ProNurse

By Rebecca McQuillan

People with serious mental health problems are inappropriately being told they are fit to work following assessments for a key sickness and disability benefit.

In one case, a man in his 30s diagnosed with depression, anxiety and a sleeping disorder, and with a history of self-harm when anxious, took an overdose and was admitted to hospital after being told he was fit for work by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

The benefit assessor, a nurse, had been given a detailed account of his health problems. The DWP also had contact details for the man’s GP, psychiatrist and community psychiatric nurse, but had not contacted them about his problems.

According to the Scottish mental health charity SAMH, the man had been sacked from work while off sick with depression and he and his partner had lived on savings and her income for months before he applied for the Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) benefit. The case is now being appealed.

Citizens Advice Scotland, which like SAMH is a member of the Scottish Campaign on Welfare Reform, reports that its bureaux are “inundated” with ESA appeals. Susan McPhee, head of social policy, said: "Every Citizens Advice Bureau in Scotland is having to help large numbers of sick and disabled clients who are being completely let down by the ESA system.

“The system seems to be aimed at just reducing the number of claimants, regardless of the needs of the individual, or of the detailed medical evidence.”

ESA was introduced in 2008 as a replacement for incapacity benefit, which will be phased out by 2013. The UK Government wants to cut claimant numbers by one million by 2015.

The 13-week claims process includes the work capability assessment, carried out by healthcare professionals from the company ATOS Healthcare.

SAMH and Citizens Advice Scotland, while not opposed to welfare reform, are concerned about the way benefit claims are handled.

Although claimants can ask their own GPs to provide evidence in their case, their GPs’ views are not routinely sought by the DWP, and there are also concerns about reports that appeals tribunals have been asked not to consider GP evidence in some cases.

Billy Watson, the chief executive of SAMH, said helping people with mental health problems return to work not only benefited those individuals, but could greatly benefit the economy.

However, while strongly supporting return-to-work initiatives, the charity said it was of “critical importance” that people did so “only when they are well, and with appropriate support measures in place”.

He said: “SAMH believes that a more robust assessment programme must be introduced that accepts medical evidence from GPs and community mental health teams before declaring that an individual is fit to work.”

The latest statistics show that 45% of claimants leave the ESA claims process before completing the assessment. “We need to know more about why these claims were closed, and whether people with mental health problems need more support to ensure that their claim is completed.”

A spokeswoman for the DWP said: “The work capability assessment looks at what people can do, rather than what they can’t, to give them the support they need to get back to work and avoid ending up on long-term sickness benefits.”

The DWP has “changed and enlarged the mental health and cognitive component of the assessment” and was committed to spreading best practice.

Where an appeal was lodged, it was ensuring there was a “comprehensive reconsideration of the case” and at tribunal, it was “improving the quality of evidence presented about the basis for the original decision”.

Statistics published in October show that in 69% of appeals, the original DWP decision is upheld.

Originally published by Newsquest Media Group.

© 2010 Herald, The; Glasgow (UK). Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.

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