Fit-to-work test under fire after tragedy highlighted

Professor Malcolm Harrington, the man appointed by the Government to review the Work Capability Assessment, warned that as a result people who are genuinely unable to work would suffer.

“There are certainly areas where it’s still not working and I am sorry there are people going through a system which I think still needs improvement.”

Prof Harrington makes his warning in an edition of Panorama tonight which features the story of one man who suffered from heart failure and died 39 days after being declared fit for work.

Stephen Hill was sent to his first Work Capability Assessment in 2010 when he gave up his job as a sandwich delivery man after being referred for tests on his heart.

His wife Denise, who was with him at the assessment, said: “She checked him out. She did his blood pressure and his heart and said to see a doctor as soon as possible.”

Despite the assessor telling Mr Hill to seek urgent medical advice, he was still found fit for work. In the meantime doctors had diagnosed him with heart failure.

He won his appeal but he was ordered to attend another assessment.

“He got a letter for another medical and I couldn’t believe it,” said Mrs Hill. “He’d got to go for a medical when he was waiting for a heart operation.”

But he was again declared fit for work, with the assessor declaring: “Significant disability due to cardiovascular problems seems unlikely.”

Mr Hill died of a heart attack five weeks later.

The assessments are carried out by Atos Healthcare on behalf of the Department of Work and Pensions.

In a statement to Panorama, Atos said that their staff “carry out thousands of assessments every month in accordance with detailed guidelines as set by the Department of Work and Pensions”.

Minister for Employment Chris Grayling said: “Our independent adviser Professor Malcolm Harrington has made several recommendations to us for improvements, all of which have been implemented. Even though no system is ever perfect, his most recent recommendations reconfirmed that the assessment is the right process.”