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Post by Moose on Mar 29, 2014 23:02:22 GMT
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Post by spaceflower on Mar 30, 2014 0:18:01 GMT
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Post by Moose on Mar 30, 2014 0:40:55 GMT
No, the DWP (Department of Work and Pensions) makes the decision. The fact that the guy was apparently unable to read or respond to letters should have been an indicator for them that he needed help. And they do not care.
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Post by Moose on Mar 30, 2014 0:44:32 GMT
from the Guardian article
Wood, of Bampton, Oxfordshire, was not told his housing benefit and employment and support allowance (ESA) had been stopped, and struggled to survive on the £40-a-week disability allowance that remained. He was reluctant to ask relatives for help and they were unaware his benefits payments had been removed until shortly before he died.
Concerned about his patient's condition, Wood's doctor, Nicholas Ward, wrote a letter for Wood to pass to the jobcentre in support of his benefits application, stating that he was "extremely unwell and absolutely unfit for any work whatsoever".
The letter, presented to the inquest, stated that his anxiety disorder and obsessional traits had been made "significantly worse" because of the pressure put on him by benefit changes. It continued: "Please do not stop or reduce his benefits as this will have ongoing, significant impact on his mental health. He simply is not well enough to cope with this extra stress. His mental and medical condition is extremely serious."
It was not clear whether the letter reached the jobcentre.
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The bolded bits are mine. The DWP(jobcentre) are REALLY good at 'not being clear' on whether someone has contacted them or not.
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Post by tangent on Mar 30, 2014 1:15:27 GMT
I don't know what to say.
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Post by Moose on Mar 30, 2014 1:19:51 GMT
I was comparatively lucky - I had a support network. Lots of people do not. You have to really live with mental illness (generic you I mean .. Steve I know you understand!) to understand just how sufferers simply aren't capable of dealing with their own affairs. And the person who assessed this guy must have known that and the people who dealt with him at the DWP must have known it too. And that's just fucking awful.
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Post by Alvamiga on Mar 30, 2014 9:00:57 GMT
Ultimately, the main problem is that they try to run the system like a business, which it is not. Costs and savings are the drivers, not welfare. It's the same reasons why most public services are going down the pan. These things are supposed to help people, not make a profit. Also, nothing much is done about the private companies hired to do public work when they don't meet goals either. I was recently listening to a programme on Radio 4 about how a lot of companies were actually being given incentives (more money) to do a job which they have failed miserably at, instead of being held in breach of a contract and not paid for it. These companies then cost as much as better companies who had put in a realistic quote. Even worse, companies doing a perfectly reasonable job were being replaced overnight for ones who had put in a "better" quote. One man died tragically when it transpired his new carer had not been dealing with his medication correctly as soon as they took over. Within a week he was dead and it was found to be entirely due to the lack of proper monitoring and the job of dealing with such things being done correctly. There is more to cost than just money!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 30, 2014 10:39:53 GMT
At least these cases are made public in GB. In Germany, you have to really look for them, they hardly ever make it to big newspapers.
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Post by tangent on Mar 30, 2014 14:38:34 GMT
I was comparatively lucky - I had a support network. Lots of people do not. You have to really live with mental illness (generic you I mean .. Steve I know you understand!) to understand just how sufferers simply aren't capable of dealing with their own affairs. And the person who assessed this guy must have known that and the people who dealt with him at the DWP must have known it too. And that's just fucking awful. I do understand the crippling effect of mental illness but not everyone in a position of responsibility does. I wonder if DWP staff have emotional overload to the extent they can't see it any more.
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