Klacksun members and friends recently took the opportunity to respond to a Department of Work and Pensions Call for Evidence about the Work Capability Assessment (WCA).    

Read our response here.

The WCA is essentially a medical assessment and is related to Employment Support Allowance.    Employment Support Allowance is a benefit which has been in operation since 2008 and from early 2011 is the benefit which will replace Incapacity Benefit.  All those currently on Incapacity Benefit will move over to Employment Support Allowance.  The WCA is carried out, on behalf of the DWP (Department of Work and Pensions) by an organisation called ATOS.

We responded to questions relating to how the WCA is operating in practice, how it can be improved and what, if any, particular groups of people find the process challenging or difficult.  It's fair to say the folk have experiences some difficulty with the WCA system.

The first independent review of the WCA has now been completed and published.  Download a copy.    The review's author, Professor Malcolm Harrington, makes some key recommendations to "improve the fairness and effectiveness of the WCA".  His recommendations include:-

Building more empathy into the process;

Improving the tranparency of the ATOS assessment;

Ensuring ATOS employing mental, intellectual and cognitive champions to spread best practice and understanding of these disabilities;

Empowering and investing in DWP decision makers so they can make the best use of all evidence available.

The review has also set up a task group to look at how mental, intellectual and cognitive disabilities are assessed particularly in relation to what they term, "fluctuating conditions".   People with mental health issues often say that don't know how they will be from one day or week to the next.  The current WCA does not seem to be able to account for this. 

As well as responding to the Call for Evidence directly, we also sent a copy to SAMH, the national mental health organisation who are developing a campaign around employment and benefits.

As we felt that this would affect a large number of people with mental health issues in Clackmannanshire we also took the opportunity to write, with our response, to local MP, Gordon Banks.   He was interested in what people had to say and, on our behalf, has written to the Secretary of State to put forward our concerns.

If you would like to put forward your view or get involved in ongoing discussion please contact us.