"Incapacity benefit claimants in north-east Scotland and Burnley in Lancashire are to be the first to be reassessed ahead of UK-wide welfare reform.

Those deemed fit enough to work, using a points-based system, will be moved to the jobseeker's allowance.
The reassessment was designed to end the one-size-fits-all approach to those with illness and disabilities.
More than 2.5m people claim the benefit or its successor, employment support allowance, costing £12.5bn yearly.

Eventually everyone claiming incapacity benefit will have to undergo a medical examination to assess their physical and mental abilities.

It will work on a point-based system. For example, a person who cannot sit comfortably for more than 30 minutes will score seven points.

Anyone who scores below 15 points in total will be deemed fit for work and placed on jobseeker's allowance, which in some cases could result in a reduction in benefit of about £25 a week.

The pilot scheme will also affect claimants in Aberdeen, Banff, Peterhead and Fraserburgh.
In Aberdeen more than 8,000 residents claim incapacity benefit - some 60% for five years or more."

Source: BBC News, 11.10.2010.

Many people with disabilities will be seeking to re-enter the workplace but they will need support.  Heath Lambert’s Wellness4Work can help employers to engage with employees with disabilities, to ensure that the right benefits are in place and that reasonable adjustments to working practice have been made to ensure compliance with the Equalities Act.