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FIT FOR WORK
Chris Smith lay in a hospital bed, dying of cancer.
He should have been helped by the system, the welfare state which was established to help people like Chris.
Instead, the bombarded him with texts telling him he had to apply for jobs, and letters urging him to come to ‘job workshops.’
Lee Marlow reports.
It’s hard to know exactly where to start with the tragic story of Chris Smith, a plumber from Leicester who died last month. You could begin with the disease which claimed his life. Chris had cancer; lung cancer, skin cancer and a cancer that spread to his spine. He was diagnosed in April. Although Chris refused to believe it, he was dying.
As he was dying, Chris, 59, and his partner, Maggie, were embroiled in an unnecessary row with the Work and Pensions department.
Chris, a qualified plumber, had been ill. A poorly knee had kept him off work and then he began to feel sick.
He was called in for health tests. Government assessors told him he wasn’t ill enough. They deemed him fit for work. His benefits were stopped. Chris didn’t think it was right, but he didn’t complain, either. He started to look for work.
Chris didn’t know it, but he already had cancer. He was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer a few weeks later.
And, by rights, this is where the story should end. A man with terminal lung cancer should not be ordered to find work. He shouldn’t have his benefits stopped. This is what the Welfare State was created for, the safety net which cares for the sick and the poorly.
Chris Smith slipped through this safety net.
A spokeswoman for the Department of Work and Pensions said rigorous procedures were in place to eliminate mistakes.
For more see: http://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/Fit-work/story-22782662-detail/story.html
Tragic story!
Sadly, when ATOS assessors and DWP decision makers are trained to look for reasons to avoid awarding points at the WCA, such cases are bound to occur.
A sad indictment of the DWP culture of disability denial.
Wonder whether the Daily Mail would run such a story? Somehow I doubt it!