Sent: Thursday 4th October 2012 15.04 hrs
Amelia Gentleman’s article (‘Get ready for work: what woman who needs constant care was told’ 3rd Oct 2012) highlights yet again the abject failure of the Work Capability Assessment (WCA) régime.
Although little has been publicised about such regulations, there exists an exceptional circumstances clause whereby a claimant should be placed in the support group rather than the WRAG (Work-Related Activity Group).
Notwithstanding the catalogue of grave errors and omissions in this lady’s assessment, the DWP Decision Maker ought to have applied Regulation 35:
‘Because of your physical or mental health condition or disability there would be a substantial risk to the mental or physical health of any person, including you, if you were found not to have limited capability for work-related activity’.
This would have placed Ruth in the ‘Support Group’ exempting her from the WRAG.
As there has been no risk assessment of the WCA the whole process caries a substantial risk of serious harm to claimants.
We therefore make the following demands:
(i) That DWP decision makers must apply this regulation much more frequently in order to prevent avoidable harm.
(ii) That The Royal College of Nursing and all other Health Care Professional bodies supplying Atos must make a statement condemning the WCA in its current form and join with us and the BMA in demanding that it be scrapped with immediate effect.
(iii) That The General Medical Council must withdraw the “approved medical environment “status granted to ATOS assessment centres forthwith. Unless they do so they are complicit in a process that has irrefutably been proven to cause serious, even fatal harm to patients.
(iv) We also urge the GMC to thoroughly investigate the doctor responsible for this appalling assessment.
We will not remain silent until this grave injustice is comprehensively addressed by the relevant bodies.
Yours faithfully
John McArdle and Dr. Stephen Carty
for
Black Triangle Campaign
https://blacktrianglecampaign.org
Excellent response, Black Triangle. You do the long-term sick & disabled community of this country a great service with your tireless efforts to oppose and end this perverted regime.
I second the response by David Shaw, why don’t more Doctors and nurses speak out against this appallingly evil process that does not look at the health problems of people whether they be mental or physical they just see them as a thing, a thing that is costing money that must be saved at all costs.
Any Doctor that swears the Hippocratic oath and says nothing about this ungodly process is guilty of breaking that oath. It’s about time they started to speak out against the harm that these politicians (all of them no matter what political party they belong to, they are all the same they all betray the people) are doing to their patients. Not only that their patients illnesses are being made worse but also that there patients are being murdered by these politicians. Doctors are also being called incompetent as they obviously cannot diagnose properly as according to Atos and the DWP there is nothing wrong with their patients.
Shouldn’t thousands of Doctors be brought up before the GMC for making false diagnosis on hundreds of thousands of people or being in collusion with their patients fraudulent claims for incapacity benefit and DLA. Of course we all know that that is rubbish and that our Doctors are professional,dedicated and caring people but the way that Atos and the DWP disregard the Doctors professional diagnosis is truly shocking and very disrespectful to the true medical professionals of our hospitals and GP surgeries. God help us all.
here here but will they listen i think not as for dwp atos they all should be sacked and jailed by the treatment of the sick and disabled who they treat with disstain now when are we going to get someone with a big pair who will rid us of these evil gits who prey on us dail;y jeff3
Brilliant letter, Black Triangle, says it all. Thank you for your dogged persistence and courage.
The professions will not take a stand against WCA. Look at their unofficial blogs and websites, most of them are pleased that the heat was taken off them when IB was replaced by ESA, and they no longer had to face patients who wanted to be signed off
Thanks Black Triangle for this letter and for all your excellent efforts.