the country's only news agency specialising in disability issues
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 […]
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 […]
Disabled activists have explained why they needed to hold the government to account over its “sickening” and “degrading” cuts by protesting outside this week’s Conservative party conference in Manchester. The protest, organised by Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC), saw disabled people […]
Government contractor Atos Healthcare claims it has no idea if a former surgeon whose flawed assessment of a disabled man helped trigger his suicide is still testing people with mental health conditions for their eligibility for disability benefits. Disability News Service […]
A coroner has demanded that the government takes action to prevent future deaths of disability benefit claimants, after concluding in a “ground-breaking” inquest verdict that a disabled man killed himself as a direct result of being found “fit for work”. It […]
Disabled activists have greeted the election of Jeremy Corbyn as the Labour party’s new leader with huge optimism, and as an opportunity to fight back against government austerity. Many campaigners recognised his past commitment to disability rights, and his record of […]
Work and pensions secretary Iain Duncan Smith is facing fresh calls to quit or be fired after suggesting in the House of Commons that disabled people were not “normal”. Duncan Smith (pictured) told MPs during work and pensions questions this week […]
Work and pensions secretary Iain Duncan Smith appears set to scrap the “fitness for work” test championed by successive Labour, coalition and Conservative governments, but there are fears that its replacement could prove even more damaging to disabled people. Duncan Smith […]
New evidence proves that the controversial outsourcing contractor Atos should be stripped of all of its disability benefit assessment contracts, say disabled campaigners. Fresh concerns about the behaviour of Atos and its assessors emerged after Disability News Service (DNS) revealed last […]
Government proposals that some groups of disabled people should have their benefits cut if they refuse treatment have been branded “ethically unacceptable” and “sheer bullying”. The Conservative pledge to carry out a review into the proposals was treated with shock and […]