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So Iain Duncan Smith, what about the death of Michael O’Sullivan? So Iain Duncan Smith, what about the death of Michael O’Sullivan?
(about 6 hours later)
Iain Duncan Smith will today have the chance to give his personal response to a case that has placed the darkest of clouds over his programme of welfare reforms, when he addresses the Conservative conference.Iain Duncan Smith will today have the chance to give his personal response to a case that has placed the darkest of clouds over his programme of welfare reforms, when he addresses the Conservative conference.
The discovery that a coroner had directly attributed a man’s suicide to his being found “fit for work” was a significant moment in the work capability assessment (WCA) scandal. It appeared to be the first time that a coroner had blamed the WCA process – designed and overseen by Duncan Smith’s Department for Work and Pensions – for directly causing a death.The discovery that a coroner had directly attributed a man’s suicide to his being found “fit for work” was a significant moment in the work capability assessment (WCA) scandal. It appeared to be the first time that a coroner had blamed the WCA process – designed and overseen by Duncan Smith’s Department for Work and Pensions – for directly causing a death.
Related: Fit for work assessment was trigger for suicide, coroner saysRelated: Fit for work assessment was trigger for suicide, coroner says
“The anxiety and depression were long-term problems,” said Mary Hassell, the north London coroner, in her verdict on the death of Michael O’Sullivan. “But the intense anxiety that triggered his suicide was caused by his recent assessment by the Department for Work and Pensions (benefits agency) as being fit for work, and his view of the likely consequences of that.” Hassell felt so strongly that something had gone badly wrong that she completed a Prevention of Future Deaths report, because she believed there was “a risk that future deaths will occur unless action is taken”.“The anxiety and depression were long-term problems,” said Mary Hassell, the north London coroner, in her verdict on the death of Michael O’Sullivan. “But the intense anxiety that triggered his suicide was caused by his recent assessment by the Department for Work and Pensions (benefits agency) as being fit for work, and his view of the likely consequences of that.” Hassell felt so strongly that something had gone badly wrong that she completed a Prevention of Future Deaths report, because she believed there was “a risk that future deaths will occur unless action is taken”.
But the significance of the coroner’s conclusion – and the report – would have been far less clear if it weren’t for a heartwrenching ITV News interview with Michael O’Sullivan’s daughter, Anne-Marie. “If they continue to assess people the way they assessed dad,” she said, “we will continue to lose lives. Vulnerable people need support and need help and we should be able to give them that support. We shouldn’t just let them fall by the wayside.”But the significance of the coroner’s conclusion – and the report – would have been far less clear if it weren’t for a heartwrenching ITV News interview with Michael O’Sullivan’s daughter, Anne-Marie. “If they continue to assess people the way they assessed dad,” she said, “we will continue to lose lives. Vulnerable people need support and need help and we should be able to give them that support. We shouldn’t just let them fall by the wayside.”
Without her testimony it would have been all too easy to ignore the emotional impact of her father’s death on his family and friends, because the DWP’s energy-sapping resistance to openness and clarity about the true impact of the WCA process can too easily lead us to drift into a battle over numbers.Without her testimony it would have been all too easy to ignore the emotional impact of her father’s death on his family and friends, because the DWP’s energy-sapping resistance to openness and clarity about the true impact of the WCA process can too easily lead us to drift into a battle over numbers.
These numbers include the 10,600 people who died between January and November 2011 while claiming employment and support allowance (ESA), and within six weeks of their claim ending; the 41,000 people who died within a year of receiving a decision on their supposed “fitness for work”, between May 2010 and February 2013; the 81,140 people who died while claiming ESA or incapacity benefit (IB); and the 2,650 ESA and IB claimants who died soon after being found “fit for work”. We still don’t know exactly how significant these numbers are. But I believe that what is hidden within these figures are scores of Michael O’Sullivans, and every one of them will have left behind shattered lives.These numbers include the 10,600 people who died between January and November 2011 while claiming employment and support allowance (ESA), and within six weeks of their claim ending; the 41,000 people who died within a year of receiving a decision on their supposed “fitness for work”, between May 2010 and February 2013; the 81,140 people who died while claiming ESA or incapacity benefit (IB); and the 2,650 ESA and IB claimants who died soon after being found “fit for work”. We still don’t know exactly how significant these numbers are. But I believe that what is hidden within these figures are scores of Michael O’Sullivans, and every one of them will have left behind shattered lives.
