I beg to move that this House has considered the matter of Atos work capability assessments.
I warmly thank the Backbench Business Committee for enabling me and cross-party colleagues to introduce this debate on Atos work capability assessments. There is enormous concern about the issue both in the country and in this House, as witnessed by the fact that more than 30 Members wish to speak on a Thursday. To try to ensure that they can all do so, I propose to speak for no more than 10 to 15 minutes. I hope that colleagues will accept that, for reasons of pressure on time, I do not propose to take interventions.
As knowledge of the debate has spread, I have been sent nearly 300 case histories, many of which make heart-rending reading. I cannot begin to do justice to their feelings of distress, indignation, fear, helplessness and, indeed, widespread anger at the way they have been treated. Nor can I easily contain my own feelings at the slowness, rigidity and insensitivity with which Atos and the Department for Work and Pensions have responded—or very often not responded—to the cries of pain that they have heard repeatedly. I have time to cite briefly only three examples which show how extreme is the dysfunction and malfunctioning of the Atos assessments.
The first example concerns a constituent of mine who was epileptic almost from birth and was subject to grand mal seizures. At the age of 24, he was called in by Atos, classified as fit for work and had his benefit cut by £70 a week. He appealed, but became agitated and depressed and lost weight, fearing that he could not pay his rent or buy food. Three months later, he had a major seizure that killed him. A month after he died, the DWP rang his parents to say that it had made a mistake and his benefit was being restored.
The second example, also from the Oldham area, concerns a middle-aged woman who was registered blind and in an advanced stage of retinitis pigmentosa. She was assessed at 9 points—well short of the 15 that are needed—and her incapacity benefit was withdrawn. On review by a tribunal, the Atos rating of 9 points was increased to 24.
The third case—I could have chosen from hundreds of others—also comes from the north-west and concerns an insulin-dependent diabetic with squamous cell cancer, Hughes syndrome, which involves a failed immune system, peripheral neuropathy, which meant that he had no feeling in his feet or legs, heart disease, depression and anxiety. Despite his life-threatening condition, he was placed in the work-related activity group.
Those and myriad other examples illustrate incontrovertibly that Atos’s current work capability assessment system is drastically flawed, and for several reasons.
First, Atos is an IT firm and it uses the so-called Logic Integrated Medical Assessment, which is often described as “rigid” and “tick-box” because computer-based systems make it difficult for health professionals to exercise their professional judgment. Because such a mechanistic system has little or no regard for the complexity of the needs of severely disabled or sick persons, the British Medical Association and others have condemned the current WCA as “not fit for purpose”.
Secondly, assessed persons regularly felt that the opinion of their own doctor or of other specialist medical personnel who were treating them was either ignored or overridden. That is all the more serious when Atos’s practices simply do not adhere to the guidance for doctors set down by the General Medical Council.
Thirdly, because of the failure of so many initial assessments, the appeal procedure is grossly overloaded and hugely expensive. No less than 41% of decisions are appealed, of which 38% are won. At £60 million in a single year, the appeals have cost the taxpayer more than half of the £110 million that was spent on the original assessments. Moreover, the National Audit Office has castigated the Department for failing to penalise Atos for what it politely calls its “underperformance” and for not setting “sufficiently challenging” targets.
Fourthly, there are concerns about the responsibility for work capability assessments, in particular that of the Atos chief medical officer. Professor Michael O’Donnell joined Atos from the American company, Unum, formerly UnumProvident, which had a very poor reputation in the US, where it was described as an “outlaw company” by the US authorities, partly because it was regarded as a “disability denial factory”. In that situation, the responsibilities of the Minister and the Secretary of State need to be established clearly.
Against that background, it is frankly not good enough for the Minister to respond to the debate by saying that there have been three Harrington reviews, and that the Department is doing the best it can to improve procedures. The fundamental issue is this: how can pursuing with such insensitive rigour 1.6 million claimants on incapacity benefit, at a rate of 11,000 assessments every week, be justified when it has led, according to the Government’s own figures, to 1,300 persons dying after being put into the work-related activity group, 2,200 people dying before their assessment is complete, and 7,100 people dying after being put into the support group? Is it reasonable to pressurise seriously disabled persons into work so ruthlessly when there are 2.5 million unemployed, and when on average eight persons chase every vacancy, unless they are provided with the active and extensive support they obviously need to get and hold down work, which is certainly not the case currently?
I therefore want to conclude by asking the Minister five specific questions to which I want a specific answer before the end of the debate.
First, it is true that Harrington has produced minor adjustments—implemented at a glacial place—but the underlying system remains largely undisturbed. The BMA and the NAO have therefore called for a thorough, rigorous and transparently independent assessment of the suitability of the work capability assessment. Will the Minister now implement that?
Secondly, will the Minister accept that the current criteria and descriptors do not sufficiently—or even at all—take into account fluctuating conditions, especially episodic mental health problems? How will he rectify that?
Thirdly, will the Minister provide full and transparent details of the Atos contract? They should not be hidden by specious claims of commercial confidentiality when Atos is the sole provider of what is clearly a public service. Better still, given that Atos has failed so dramatically, why does he not in-source the work back into the NHS?
Fourthly, how will the Minister ensure that the medical expertise of disabled persons’ doctors and related professionals is fully taken into account before assessments are completed?
