DWP requires ‘deep-rooted cultural change to stop more benefits deaths’

At least 240 internal reviews have been launched since 2020 into cases of serious harm where there has been an allegation that the DWP’s actions may have contributed to a person’s death or harm, the report found.

The Department for Work and Pensions requires “deep-rooted culture change” to prevent more deaths of vulnerable benefit claimants, MPs have said.

The Work and Pensions Select Committee said there was “self-evident failure of safeguarding in the system”, describing current processes for protecting the most in need as ”piecemeal” and “deficient”.

At least 240 internal reviews have been launched since 2020 into cases of serious harm where there has been an allegation that the DWP’s actions may have contributed to a person’s death or harm, the report found.

The actual figure, the cross-party group of MPs said, was likely to be “much higher than this”.

“It’s just unacceptable in a country like ours – we have to be so much better,” Debbie Abrahams, the Labour chair of the committee, told Channel 4 News.

Ms Abrahams said there had been a culture “geared to getting people into work, sometimes by means that are completely inappropriate”.

The committee has urged the government to introduce a new legal safeguarding duty in order to protect vulnerable people, with the work and pensions secretary overseeing the requirement by law.

“It’s just unacceptable in a country like ours – we have to be so much better.”
– Debbie Abrahams MP

A DWP spokesperson told Channel 4 News that ministers were “consulting on a new safeguarding approach”, adding: “This government is committed to protecting the people who use our services and fixing the broken welfare system we inherited.”

The report has been released in the wake of publicity around several high-profile deaths of claimants, including Errol Graham and Philippa Day.

Mr Graham starved to death in 2018, eight months after his Employment and Support Allowance was stopped.

An inquest into his death found a series of missed opportunities to share information and support Mr Graham, with a coroner saying “the safety net that should surround vulnerable people in our society had holes within it”.
A safeguarding review promised by the DWP in the wake of the inquest findings had never happened, a lawyer acting for Mr Graham’s family told the report authors.

Philippa Day took her own life in 2019 following multiple mistakes with her disability benefits, which led her income to decrease from £228 a week to £60.

The mother-of-one, who had complex physical and mental conditions, called the DWP to say she was “starving” and “couldn’t live like this for much longer”.

A coroner identified at least 28 mistakes in how authorities dealt with her case.

”The fight for accountability was absolutely exhausting,” Imogen Day, Philippa’s sister, told Channel 4 News.

“Your loved one has been ripped from you through no fault of their own by a system that is designed to support people. When that support fails, it often has very, very tragic and far reaching consequences.”

One witness who contributed to the report said they felt as if “a system meant to wrap its arms around us is strangling us”.

From 2013 to 2024, the DWP has been issued with nine Prevention of Future Death reports by coroners, following the deaths of benefits claimants.

“Your loved one has been ripped from you through no fault of their own by a system that is designed to support people.”
– Imogen Day

Ms Abrahams said the committee had explored “some quite horrendous cases” and there needed to be “a complete overhaul” of how the department approaches safeguarding.

Ms Abrahams said “getting people into work to cut costs had been prioritised over providing support and care for vulnerable people”.

Asked whether it was an attitude problem towards the most vulnerable who could not work, she said: ”It hasn’t been great – there are issues with culture in the department.

”It’s not just about getting people into work. It is important to make sure that we keep people safe.”

The committee has also proposed the creation of a “victims of domestic abuse” as a standalone category in the Universal Credit process, labelling its current absence as a “glaring omission”.

MPs said the DWP’s chief medical adviser also needed to be consulted on the potential health impacts of all new welfare reforms.

Six years after her sister’s suicide, Imogen Day said she was still “incredibly concerned” by the culture within the DWP, accusing Sir Keir Starmer’s government of deploying “incredibly dangerous” rhetoric around the welfare system and the need for savings.

Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall confirmed on Monday that she was beginning the process of abolishing the work capability assessment and reforming the system to apply for the personal independence payment, amid growing anxiety from Labour backbenchers.

More than 40 Labour MPs have signed a letter warning the prime minister that planned disability cuts are “impossible to support”.

Internal DWP forecasts, first reported by The Guardian, suggested planned changes could affect an estimated 700,000 families.

Asked whether she shared the concern of Ms Day and elements of her own party, Ms Abrahams said she supported “the need for reform across the social security system” but cautioned against implementation without ”considering the impact of policy measures”.

“This government is committed to protecting the people who use our services and fixing the broken welfare system we inherited so it works for those who need it.”
– DWP spokesperson

The Labour MP for Oldham East and Saddleworth said language as part of what she described as the “shirkers, scroungers narrative” was “absolutely deplorable”.

A Department for Work and Pensions spokesperson said: “This government is committed to protecting the people who use our services and fixing the broken welfare system we inherited so it works for those who need it.”

“That’s why we are currently consulting on a new safeguarding approach, and our reforms will improve people’s lives and rebuild trust, by establishing an approach that genuinely supports vulnerable people.

“As we deliver our Plan for Change, we encourage people to have their voices heard through our consultation so we can build a safeguarding approach that works better for all.”

Full credit for this article goes to Jamie Roberton with Channel 4 News.

Original article can be found HERE.