And then there are the “peer reviews”, carried out internally by the DWP in cases of concern “following the death of a customer”. The DWP initially responded to press inquiries and freedom of information requests from Disability News Service by saying that no such information was collected. It later admitted that there have been at least 49 of these reviews into the deaths of “customers” since February 2012, and 33 of those contained recommendations for improvements in DWP procedures at either a national or local level; 40 were carried out following the suicide or apparent suicide of a benefit claimant, and 10 concerned claimants who had had their benefits sanctioned at some point. To date, the content of these 49 reviews remains secret.And then there are the “peer reviews”, carried out internally by the DWP in cases of concern “following the death of a customer”. The DWP initially responded to press inquiries and freedom of information requests from Disability News Service by saying that no such information was collected. It later admitted that there have been at least 49 of these reviews into the deaths of “customers” since February 2012, and 33 of those contained recommendations for improvements in DWP procedures at either a national or local level; 40 were carried out following the suicide or apparent suicide of a benefit claimant, and 10 concerned claimants who had had their benefits sanctioned at some point. To date, the content of these 49 reviews remains secret.
But again, these are just numbers. Each of these DWP “customers” was someone with family and friends, and their death destroyed lives and relationships. Which was why it was so important to hear from Anne-Marie O’Sullivan, something I probably lost sight of myself when breaking this story. What a contrast her words made to the pompous bluster and fake outrage of Duncan Smith every time he has been challenged about the damage caused by his social security reforms.But again, these are just numbers. Each of these DWP “customers” was someone with family and friends, and their death destroyed lives and relationships. Which was why it was so important to hear from Anne-Marie O’Sullivan, something I probably lost sight of myself when breaking this story. What a contrast her words made to the pompous bluster and fake outrage of Duncan Smith every time he has been challenged about the damage caused by his social security reforms.
Disabled activists who have campaigned on this issue have been written off by some as scaremongers and extremists, but politicians would do well not to underestimate their persistence and bloodymindedness. And so would the other individuals and organisations who have questions to answer: the coroners who have not fulfilled their legal duty and reported concerns about the ESA system to the DWP (only Hassell has done this so far); the assessors themselves (not all of them of course, but a significant minority); and, of course, Atos, which has been claiming to Disability News Service that it had no idea if the former surgeon who assessed Michael O’Sullivan was still carrying out benefits assessments of people with mental health conditions. (Atos has subsequently bought itself out of the WCA contract.) Disabled activists who have campaigned on this issue have been written off by some as scaremongers and extremists, but politicians would do well not to underestimate their persistence and bloodymindedness. And so would the other individuals and organisations who have questions to answer: the coroners who have not fulfilled their legal duty and reported concerns about the ESA system to the DWP (only Hassell has done this so far); the assessors themselves (not all of them of course, but a significant minority); and, of course, Atos, which will not say if the former surgeon who assessed Michael O’Sullivan was still carrying out benefits assessments of people with mental health conditions. (Atos has subsequently bought itself out of the WCA contract.)
It is only the arrogance of politicians, their willingness to listen to the executives in the insurance industry who devised the system, and their reluctance to listen to the disabled people actually forced to undergo it, that has kept the WCA afloat this long.It is only the arrogance of politicians, their willingness to listen to the executives in the insurance industry who devised the system, and their reluctance to listen to the disabled people actually forced to undergo it, that has kept the WCA afloat this long.
Nothing that causes this degree of risk and avoidable harm can survive such a degree of scrutiny for ever. The evidence is slowly emerging: in inquests; in academic research; in the stories of bereaved families; in suicide notes; in freedom-of-information responses; and now in a PFD report.Nothing that causes this degree of risk and avoidable harm can survive such a degree of scrutiny for ever. The evidence is slowly emerging: in inquests; in academic research; in the stories of bereaved families; in suicide notes; in freedom-of-information responses; and now in a PFD report.
Enough is enough. It’s time to replace this spiteful, jaw-droppingly bureaucratic and harmful assessment process, and finally start listening to sick and disabled people. And to Anne-Marie O’Sullivan.Enough is enough. It’s time to replace this spiteful, jaw-droppingly bureaucratic and harmful assessment process, and finally start listening to sick and disabled people. And to Anne-Marie O’Sullivan.
• In the UK, the Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123. Calls are free and won’t appear on bills. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Hotline is 1-800-273-8255. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is on 13 11 14. Hotlines in other countries can be found here.• In the UK, the Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123. Calls are free and won’t appear on bills. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Hotline is 1-800-273-8255. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is on 13 11 14. Hotlines in other countries can be found here.