In Britain on the Sick, Dispatches investigates the controversial Work Capability Assessment (WCA), established by the Department for Work and Pensions to assess whether sickness and disability benefit claimants should be declared fit for work.
The Work Capability Assessment - How it works
Atos are the multi-million pound company who have been contracted by the DWP to carry out the WCA assessments, which form part of the DWP's decision to as to whether an individual is eligible for ESA.
The Atos assessors measure 17 different types of activity, such as: can you carry a cardboard box? Can you walk 200m? The DWP has set detailed guidelines as to how these tests are to be carried out and how points are to be allocated for each activity, ranging from a score of 15 for maximum disability to 0 for minimum disability. These tests are used by the DWP to decide whether people should receive Employment and Support Allowance or whether they should be sent to the job centre to look for work.
Clip 1: Cancer
During a training session our Dispatches undercover doctor is taught that, under DWP guidelines, different cancer treatments are treated differently for the purposes of the assessments.
