Inquest finds mother took overdose after removal of disability benefits
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Version 0 of 1. Coronor says Philippa Day’s experiences with DWP were ‘predominant factor’ in her decision A severely mentally ill young mother died from a deliberate overdose after the removal of her disability benefits left her destitute, trapped in a months-long state of high anxiety and haunted by suicidal thoughts, an inquest has concluded. The coroner, Gordon Clow, said Philippa Day’s long struggle with the benefits system had been a “stressor” in her decision to take the overdose in August 2019. She was found unconscious at home by her sister and father, and died in hospital two months later after not recovering from a coma. Clow delivered a devastating critique at Nottingham coroner’s court on Wednesday of the handling of her benefits claim by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and its private contractor, Capita, outlining 28 specific instances where “systemic errors” had led to failures by benefits officials. The coroner said he would issue a formal prevention of future deaths notice to the DWP to ensure it improves its benefit assessment systems in a range of areas, including inadequate staff training, especially in dealing with mentally ill claimants, poor record-keeping and inability to swiftly correct “obvious” administrative errors. Clow told the court that while Day’s experiences with the DWP had been the “predominant factor” in her decision to take an overdose, he was unable to conclude that she had intended to take her own life, not least because of a previous history of deliberate overdoses. The case will intensify concerns over the DWP’s handling of benefit claims by vulnerable people. A report by the National Audit Office last year revealed at least 69 suicides could be linked to problems with benefit claims since 2014, and that the DWP had failed to investigate many of the cases properly or learn from them. Recent cases include Errol Graham, 57, who was found starved to death in 2018 after his benefits were withdrawn when he failed to attend a jobcentre meeting, and Jodey Whiting, 42, who took her own life in 2017, just days after her benefits were withdrawn. Day, a 27-year-old single mother from Nottingham, had a long history of mental illness, and had suffered from type 1 diabetes since childhood. Her often chaotic life had been marked by self-harm, suicide attempts and multiple stays in psychiatric hospitals. She took illicit drugs, though was not dependent on them. Her family described Day as an intelligent, beautiful and “effervescent” woman, who was able to connect well with other people. She had borne her trauma well, loved her young son, and had ambitions to train as a mental health nurse. In the months before her death she had endured a gruelling battle over her disability benefits after they were erroneously cut from £228 to just £60 a week. After they were reinstated, Day – who was agoraphobic – became increasingly anxious as officials insisted she report in person to a benefits assessment centre to be retested. Day’s community psychiatric nurse Tessa Rand had pleaded with an official at the private outsourcing firm Capita to reassess Day at home, saying her patient was “terrified” and in “immense distress” at the prospect. The official refused, and instead asked for written evidence as to why a home visit was needed. Just days later a letter from the DWP warning Philippa that she would lose her benefits if she did not attend the face-to face assessment was found next to her unconscious body, and notes left on her computer said her dealings with DWP made her feel “trapped” and “isolated from the world.” Day’s sister Imogen told the inquest the refusal of a home visit was the “straw that broke the camel’s back”. On several occasions Philippa had discussed her struggles with the benefit system with Imogen, telling how they had exacerbated her suicidal thoughts and left her in despair. The court heard a recording of a phone call made by a clearly distressed Day in June 2019 in which she pleaded with a DWP benefits official to reinstate her benefits “to give her something to live for” because she was hungry, penniless and in increasing despair. “I’ve been waiting for six months now. I’m literally starving, I can’t survive for much longer,” she told the official. Audibly crying, she added: “[I’m in] £5,000 debt. Nothing to eat. I’ve lost all my [benefit] premiums … I cannot survive … without any money. I need something to live for.” Over the next week Rand and Day made a series of frantic telephone calls to officials to try to reinstate her personal independence payment (Pip) claim, which had been cancelled in January, the inquest heard. A backdated payment of just over £2,000 was finally made on 18 June. The DWP privately acknowledged a series of failings in its handling of Day’s claim in a draft internal process review dated October 2020, requested by the coroner. They include a failure by officials to properly record Day’s calls, or record on her claim file the additional support she was entitled to as a result of her mental illness. Following the verdict, Imogen Day said: “As our family made clear in evidence given at the inquest into the death of my sister, we believe that Pip’s treatment by the DWP had a direct impact on her mental state and in the end is the reason for her death. “She was in despair because of the depths to which she had sunk, she could see no way out of the debt and the poverty in which she was living. Pip’s poor mental health meant she was not able to handle the battle with the DWP for the reinstatement of her benefits. The stress of the conflict with the DWP made her even more ill.” The DWP said it would respond to the coroner’s request for a prevention of future deaths report in due course. A spokesperson said: “This is a deeply tragic case. Our sincere condolences are with Miss Day’s family and we will carefully consider the coroner’s findings.” • In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at www.befrienders.org. |