Fit for work test flawed, says Bevan Foundation

Bevan Foundation Director, Victoria Winckler, has echoed concerns expressed by charities that the Work Capability Assessment, which tests whether people are ‘fit for work’, is flawed.

Research by Parkinson’s UK, the Cystic Fibrosis Trust, the MS Society and the National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society found that 45% of people with four progressive diseases were told they will recover enough to look for work in the future after taking the Work Capability test. Between 2008 and 2011, 13,600 people with cystic fibrosis, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease or rheumatoid arthritis applied for sickness benefit or Employment Support Allowance (ESA) but nearly half were deemed to be able to recover to be well enough to work.

Speaking to the Western Mail on 27th August, Dr Winckler said: “The test asks, ‘Can this person walk so many metres?’, but what it doesn’t ask is ‘Can this person walk so many metres and then still be able to carry on normal activities? Can they do that distance over and over again?’”

The full article is at http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/fit-to-work-assessment-tests-farcical-blasts-5787477