Lib Dem campaigner, Mark Jewell, is urging all agencies involved with the outcomes of the Work Capabilty Assessment (WCA), to respond to the governments consultation.

The government are currently inviting representations to the 4th annual review of the WCA. All claimants of the Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) are required to undertake the assessment.

Concerns about the WCA appear to have been vindicated by a Government audit which found 41% of reports sampled to be of an unacceptable standard. As a result of this, the Express reports, ATOS will lose its monopoly on conducting the tests.

Mark Jewell commented, “From some of the people I am currently helping, I know that some of these assessments have said individuals are capable of work when they clearly are not. Together with other agencies I have helped them appeal the decision of ATOS, the company who makes these assessments.”

From Labours criticisms you would not think that is was in fact Labour who gave ATOS the contract and introduced the WCA in the first place. We are nowhere near having a fair WCA, but the Coalition, at the urging of Liberal Democrats, has at least improved it from the model they inherited. So, let’s not listen to anything Labour has to say on the subject.

Fixing it will take more than just bringing in new companies to administer it. The whole process needs to be rebuilt to be realistic, sensitive and fair.

Governments Consultation on Work Capability Assessment

Responses need to be in by end August 2013

A Guide to Employment and Support Allowance – the Work and Capability Assessment

Work Capability Factsheet