What will the DWP do if a coroner says this mum died because her benefits were cut?
Inquest: did Philippa Day take her own life in despair after benefit assessment provider Capita cut her benefits and demanded that she attend an assessment centre – which was impossible due to her disability?
We’ve been here before, I think. As I recall, coroners tend to back away from criticising the Department for Work and Pensions when disabled benefit claimants die.
But – again, as I recall – questions have been asked about the validity of such inquests after claims were made that some of the relevant evidence was omitted.
This time, it seems very thorough preparations are being made to prevent this from happening; several pre-inquest reviews have been held to discuss the case of Philippa Day.
The mother, from Mapperley, Nottingham, is believed to have taken her own life after a long struggle to have her benefits restored.
When her Disability Living Allowance was converted to the new Personal Independence Payment in January 2019, the government slashed the amount she received from £228 per week to £60.
The most recent pre-inquest hearing centred on discussions between Ms Day, the DWP and private assessment provider company Capita before her death, and the decisions about her benefits that followed.
It seems Capita had demanded that she must attend an assessment centre in person – an impossibility due to her ill-health.
Ms Day was admitted to hospital in August last year – in a coma, according to her family. She never revived and died in October 2019, aged just 27.
The full inquest is due to take place in January.
Let’s hope it makes more sense than some others we have heard recently.
Have YOU donated to my crowdfunding appeal, raising funds to fight false libel claims by TV celebrities who should know better? These court cases cost a lot of money so every penny will help ensure that wealth doesn’t beat justice.
Vox Political needs your help!
If you want to support this site
(but don’t want to give your money to advertisers)
you can make a one-off donation here:
Here are four ways to be sure you’re among the first to know what’s going on.
1) Register with us by clicking on ‘Subscribe’ (in the left margin). You can then receive notifications of every new article that is posted here.
2) Follow VP on Twitter @VoxPolitical
3) Like the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/VoxPolitical/
Join the Vox Political Facebook page.
4) You could even make Vox Political your homepage at http://voxpoliticalonline.com
And do share with your family and friends – so they don’t miss out!
If you have appreciated this article, don’t forget to share it using the buttons at the bottom of this page. Politics is about everybody – so let’s try to get everybody involved!
Buy Vox Political books so we can continue
fighting for the facts.
The Livingstone Presumption is now available
in either print or eBook format here:
Health Warning: Government! is now available
in either print or eBook format here:
The first collection, Strong Words and Hard Times,
is still available in either print or eBook format here:
Our very highly trained Hcp are brilliant at their jobs lying through this process . Hmmm yet the DWP will say that their thoughts are with the family and that they had followed procedure it’s only now that we see new evidence that was provided by this claiment and are very sorry for their loss we will learn from it. Sieg heil
Agree with the commentator – DWP and fascist tory government will ‘wash their hands of any collective government accountability!’ ‘We all adhered to procedure and it is regrettable this non human died but hey we saved a minute amount of money and now we can waste it on giving it to our crooked fascist cronies!’
‘And long may we reign as a fascist dictatorship!’
This poor woman is not an isolated ‘incident’ rather she is one of innumerable women and men who are being driven to suicide because of the callous and systemic cruelty of the fascist tories. Still never mind Rees-Hogg will claim ‘she should have known better than try to claim money she didn’t earn!’