UK: Disabled mum who killed herself failed by benefits agency

John Mac

John Mac

Senior Member (Voting Rights)
Not ME but still disturbing treatment of a disabled person.

A woman whose disabled daughter killed herself after her benefit payments were stopped has called for officials to be prosecuted over their failings.

Jodey Whiting, 42, of Stockton, Teesside, took her life in 2017 when her payments were halted because she missed a capability assessment.

An independent inquiry has found the Department for Work (DWP) breached its own rules and it has been ordered to apologise and pay £10,000 compensation.

The DWP said it accepted the findings.

Ms Whiting, a mother of nine, suffered multiple physical and mental health issues including curvature of the spine and a brain cyst, and took 23 tablets each day.

She was suffering from pneumonia when she missed her assessment but was then ruled fit to work and had her Employment and Support Allowance halted.
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https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tees-47332954
 
Apologies really count for nothing in this situation. Given the DWP's own rules were breached, then whoever was responsible should be disciplined or, ideally, prosecuted. But probably won't. I'm afraid with the DWP I'm very cynical, and feel this is the tip of the iceberg. There will be so many many thousands more people in similar plights, and I doubt the DWP will change anything much if it can help it. When it says "the DWP was reviewing its procedures to ensure this doesn't happen again" I suspect it will be the getting caught they will strive to avoid repeating - I doubt there will be much improvement for benefit claimants.
 
And £10,000? That amount is just insulting in it's trivialisation. It'll be what one of the DWP bosses spends on a weekend break in a European city. The people who make these decisions need to be held to account, but they wont be because that's the shit pile we're living in. So angry.

Rest in peace Jodey
my prayers are with the family & everyone else who's on the receiving end of the casual evil of DWP policy & behaviour
 
Peter Trewhitt said:
Another article on this case, a very damning account in the Disability News Service, listing the DWP's failures to follow its one procedures:

https://www.disabilitynewsservice.c...five-safeguarding-chances-before-wca-suicide/
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Maximus:

“We always review the capability for work questionnaire and any accompanying medical evidence to establish if a face-to-face assessment is required.

“This includes consideration of whether an individual is able to attend an assessment centre by public transport or taxi.”

BS
https://www.s4me.info/threads/woman...vel-for-benefit-assessments-uk-petition.6460/
 
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Many people have killed themselves because of PIP and ESA - probably will happen about UC too. I totally understand what it's like as I've been through the DWP mill since having to move from beloved DLA to evil PIP, it has very badly affected my physical and mental health and I was seriously planning suicide for several months. Having now lost out at Tribunal stage after such a long hard fight I totally empathise with anyone feeling like it's the end, because that's how I feel about it too. The struggle never ends... now it's another fight with ESA and the WCA... soon it will all change again when UC comes along. It's like a covert extermination program of the most vulnerable. Oh the happy stressfree days of DLA and IS!!
 
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