An NHS body says it has no plans to
take over the "harrowing" task of assessing whether disability claimants
are fit for work following the withdrawal of benefits contractor Atos.
Salus, a not-for-profit arm of NHS Lanarkshire, said the NHS is the best
organisation to assess people's fitness for work, but it has
"reticence" about the controversial work capability assessment (WCA).
Private-sector firm Atos conducts WCAs on behalf of the Department for
Work and Pensions (DWP) and subcontracts Salus to assess claimants for
the new personal independence payment (PIP) benefit, which will replace
disability living allowance (DLA).
Atos recently announced it will no longer conduct the WCA following a public outcry over its implementation.
Salus has no plans to step into the void, general manager Mark Kennedy told Holyrood's Welfare Reform Committee.
He described the WCA as "harrowing", with claimants greeted by security
guards at the door in contrast to Salus's more clinical approach to PIP.
Mr Kennedy said: "I think Atos are learning that there is a different
approach that we have with the (PIP) claimants in terms of process, and
it (WCA) doesn't need to be as harrowing as it sometimes currently is.
"They were surprised that we didn't have any security on site. We take
the view that these are people who access the NHS, so why would you?
"We have several people who have already been through the WCA and are
now applying for PIP who are basically saying it's night and day, it's a
totally different experience."
He added: "There is nobody better placed to look at the functionality of
an individual than the NHS, so I would say from a clinical point of
view that there's no reason why that wouldn't be the case in assessing
whether they would be fit for work or not.
"However, we have some reticence around the current WCA infrastructure
and structure and we are making no moves to enter that market at this
present time."
Milngavie & Bearsden Herald
