• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • About DNS
  • Subscribe to DNS
  • Advertise with DNS
  • Support DNS
  • Contact DNS

Disability News Service

the country's only news agency specialising in disability issues

  • Home
  • Independent Living
    • Arts, Culture and Sport
    • Crime
    • Education
    • Employment
    • Housing
    • Transport
  • Activism & Campaigning
  • Benefits & Poverty
  • Politics
  • Human Rights
You are here: Home / Archives for work capability assessment

work capability assessment

‘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
Listen

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’
Listen

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
Listen

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’
Listen

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
Listen

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 […]

WCA death scandal: ‘DWP and Atos killed my son’

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

WCA death scandal: ‘DWP and Atos killed my son’
Listen

The father of a man who took his own life after being found “fit for work” believes his son would still be alive if he had not been failed by the benefits system the government and its contractor, Atos. Stephen Carre, […]

Government hides information on death of Michael O’Sullivan

By John Pring on 16th October 2015 Category: Benefits and Poverty

Listen

The government is refusing to release information that would reveal which ministers and civil servants decided how to respond to the death of a man who killed himself as a direct result of being found “fit for work”. Disability News Service […]

‘Fitness for work test and sanctions helped kill my brother’

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

‘Fitness for work test and sanctions helped kill my brother’
Listen

The sister of a disabled man who died just three months after being found fit for work and then having his benefits sanctioned says the government’s discredited work capability assessment (WCA) system was partly responsible for her brother’s death. Luke Alexander […]

Disability Rights UK wins contract to teach equality to Maximus

By John Pring on 2nd October 2015 Category: Benefits and Poverty

Disability Rights UK wins contract to teach equality to Maximus
Listen

A national disabled people’s organisation is to provide disability equality training workshops to staff from the controversial US-owned company that won the government contract to assess people’s “fitness for work”. Disability Rights UK (DR UK) will provide training to about 1 […]

Michael O’Sullivan inquest: Chief coroner silent over WCA ‘future deaths’ reports

By John Pring on 25th September 2015 Category: Benefits and Poverty

Michael O’Sullivan inquest: Chief coroner silent over WCA ‘future deaths’ reports
Listen

The chief coroner of England and Wales has refused to act after it emerged that only one coroner has written an official report warning that lives could be put at risk by the government’s “fitness for work” test. Disability News Service […]

  • « Go to Previous Page
  • Page 1
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Page 4
  • Page 5
  • Page 6
  • Page 7
  • Go to Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

On the left of the image are multiple heads of different colours - white, aqua, red, light brown, and dark green - all grouped together, then the words ‘Campaign for Disability Justice. Sign up to support. #OpportunitySecurityRespect’
A photograph shows an audience raising their hands in a BSL sign. The words say: 'BSL Conference 2025. The future starts with us. Leeds 17-18 July. Be part of shaping the future of Deaf cultures and identities. Get 10% off with BDA10'

Access

Latest Stories

Disabled MP who quit government over benefit cuts tells DNS: ‘The consequences will be devastating’

Disabled peers plan to ‘amend, amend, amend, amend, amend’ after assisted dying bill reaches Lords

Minister finally admits that working-age benefits spending is stable, despite months of ‘spiralling’ claims

This bill opens the door to scandal, abuse and injustice, disabled activists say after assisted dying bill vote

Timms says cuts must go ahead, despite being reminded of risk that disabled claimants could die

Absence of disabled people’s voices from assisted dying bill has been ‘astonishing’, says disabled MP

Timms misleads MPs on DWP transparency and cover-ups, as he gives evidence on PIP review

Ministers are considering further extension to disability hate crime laws, after pledge on ‘aggravated’ offences

Making all self-driving pilot schemes accessible would be ‘counter-productive’ and slow us down, says minister

Involve disabled people ‘meaningfully’ from the start when developing digital assistive tech, says report

Advice and Information

Readspeaker
A photograph shows an audience raising their hands in a BSL sign. The words say: 'BSL Conference 2025. The future starts with us. Leeds 17-18 July. Be part of shaping the future of Deaf cultures and identities. Get 10% off with BDA10'

Footer

The International Standard Serial Number for Disability News Service is: ISSN 2398-8924

  • Accessibility Statement
  • Privacy Policy
  • Site map
  • Bluesky
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Threads
  • Twitter

Copyright © 2025 Disability News Service

Site development by A Bright Clear Web