‘Ruthless’ DWP ‘forced through WCA despite knowing of harm’

Last Updated: December 13, 2015By

Ministers and civil servants were “ruthless” and “reckless” in forcing through their new “fitness for work” test and refusing to abandon it even after they were told of the harm it was causing, according to a former government adviser.

Professor Geoff Shepherd, who was one of nine members of a working group set up by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) nearly 10 years ago, said the department could and should have predicted how stressful the test was going to be.

He said the face-to-face assessment at the heart of the process was so “arbitrary” that it was “a bit like Russian roulette”.

And he said it was “reckless” of DWP to continue with the work capability assessment (WCA) once evidence began to emerge of how damaging it was, particularly to people with mental health conditions.

Source: ‘Ruthless’ DWP ‘forced through WCA despite knowing of harm’

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11 Comments

  1. Stephen Bee December 13, 2015 at 2:04 am - Reply

    If they knew the harm they were causing, isn’t that a carte blanche admission of corporate manslaughter

  2. Jeffery Davies December 13, 2015 at 5:32 am - Reply

    They knew they thought they could get away with it but their aktion t4 plan brought abought deaths they had planned all along it seems the torys are of the right blood line jeff3

  3. Mr.Angry December 13, 2015 at 5:42 am - Reply

    Welcome to nazi Britain, absolutely disgraceful words fail me.

  4. Dez December 13, 2015 at 11:07 am - Reply

    only one member of a nine party working Group was able to see the consequences of the actions of the brainless ones…..would appear they chose the members of the working group in their customary manner ie filling the empty seats up with pro thinking members to ensure the smooth passage of ill thought out,mindless, bureaucrapic killing machines upsetting the lives of thousands on innocent parties…..shame on them may karma repay them and this Government 10 fold. The Cons are racking up their negative score big time. I note the Working Party actually discussing the Freedom of Information is full of biased members so do not expect any common sense decision from that Group either.

    • Florence December 13, 2015 at 12:48 pm - Reply

      Then let’s name those responsible. Yvette Cooper and the zombie Rachel Reeves. They were banging their own neolib drums when they pushed this through. It lost the last ounce of support New Labour had. She introduced the “imaginary wheelchair test”. Cooper is sociopath, and paved the way for utter psychopath IDS. She introduced the system but IDS made us all bleed. Corbyn must not allow either of these back into any part of government for social security in the broadest of terms. Preferably keep them out completely. There is no place in the Labour party tradition for their views.

  5. Anthony December 14, 2015 at 2:32 am - Reply

    I am a Manic Depressive and struggle every day just to come round from my meds. I constantly live in fear of the WCA because I know I cannot work in the way others can. Now Im in fear of losing my home 5 years from now. If either of these things happen my only recourse would be to end my life rather than starve or freeze to death outside. I have nightmares about it all the time and my mental health has seriously declined due to the ever present dark cloud of threat from this government.

    I’ll tell you this though … If I’m driven to suicide, I’m going to take some f***er with me. I’ll leave you to guess who.

    • Mike Sivier December 14, 2015 at 5:09 pm - Reply

      As mentioned many times here, This Blog does not condone violence of any kind, including to one’s self.
      Perhaps, since the DWP seems able to insulate itself from any implication of causing deaths, it would be better to publicise it when you reach a point where you feel you cannot go on, make it perfectly clear that you hold the DWP responsible for breaching its duty of care, listing the ways in which this has been done, and demanding restitution.
      … Rather than actually ending your own life.

  6. ! December 14, 2015 at 3:43 pm - Reply

    PROCEDURE OR DUTY?

    Ah, but the DWP are merely committing “procedural errors”. In that case it’s ok, they can get away with it. Apparently, procedure is not the same as “duty” – as if that defence is any comfort to the deceased victims’ relatives!

    Can you imagine if the dead could witness the inquest proceedings? Ah, so it was procedure that killed me rather than duty? I see!

    Remember, for an organisation to be charged with Corporate Manslaughter, it must (among other things) be guilty of a gross breach of a relevant duty of care to the deceased.

    • Dez December 14, 2015 at 7:38 pm - Reply

      i would have thought dealing with some of their clients DWP must have been aware of some of their clients acute vulnerabilities and therefore should have owed them a more robust duty of care.

  7. mrmarcpc December 17, 2015 at 2:21 pm - Reply

    They have gotten away with so much and no one has lifted a finger to stop them, and it’s only going to get worse, when is this idiot country finally going to wake up, grow a pair and do something about it!

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