Mencap Calls For Investigation Into ESA Death Stats

A disability charity has called for an investigation to be held into the deaths of more than 2,000 people within weeks of being judged “fit for work”.

Mencap, a learning disability charity, says the “tragic” deaths raise questions about the fairness of the work capability assessment.

It comes after the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) released figures sought under a Freedom of Information Act request.

The figures show that between December 2011 and February 2014, some 2,380 people died within around two weeks of their Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) being stopped following a decision they were “fit to work”.

The DWP insists there is “no causal link” between benefits status and the likelihood of dying, as the individual causes of deaths were not recorded in the figures.

The department stressed that the death rates for unemployed claimants remained in line with trends in the wider population for a decade.

But Mencap argues the number of deaths is unusually high for people of working age who had been declared fit to work.

The charity’s Rob Holland, who co-chairs the Disability Benefits Consortium, said: “These tragic figures are concerning and warrant further investigation.

“We know the fit for work test is failing disabled people, with devastating consequences.

“Wrong decisions can mean people are left with little or no support at all, in some cases struggling to pay for their homes and basic essentials like food and heating.

“The Government must act now to reform the work capability assessment so it is fair for disabled people and those with health and medical conditions. Indeed there is real concern that the process itself is stressful and can in fact worsen people’s conditions.”

A DWP spokesman said: “We don’t hold information on reason of death, so no causal effect between a fit for work decision and death should be assumed.

“The mortality rate of those who are claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance – which includes some of those found fit for work – is still lower than for the general population.

“Furthermore, the overall trend shows the mortality rate for people who have died while claiming an out-of-work benefit, has fallen over a 10-year period.”