Office