Government to blame for benefits assessment misery, say MPs

Government to blame for benefits assessment misery, say MPs

The government provides financial assistance to ill or disabled people who are deemed unable to work


Concession over disability benefits
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The government is to blame for "misery and hardship" imposed upon claimants being re-assessed for benefits eligibility, the Commons public accounts committee says.

Chairwoman Margaret Hodge accused the Department for Work and Pensions of being "unduly complacent" and "getting far too many decisions wrong".

She said the medical assessments were hitting "vulnerable claimants hardest".

Employment Minister Mark Hoban accused the committee of "scaremongering".

Unveiling her committee's report on the medical assessments used to determine whether a claimant is entitled to benefits including employment and support allowance, Ms Hodge accused the government of "poor decision-making" over the ability of claimants to work.

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Atos comes under attack in emotional Commons debate Private contractor criticised by MPs who say constituents judged fit to work died or became suicidal soon after assessments The private contractor Atos, which administers the government's work capability assessments, has come under sustained criticism from MPs as they told stories of constituents who had died shortly after being ruled fit for work by the firm. During a powerful Commons debate that united politicians from all parties, MPs gave emotional accounts of how very sick individuals had been incorrectly assessed and told to return to work. Some of them later died, they said, and MPs told of others who had killed themselves or become suicidal following such decisions. Labour MP Michael Meacher described the death of a young man with epilepsy shortly after he was classified fit for work and saw his benefit cut by £70 a week. "He became agitated and depressed and lost weight, fearing that he could not pay his rent or buy food. Three months later, he had a major seizure that killed him," Meacher said. "A month after he died, the DWP [Department of Work and Pensions] rang his parents to say that it had made a mistake and his benefit was being restored."

I am one of those that have had to go to these so called medicals that are a complete joke.
I can hardly walk most days because I suffer from severe lower back pain, sciatica and rheumatoid arthritis .
The questions they ask you would make it hard for anyone to pass yet when an appeal is heard, over 40% pass so what does that say?
The government pay a company called ATOS millions of pounds every year and have a target to fill and that's to get people off disability and to sign on for work. They have said a person who has no eyes for example can work, an ex soldier who stood on an explosive in Afghanistan but can get around in a wheelchair fit for work even though he still suffers.
The list goes on and on.

This is something a nurse who worked for them said about it

Former Atos nurse Joyce Drummond told us how bosses forced her to “trick” disabled people out of their benefits. Joyce’s medical training meant she knew claimants were unfit to work, but she was told to mark people as fit if they could write – or if they showed up for their interviews properly dressed. Labour MP Michael Meacher has launched a campaign against Atos after one of his constituents who had been ruled fit for work died of a seizure. He said lifelong epilepsy sufferer Colin Traynor’s health deteriorated under the stress of a £70-a-week cut to his benefit. Meacher added: “Colin worried he would lose his home, not be able to pay his bills or even afford food. His health deteriorated, his seizures increased due to stress, and he lost a lot of weight. “On April 3 this year he had a massive seizure that killed him. “Colin is just one of many victims of this unfair system. “Even though they deny it, I believe Atos have been given a target to get two-thirds of people off incapacity benefit. “There are thousands of people being told wrongly that they are able to work. The Government have admitted that 11,000 people forced on to work-related activity after assessments have died before getting work. “I am trying to gather all the cases I can, because this is a massive injustice. I am prepared to campaign for months or years until this is addressed properly.” Atos have defended their role in the benefit crackdown. A spokeswoman said: “Our doctors, nurses and physiotherapists use their clinical knowledge and apply the Government’s policy and criteria to each assessment. “We try to make the part of the process we are responsible for as comfortable as possible.”

