Half of GP surgeries are charging sick and disabled benefit claimants who request medical evidence to support a benefit appeal, a survey by the Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) had found.
The CAB say that this demonstrates the ‘obstacles’ people face when appealing against Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) ‘fit for work’ decisions, as well as the financial difficulties experienced by sick and disabled benefit claimants in accessing their medical records.
According to the results of the survey, 50% of GP surgeries said that they charged benefit claimants for medical evidence and 61% of those said they asked their patients to pay between £10 and £50.
26% of GP surgeries who asked benefit claimants to pay for medical evidence admitted that they only asked ‘some patients’.
14% of GP surgeries surveyed by the CAB said that they only provide medical evidence to ‘some’ groups of patients, while 15% admitted that they turn down ALL requests from sick and disabled benefit claimants for medical evidence.
Among the reasons given for refusing to provide medical evidence for ESA appeals were ‘a lack of time and that they did not feel it was their job to do so’.
Citizens Advice Chief Executive, Gillian Guy, said:
“The Work Capability system is not fit for work. The odds are stacked against sick and disabled people, who are paying a heavy health, emotional and financial price for ministers’ failure to get support right...
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