Lastly, I want to provide a full dossier to the Secretary of State so that he fully understands what is being done today in his name, and to bring a small delegation to see him from some of the excellent organisations of disabled people who have heroically battled to highlight and tackle the distress and pain caused by Atos. Can I please be assured that the Secretary of State will see such a delegation?
I repeat that I am sincerely grateful for this debate, for the co-operation of colleagues from all parties, and for the detailed responses I have received from so many hundreds of victims of Atos, but I assure the Minister of this: the debate is important, but it will certainly not be the end of the matter.
http://www.leftfutures.org/2013/01/my-speech-on-atos-work-capability-assessments/
I hope the above can be posted all over the country, and every web-site possible. The current government and the last who instigated this useless corrupt French company, ATOS should be taken to courts throughout the land, for at the very least, criminal medical negligence, and more justly, for causing death by mental and physical torture!
I’ve posted it on my music blog:
http://100greatestbootlegs.blogspot.co.uk/
Well done to Michael Meacher at least one politician is making an effort hopefully more will follow his lead and end this horror.
I am sure that tomorrow’s daily comics will be all about Algeria and ignore what is happening on their own doorstep.
Well said Boadicea, I would also include those in high positions at the DWP for their S.S. like collusion.
This unfair , unreliable and a medical assessment process that lacks any validity will not stop by any discussion or debate. Protest and reaction again and again will make this Government listen and take heed . Even better would be for Neo Liberals to cross the floor of the house and bring about a general election
compensation for people who have died and for people who nearly commited suicide because of atos atos atos
Well done to Michael Meacher for getting this debate
From reports of the debate I gather that Stephen Timms, the shadow minister of state for employment, said: “The architecture of employment and support allowance is sound. The assessment system, however, is clearly not up to the load it is being asked to bear.”
While we continue to challenge and condemn the present Government for the horrific scandal they have created and continue to perpetuate, this kind of statement from Labour also needs to be strongly challenged.
The assessment system supports the whole architecture of ESA. It is the centrepiece of the whole horrendous system.
The methodology and the design of the WCA itself is clearly flawed, as well as its implementation and delivery by ATOS.
It is not just a matter of who is delivering it.
The WCA test itself is demonstrably flawed as is clear through its horrendous results.
Its design, methodology and descriptors are a bizarre hotch potch of factors which have little to do with any real world work environment that I’ve ever come across.
It is scandalous that the enormity of the present ESA system has been built upon it.
It would be equally scandalous for Labour to think that anything should continue to be built upon it.
The architecture collapses if the foundation is flawed.
It needs to go to the rubbish tip where it belongs.
I heard Michael Meacher on Radio 4 at lunchtime yesterday. At last someone in the Commons who is clearly as concerned as we all are. The news of this debate is of course noticeable by its absence as Algeria, demise of High Street retailers and other issues provide a useful diversion away from Welfare Reform issues and anything that matters to disabled people, the unemployed and the working poor. The Tories must be clapping their hands in glee. Where are the other politicians in the House who will stand up and join Michael Meacher in his quest to bring attention to the appalling failures of the WCA? But we must not lose hope … but we need other powerful individuals to maintain the pressure. Nothing is going to change unless others add their voices of concern and dissention on all sides of the House of Commons.
is there no legal recourse for those who died, specifically, those with serious life threatening illnesses?
Has someone got Michael Meacher’s email? Its not just the Atos system here, its also collusion of medical doctors being silent, in some cases not giving letters of support for DWP assessment, or doctors minimizing symptoms, consultants at hospital do not write clinical letters reflecting seriousness of illness, deny diagnosis and report tests as normal when they are not. There is no legal recourse, no support groups, very little recourse. In otherwords, the system was designed to totally disempower offering no recourse, little legal information concerning reforms, ambiguous information given drip by drip from governmental offices. There is also funding provided for “nurses” to visit those who are homebound/bedbound to prepare for work. PIP is designed to help only those who are bedbound paralyzed head to toe, there is no provisions for those who are seriously ill, at home, hardly able to function.
You can email Michael at meacherm@parliament.uk
Thank you JJ. I posted on Huff UK today. ZERO response!!! No interest. http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/hugh-salmon/benefit-cuts-a-call-to-mobilise-the-disabled_b_2493567.html
yes it was well done but we now ids will not move at the killing of us daily by his bandit company who deny benefits and leave us to starve but then ids rather give it to emma who awards hersalf 8.6million in bonuses yep he rather do that kill a few more and keep the ship straight on over us taking away your benefits for those of their friends who are rich enough without our monies jeff3
Thank God Almighty for capable, discerning politicians like Michael Meacher MP.
73 of us dying each week of Atos (DWP)
https://twitter.com/SoniaPoulton/status/254887806516740096
No record of the 43% of us found fit for work who aren’t working or receiving benefits the following year which will mean nothing to the gangster squad but be of terrible concern to anyone with a beating heart
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2013/jan/17/atos-attack-emotional-commons-debate
494 of us dying each week of cold
http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2011/nov/22/fuel-poverty-protestors-die-in-winter-deaths
1 in 500 of us currently being kept alive by responsible taxpayers at foodbanks leaping impressively to 1 in 250 of us by April
http://blogs.channel4.com/factcheck/food-banks-is-cameron-on-the-money/12486
The blame for these deaths lies squarely with the terrorists who launched this vicious and cowardly attack.
Sign this petition to show the gangster squad what happens when they defame, illegitimise and abandon disabled people:
http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/33327