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The care watchdog is only managing to send service-users to assist on just over half of its inspections of residential homes, care agencies and day centres in England, new figures have revealed. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has repeatedly insisted that […]
More than one in eight of all decisions to reject claims for personal independence payment (PIP) are eventually being overturned, new figures obtained by Disability News Service (DNS) have revealed. The figures* show that, of all the PIP claims rejected by […]
The two outsourcing companies paid hundreds of millions of pounds to carry out disability benefit assessments have never met contractual quality standards on the reports their staff write for the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), they have told MPs. Capita […]
The healthcare professionals who carry out disability benefit assessments on behalf of the government should be held accountable for failing to report what they are told accurately, MPs have been told. Members of the Commons work and pensions select committee were […]
MPs have launched an inquiry into why so many disability benefit decisions are being overturned on appeal, and look set to examine claims of widespread dishonesty among the healthcare professionals who carry out assessments on behalf of the government. The investigation […]
Labour’s shadow work and pensions secretary has called for nurses and other healthcare professionals who write misleading benefit assessment reports to be “held to account”. Debbie Abrahams said there had been “too many times” when healthcare professionals had written reports that […]
A furious disability benefit claimant has produced what she says is the clearest evidence yet that healthcare professionals working for the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) are writing dishonest assessment reports. CeaJay Clem, from Gloucestershire, has chronic discoid lupus, which […]
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has broken its promises not to harass a traumatised benefit claimant while he waits to give vital evidence in a child abuse trial. Last year, DWP publicly apologised – although not directly to David* […]
Plaid Cymru have called in their election manifesto for the Welsh government to be given responsibility for running the social security system in Wales, which would allow it to ban private companies from carrying out disability benefit assessments. The policy mirrors […]
Disabled people helping to deliver a vital part of the care watchdog’s inspection programme were refused support workers, while one was bullied into resigning, documents obtained by Disability News Service (DNS) have revealed. The internal reports – finally released following a […]