A woman with #depression took her own life because her benefits were cut following an #Atos #WCA @MentalWelfare The woman, in her fifties, had been experiencing both #mental and physical health issues and was on strong medication, yet received zero points in an hour-long Work Capability Assessment (WCA). The case of the woman, identified only as Ms DE, was brought to the attention of the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland (MWC), and after an extensive investigation the watchdog said it had raised “numerous concerning issues” about the Department for Work and Pensions - DWP and Atos Origin process. She was notified on 9 December that she had scored zero points on the assessment, and that her incapacity benefit of £94.25 a week would be cut to a Jobseeker’s Allowance of £67.50. She took an overdose on New Year’s Eve that year. “This lady had a lot to look forward to,” the chief executive of the MWC, Dr Donald Lyons said. “She was getting married. She was being treated. She was undertaking voluntary work. She had a good social network. “There wasnt anything else which we could identify that would lead us to believe that there was any other factor in her life that resulted in her decision to end her life.”
Posted on: Fri, 28 Mar 2014 13:04:05 +0000
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