25 September 2012

The death of Edward Jacques, a week after his Employment Support Allowance (ESA) was stopped, which his family say was a major “trigger”. The coroner raises issues with the assessment process, specifically the failure to get medical evidence.

What: Edward Jacques, from Sneinton, Nottingham, had been found fit for work after a WCA lasting just 23 minutes, an inquest would later hear. His ESA was stopped on 18 September and he took his own life a week later. The coroner at his inquest said: “I find the assessment process in Edward’s case did not fully or properly reflect Edward’s physical and mental health at that time. It is conceded by those involved in the [assessment] process that if the information as to Edward’s physical and mental health as shared by his GP had been known at the time of the assessment, the outcome would have been very different. It is desperately sad that such evidence was not available either to the nurse or to the decision maker.” She also branded the WCA a “crude assessment”. His brother and sister said: “We have no doubt that the decision to stop his allowance was a major trigger which led him on to a severe depression and desperate action. We do not believe that Edward is an isolated case and we think thousands of assessments have been made like this across the country.”

Why significant: Another suicide linked to the failure to secure further medical evidence.