Islington isn't the only place where vulnerable residents are wrongly being told that they are fit for work
When people have serious health problems and cannot work, both they and their families need support. In Islington, we've found how easily that support can be lost through a wrong decision by assessor Atos.
To take one example from our borough: a school meals supervisor, and mother-of-four, had to stop work because of multiple health problems. Like thousands of other local people receiving disability benefits, she was sent for an assessment by Atos, the government contractor running work capability assessments.
Despite health conditions, including cancer and heart disease, she was passed as fit for work, and her benefit was stopped. After uncertainty and anxiety for an already seriously unwell person and her family, Islington law centre was able to help her to successfully appeal and regain her benefits.
Her story is very concerning, but even more disturbing is that hers is far from an isolated case. In Islington we have heard of scores of similar stories, where Atos has told people with serious health problems they are fit for work.
When Islington council's scrutiny committee investigated the concerns around Atos' performance locally, it uncovered startling statistics. Of 108 cases where the council supported residents to appeal their assessment for Employment Support Allowance (ESA), 95 won.
In other words, almost 90% of the original decisions were overturned at appeal – a truly shocking figure. We know many more cases have also been successfully appealed in Islington by residents helped by the Islington law centre, Citizens Advice Bureau, and others.
Across London, according to the Department for Work and Pensions' own figures, 45% of appeals against'fit for work' decisions were successful. So it's not just in Islington that there are problems with the assessments – nearly half of all the appeals against these decisions across London were successful. We also heard some reasons why so many wrong decisions are being made: assessor staff were often ill-equipped to understand the complex health problems of those in front of them, and did not always take into account medical evidence from GPs or hospital consultants.
For us enough is enough. Our executive has passed a vote of no confidence in Atos and we have now written to the secretary of state for work and pensions explaining that the evidence we have seen on Atos's performance is so serious we no longer have any confidence in them.
When almost half of all appeals are successful, something is badly wrong. The level of error is simply unacceptable. It has a devastating impact on the life of the affected person and it is very expensive for the taxpayer.
Many of Islington's out-of-work sick and disabled residents want to work, and we are proud to help support them into employment, and to develop the skills and confidence they need. But there are also people who cannot work because they are disabled or have serious health problems, and they deserve help and support, not flawed assessments which cause additional hardship and anxiety.
It's not just in Islington that disabled people and residents with serious long-term illnesses are wrongly being told they are fit for work. Similar stories, all too familiar, come in from around the country. This is especially concerning as Atos prepares to start assessments for Personal Independence Payments. We would urge other councils to look at Atos' performance in their area, and how many residents are being given decisions that are later being overturned at appeal.
If large numbers of their residents are also being passed as fit for work when they clearly are not, they might also want to consider a vote of no confidence in the contractor being paid to carry out the assessments.
Richard Watts is leader of Islington council.
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