In one case highlighted by the Papworth Trust, a 52-year-old woman attempted suicide after she was told that because she could "walk, talk and dress nicely" she would not qualify for state assistance. I hope you're all very proud of yourselves at Coalition HQ.
A coalition of charities claims that a controversial health test being pushed by ministers to decide who will get long-term sickness benefits is not working. There is mounting evidence, say the charities, that people with serious illnesses are being judged fit for work when they are not. More than 30 organisations including the Papworth Trust, Mind and the MS Society – representing some of Britain's most vulnerable people – have written to the head of the government review of the test saying that they are being "overwhelmed by evidence showing the assessments are inaccurate and unjust". The charities point out that of the 166,000 people so far found fit for work, a third went on to appeal.
The government intends to reassess all incapacity benefit claimants to see if they are capable of working, stressing that the welfare bills are unaffordable. Last month it emerged there were 889,000 people who had spent all of the last 10 years on sickness benefits, at an average annual cost of £4.2bn. Charities say people who are not in visible distress are often wrongly being found fit for work. There are complaints that the assessors are not trained to deal with learning disabilities, mental health issues and long-term health problems.
In one case highlighted by the Papworth Trust, a 52-year-old woman attempted suicide after she was told that because she could "walk, talk and dress nicely" she would not qualify for state assistance. In a high-pressure job in social care she had snapped under pressure a few months earlier. "My doctor and psychiatrist both wrote saying I was unfit to work but the young woman in the assessment said that you can speak, hear, see and are not incontinent so you can work. She was very sorry. But it was crushing. I had lost my job, my house, my car," said the woman, who requested anonymity. Soon after being turned down for benefits, which amounted to £65 a week, she was rushed to hospital with a drugs overdose. "It was the final straw for me. I thought, what else can I do?"
Government sources admitted there have been "issues" with the assessment, saying ministers had made changes "to better recognise people suffering from cancer and mental health conditions". There will also be an independent review by health expert Malcolm Harrington. Despite this, the charities have concerns over the speed at which the government is moving, saying it may mean the process is not as fair as it should be. "Assessing 1.6 million existing incapacity benefit claimants equates to 41,000 per month. [It] is an ambitious target," they say.
The charities are also worried by changes introduced in the emergency budget tying housing benefit to jobseeker's allowance. "It is concerning that an assessment which we do not believe has demonstrated its ability to place people correctly on to employment and support allowance may become the basis of eligibility for a far wider range of benefits."
