Behind each of these overturned decisions is a person enduring months of uncertainty, anxiety & insufficient income. People often feel invalidated & even question their own disability. Their #MentalHealth suffers, sometimes to the point of feeling suicidal independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-n…
Other services, particularly NHS #MentalHealth services, often have to step in to both support someone through the process of challenging a decision & to respond to the psychological fallout of the stress this situation causes. This puts a further strain on public finances
A process to ration resources between people is always likely to leave some feeling unfairly treated, but there is so much space for improvement within the current system. Social security should be seen as an investment in people rather than just a cost to be minimised
Linked to that, DWP needs to be accountable for the human impact & the cost to other services when people are treated poorly & left with inadequate support. The department plays a critical role in the welfare of millions of people & should have a commensurate duty of care
Finally, the assessment process itself is critical for both the outcomes it delivers & the experience of those going through it. It could be much less prescriptive & adversarial, delivered by people with real understanding of disability, & making better use of wider evidence
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