The DWP have brought in a member of the ‘Fit For Work Coalition’ and the neo-liberal think tank the World Economic Forum, to carry out a review of the brutal assessments for sickness and disability benefits.
Dr Paul Litchfield will replace Professor Malcolm Harrington who was sidelined after being mildly critical of the Work Capability Assessment (WCA), the relentless health and disability tests which have driven some claimants to suicide.
As well as his membership of the sinister sounding World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council – who promote more capitalism to deal with the problems created by capitalism – Litchfield is Chief Medical Officer at BT. He is also a member of the aptly named Fit For Work Coalition which: “brings together healthcare professionals, policy makers, employers, and patients to improve the productivity of Britain’s workforce, by empowering and supporting people, including those with long-term conditions, to remain in or return to work and be economically active.”
Litchfield has long been working behind the scenes with both the current and the last government in a bid to dismantle the welfare state. Way back in 2006 he was a member of the Mental Health Technical Group who were involved in proposals to ‘transform’ the old Personal Capability Assessment (PCA) – the previous assessment regime for Incapacity Benefit.
Full Story – The Void Blog
Related articles
This creature’s no fact finding missionary; it’s a headhunter!
Oppose! Complain! Object! Telephone! Letters! E Mails!
Keep hammering them all into being unable to function!
What they need to do to scrutinise Atos is use an independent body, not one that is attached to the balls of this coalition government.
I would even go as far a saying no judges either. We as a society should not allow this Government, the DWP, MEDICAL SERVICES, or ATOS carry out the unlawful medical questionnaires, which are intimidated and manipulated by the ATOS Doctors. Any Atos doctor who try to carry out a physical examination should be reported to the police for assualt. We need to start challenging these abuses and medical assesment by Atos and the DWP in the high court, or European courts. There must be some barristers out there rich enough to give some of there free time to help challenge these cases.
Any takers……
This government is reminiscent of the old style USSR.
There not saving money on welfare cuts to the likes of you and me, they are handing over the so called save on welfare to ATOS. Which boost the profits of ATOS.
They are really putting there own cocks on the chopping block when you think about it.
Never mind doctors speaking English, what about there hand written reports that are totally not readable due to the poor handwriting and grammar…
ATOS are acting criminally by removing people from ESA when, by placing them on other schemes, such as WRAG, or WF poses a risk to either the person placed on that scheme or to other people around them. Or by forcing them to perform work that may accelerate or exacerbate their condition. Proof of this may be found under ESA Regulations 29 and 35 respectively. For further details check out Black Triangle Website.
If he is a Doctor did he not take the Hippocratic Oath for Doctors that says ‘Do No Harm’. This assessment is harmful to anyone disabled in this country.