30 November 2020

Newly-released internal process reviews show that a number of suicides between 2014 and 2019 were linked to DWP staff’s failure to follow suicide guidance.

What: Newly-released internal process reviews show a series of suicides between 2014 and 2019 were linked to the failure of DWP staff to follow the six-point plan (guidance for staff in how to deal with statements by customers that they intend to self-harm or take their own lives), introduced in 2009. Another key recurring theme is the failure of DWP decision-makers “to take all evidence into account” when deciding a PIP claim.

Why significant: Demonstrates repeated failures by DWP staff to safeguard claimants