Atos comes under attack in emotional Commons debate
Private contractor criticised by MPs who say constituents judged fit to work died or became suicidal soon after assessments

The private contractor Atos, which administers the government's work capability assessments, has come under sustained criticism from MPs as they told stories of constituents who had died shortly after being ruled fit for work by the firm. During a powerful Commons debate that united politicians from all parties, MPs gave emotional accounts of how very sick individuals had been incorrectly assessed and told to return to work. Some of them later died, they said, and MPs told of others who had killed themselves or become suicidal following such decisions. Labour MP Michael Meacher described the death of a young man with epilepsy shortly after he was classified fit for work and saw his benefit cut by £70 a week. "He became agitated and depressed and lost weight, fearing that he could not pay his rent or buy food. Three months later, he had a major seizure that killed him," Meacher said. "A month after he died, the DWP [Department of Work and Pensions] rang his parents to say that it had made a mistake and his benefit was being restored."

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Yet another gvt.that has blood on it's hands. Not as much as Tony Blur - yet.
I dispair of this country. Why didn't they just offer a few hundred quid to people to shop scroungers? Even if a few 'mistakes' were made and people had to appeal, it could hardly be as bad as the tragedies that have occured. Those who didn't want the money for shopping scroungers could have donated it to a local pensioner to help pay for the fuel bill that they can't afford to pay.
Atos isn't even a uk company, so that's even more sodding money going abroad.
The decent mp's in the uk must stand up for the people they represent, the insanity must end.

Originally posted by tazdeill2
Yet another gvt.that has blood on it's hands. Not as much as Tony Blur - yet.
I dispair of this country. Why didn't they just offer a few hundred quid to people to shop scroungers? Even if a few 'mistakes' were made and people had to appeal, it could hardly be as bad as the tragedies that have occured. Those who didn't want the money for shopping scroungers could have donated it to a local pensioner to help pay for the fuel bill that they can't afford to pay.
Atos isn't even a uk company, so that's even more sodding money going abroad.
The decent mp's in the uk must stand up for the people they represent, the insanity must end.

I agree, I also,have to look after my sick wife who suffers from bad depression etc which I don't mind at all but get no help at all with this.
I worked for over thirty years without claiming anything until my back finally gave in. My doctor says I am unfit for work and I have passed and failed these tests a few times but they have an agenda to fail as many as they can in a day. I,have know my own doctor for many many years yet in a 20 min joke of a medical, the nurse said I was fit for work. On appeal I won unanimously . Another time, the doctor who was there apologised to me as I was in such pain and passed with flying colours. It is one big joke from start to finish yet it ruins countless lives.
Scroungers have no sympathy from me, it is the people with a genuine complaint that suffers because of them.

I have just been through one of these ATOS 'medicals' and it was an awful experience. I am wating for an operation on my back and was found 'fit for work'. No employer in the right mind would take me on. All ATOS are interested in are hitting targets and making money (it is a private company). They should be tried in court for corparate manslaughter as so many people have committed suicide, i was pushed to the edge myself mentally because of them.
I am appealing (2nd time now). First time i got 13/15 points (a fail) appealed and got 17/15 (a pass) This time got 0 points! It makes a mockery of the system that is supposed to help people in their times of hardship and ill health after all we dont choose to be ill.

From sky news today:

Fit-To-Work Benefits Test 'Unfit For Purpose'


More than 150,000 people have raised serious concerns about fit-for-work tests administered by a private healthcare company on behalf of the Government.
Figures obtained exclusively by Sky News show the charity Citizens Advice has been inundated by huge numbers of complaints about assessments carried out by Atos.

It warns that genuinely disabled and seriously ill people are being stripped of benefits following inadequate tests.

Meanwhile, doctors are warning that the service is "unfit for purpose".

Gillian Guy, the chief executive of Citizens Advice, warned: "Atos is failing to do its job properly, failing to give taxpayers value for money and worst of all, failing thousands of sick and disabled people who bear the brunt of wrong assessments."

reply to post by scotsdavy1


I absolutely agree that people are dieing after being asessed as "fit for work" when clearly they are very ill, I had a friend who suffered from COPD and got one of those reasessment letters - she lost part of her benefit and died three months later from a pulmonary embolism. I am sure the stress of this speeded up her demise.

It makes me so angry and in my view the government are at least guilty of manslaughter, how people can vote for such a callous and criminal bunch of ba****** is beyond me.