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You are here: Home / Archives for work capability assessment

work capability assessment

Abrahams drags New Labour into Stephen Carré suicide report cover-up

By John Pring on 11th February 2016 Category: Politics

Abrahams drags New Labour into Stephen Carré suicide report cover-up
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The shadow minister for disabled people has implicated New Labour in an apparent cover-up of the government’s failure to respond to a coroner’s report on the suicide of a disabled man found “fit for work”. Debbie Abrahams has repeatedly refused to […]

Justice ministry refuses to probe DWP’s WCA suicide report ‘cover-up’

By John Pring on 28th January 2016 Category: Benefits and Poverty

Justice ministry refuses to probe DWP’s WCA suicide report ‘cover-up’
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The Ministry of Justice is refusing to investigate why the Department for Work and Pensions failed to fulfil its legal duty to respond to a coroner’s report that linked a disabled man’s suicide to its “fitness for work” test. The coroner’s […]

Alarm over proposals to scrap GPs’ ‘fit note’ duties

By John Pring on 21st January 2016 Category: Benefits and Poverty

Alarm over proposals to scrap GPs’ ‘fit note’ duties
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Proposals by two groups of English GPs that they and their colleagues should no longer be responsible for providing “fitness to work” certificates for their patients have alarmed disabled activists. GPs from Kent’s local medical committee (LMC) have proposed in a […]

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

By John Pring on 11th December 2015 Category: Benefits and Poverty

‘Ruthless’ DWP ‘forced through WCA despite knowing of harm’
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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 […]

Maximus boss’s share sale is fresh embarrassment for DWP

By John Pring on 4th December 2015 Category: Benefits and Poverty

Maximus boss’s share sale is fresh embarrassment for DWP
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A senior US executive decided to offload millions of dollars-worth of stock in his own company, just two weeks after it began delivering the controversial UK government contract to assess disabled people’s fitness for work. Maximus took over the £595 million […]

‘Damning’ research on WCA deaths is ‘timely’ reminder of government’s shame

By John Pring on 20th November 2015 Category: Benefits and Poverty

‘Damning’ research on WCA deaths is ‘timely’ reminder of government’s shame
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Disabled activists say government-funded research, which concludes that the programme to reassess people on incapacity benefit through the work capability assessment (WCA) was linked to 590 suicides in just three years, is both “damning” and “timely”. Campaigners, doctors and psychiatrists have […]

Government, health unions and Maximus all silent over ‘590 WCA suicides’

By John Pring on 20th November 2015 Category: Benefits and Poverty

Government, health unions and Maximus all silent over ‘590 WCA suicides’
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The Department of Health, doctors’ and nurses’ unions and the contractors paid to carry out the assessments have refused to pledge to take any action following new research linking the government’s “fitness for work” test with about 600 suicides. The study […]

Maximus US shares plunge over missed WCA targets in UK

By John Pring on 20th November 2015 Category: Benefits and Poverty

Maximus US shares plunge over missed WCA targets in UK
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A Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) contractor saw its share price plunge in the US after revealing that it has struggled to recruit doctors and nurses from the NHS to assess disabled people’s “fitness for work”. Maximus took over the […]

WCA death scandal: Ministers ‘failed to pass 2010 suicide report to Harrington’

By John Pring on 9th November 2015 Category: Benefits and Poverty

WCA death scandal: Ministers ‘failed to pass 2010 suicide report to Harrington’
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Ministers appear to have failed to hand a crucial report about the work capability assessment – warning it put at risk the lives of thousands of people with mental health conditions – to the expert they commissioned to review the test. […]

WCA death scandal: Grayling ordered assessment roll-out, despite coroner’s warning

By John Pring on 9th November 2015 Category: Benefits and Poverty

WCA death scandal: Grayling ordered assessment roll-out, despite coroner’s warning
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Ministers appear to have allowed a controversial disability benefits assessment to be rolled out to hundreds of thousands of long-term claimants with mental health conditions, even though a coroner had warned it was a threat to their lives. Employment minister Chris […]

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Image of front cover of The Department, showing a crinkled memo with the words 'Restricted - Policy. The Department. How a Violent Government Bureaucracy Killed Hundreds and Hid the Evidence. John Pring.' Next to the image is a red box with the following words in white: 'A very interesting book... a very important contribution to this whole debate' - Sir Stephen Timms, minister for social security and disability. plutobooks.com and the Pluto Press logo.

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