The government test to prove that disabled and sick people are unable to work is causing an increase in physical pain, worsening their condition or delaying their recovery, according to a new survey.
By Hannah Fearn for the Independent
Leonard Cheshire, a charity that works with disabled people, surveyed 350 individuals who had been through the workplace capability assessment, which is used to establish whether benefit claimants are well enough to return to work.
More than six in 10 (65 per cent) of those who had gone through the process said they had ended up with more pain afterwards. Almost three quarters (72 per cent) said they found the assessment had a negative impact on their mental or physical health, or both. The same number described the face to face appointment as stressful.
One claimant, a teacher who was medically retired in 2011 due to progressive rheumatoid arthritis, said she left her appointment “feeling absolutely awful and suffered a lot of pain in the following days”. She went on to suffer a stroke a few weeks later, and believes the experience of undertaking a work fitness assessment was a contributing factor.
Andy Cole, campaigns director for Leonard Cheshire, said: “This isn’t acceptable and no test should put someone through something that makes their condition worse.
