Mansel Aylward

Mansel Aylward is Director of the Cardiff University Centre for Psychosocial Research, Occupational and Physician Health at Cardiff school of Medicine. Professor Sir Mansel Aylward was knighted in the UK's 2010 New Year Honours.

Links to insurance industry
Mansel Aylward worked for UNUM. He was the Chief Medical Officer for the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). Unum funded in 2004 the Centre for Psychosocial Research in Cardiff University. From 2003 Unum for six years funded the former DWP Chief Medical Adviser Mansel Aylward at the Centre for Psychosocial Research in Cardiff. The Centre has since been renamed and Unum claims it no longer provides funding. Irregularities have been investigated about Aylward and between insurers and the DWP in connection with Welfare Reform. In 1993 Aylward and his wife were investigated and exposed in a national newspaper for having major conflicts of interests between private insurance companies and the UK government social security department.

Notable studies
Mansel Aylward obtained funding from the Department for Work and Pension for the PACE trial.

Mansel Aylward was also on the Trial Steering Committee (TSC) of the PACE trial. The TSC is responsible for the independent oversight of the progress of the trial, investigation of serious adverse events, and determining the future progress of the trial.

Mansel Aylward was responsible for the Biopsychosocial model in the UK and its influence on the UK goverment welfare reforms. Shakespeare et al examined Aylwards influene in Blaming the victim, all over again: Waddell and Aylward’s biopsychosocial (BPS) model of disability

UK disability benefits changes
Mansel Aylward is the architect of the United Kingdom's social security welfare reforms, which are now based on a biopsychosocial model for all illnesses, replacing the previous medical model. The controversial reforms have been included introducing a Work Capability Assessment, replacing disability benefits like Incapacity Benefit with Employment Support Allowance, and replacing Disability Living Allowance with Personal Independence Payments. The reforms and the lack of evidence to justify the biopsychosocial approach have been criticised as "cavalier, unevidenced and misleading", and successive government ministers have claimed that cutting rates for disability benefits "helps" disabled people back into work.

Talks and interviews
Aylward spoke at the 6th International Forum on Disability Management ‘IFDM in 2012

A letter was published in the Guardian by the Black Triangle Campaign in response to this conference.

His talks are also published on Youtube.

Books

 * Managing long-term worklessness in primary care: a focus group study, Cohen D, Marfell N, Webb K, Robling M, Aylward M, Occup Med (Lond), Volume 60, 2 (March 2010) pp. 121–126
 * Models of Sickness and Disability Applied to Common Health Problems, Waddell G et al, Royal Society of Medicine Press (2010)
 * The Power of Belief: psychosocial influences on illness, disability and medicine, Edited by Halligan P W and Aylward M
 * Beliefs: Clinical and vocational interventions; tackling psychological and social determinants of illness and disability, Edited by Halligan PW and Aylward M Oxford University Press (2006)
 * The Scientific and Conceptual Basis of Incapacity Benefits, Gordon Waddell and Mansel Aylward, The Stationery Office 2005

Online presence/List of publications

 * Mansel Aylward

Directorships and shareholdings
Mansel Aylward is a director and has 11 current appointments.

Learn more

 * Memorandum on Disability Insurance