11 December 2015
What: Three mental health experts describe their experiences on the mental health technical working group that was used by DWP to help design the WCA in 2006 and 2007. Geoff Shepherd, Sue Godby and Jed Boardman tell Disability News Service about how the WCA was a “deeply flawed” and damaging process, something that could and should have been predicted at the time of its introduction under the Labour government in September 2008.
Why significant: Evidence that ministers and senior civil servants under the Labour government were told repeatedly that the WCA was not fit-for-purpose and would damage claimants’ mental health, and were also told that it was vital to obtain a wider range of information about people with mental health problems before deciding on their claims.