Downward spiral of the DWP - how low will they go?

The DWP (Department for Work and Pensions) are using taxpayer's money to appeal against a decision made by the Information Commissioners Office (ICO). This follows an earlier Freedom of Information (FOI) request relating to deaths after Work Capability Assessments (WCA) judged individuals 'fit for work'. After initially denying even holding the information, the DWP then claimed that releasing the (conveniently found) data would likely cause reputational damage to 'commercial interests' for the department and the relevant commercial entities (Atos and Maximus). The ICO found this was not a valid reason for the government to withhold this information, and ordered the DWP to release the report. By appealing against this ruling from the ICO (and despite high numbers of overturned assessment decisions, concerns regarding cost, and ongoing evidence suggesting a link between WCA tests, mental health and deaths, including suicide), the DWP is unashamedly putting commercial interests above their moral obligation to protect the physical and mental health of our society's most vulnerable. 

The WCA, first introduced by Gordon Brown in 2008, uses a fixed points system to classify individuals into three categories: fit for work, unfit for work (but fit for work-related activity) and unfit for work. The WCA testing process has always been outsourced to private companies — first to Atos (an IT services corporation with an annual revenue of ~ €12 billion) in 2008. Atos were commissioned to assess individuals face-to-face using decision-making software to compile reports to send to the DWP regarding claimant's fitness to work. In 2005, Maximus (another private for-profit company that reported annual revenue of $1.7 billion in 2014) took over the contract. If a claimant disagrees with the outcome, claimants can ask the DWP to reconsider the case — a process known as 'mandatory reconsideration' whereby decisions can be overturned.

  

In 2011, David Cameron's coalition government, under the name of 'welfare reforms' and 'austerity', further revised the assessment (intended to save 'wasted' tax-payers money). A number of subsequent reports criticised the numbers of incorrect decisions that were overturned on appeal, the cost effectiveness of the tests, and the impact that WCAs have on claimant's health (Parliament's Office of Science and Technology, 2012; Public Accounts Committee, 2013; A study on WCA and mental health between 2010 and 2013 published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 2015; British Psychological Society, 2015; The National Audit Office, 2016; The United Nations, 2016). In addition, a number of coroners have also written to the DWP citing concerns regarding mental health problems, anxiety caused by the WCA, and suicide. Despite the devastating impact these assessments have had on thousands of lives, the Office for Budget Responsibility found that between 2011 and 2014, no savings had been made in the sickness benefit budget.

Individuals with chronic health problems (both physical and mental) already spend a substantial amount of time within the NHS. Only trained professionals with continued contact (such as GPs or specialists) are in any viable position to assess whether an individual is 'fit for work'. Outsourcing this task to for-profit companies (where targets and money are the main objective, and not the welfare of vulnerable members of our society) is an inhuman approach. Money spent outsourcing these assessments should be invested into the NHS, increasing staffing levels so that informed decisions can be made regarding fitness for work capabilities. As the evidence shows, a binary 'for-profit' approach does not work with complex health issues. 

Unnecessarily withholding relevant information is dishonest, cruel and unproductive. The DWP, and its commercial associates, need to be held responsible for any issues raised by this information to prevent any further suffering, and before the system spirals even further out of control.