We had a successful outing to the Houses of Parliament yesterday for the launch of the Work Foundation's report into working life years and MS. Here's a link to the report:
click here
And here are the main findings:
- On average, 37 per cent of people with mild MS are employed, however, many have to change or quit their jobs due to fluctuating functional capability;
- More than 75 per cent of people with MS report that the condition has impacted their employment and career opportunities;
- Up to 80 per cent of people with MS stop working within 15 years of the onset of the condition;
- At the same time 30 per cent of individuals with a significant level of disability remain in employment;
- Up to 44 per cent of people with MS retire early due to their condition – a higher percentage than the European average (35 per cent);
- As a result of reduced availability of social services, a considerable burden of the costs associated with MS falls on those with the condition and their carers;
- Professional careers of 57 per cent of relatives are adversely affected by MS of a family member;
- People with MS lose an average of 18 working years, assuming a retirement age of 60.
- If one worker with MS draws Employment Support Allowance (ESA) for 18 years the total cost (at 2011 prices) will be £61,000. If 20,000 people are on ESA benefits for 18 years the cost to the welfare system is over £1.2 billion. This takes no account of the income tax which these workers would be paying;
- The annual costs of MS may vary from £12,000 for those with low disability scores to £60,000 for those with severe disability stage. One estimate suggests that MS costs UK society about £2.3 billion per year.
Be interested to know your thoughts on this report.
Posted on behalf of Beki Hawes (beki@shift.ms)
"This post is for those of you who need reminding of what the socioeconomic impact of MS is for the individual and the UK. Quite staggering! What do you think?"