- When questioned afterwards
- the assessor claimed he couldn’t remember
- if he had made any phone calls
- to their son’s doctor or psychiatrist
- for information about his mental health.
- ‘He reports self harm
- in the past.
- He reports he attempted an overdose
- six weeks ago;
- he would not say
- what he took.
- He reports he has had no thoughts
- of suicide since.
- The evidence overall suggests
- he is not at substantial risk.’
- The decision
- was confirmed in a letter.
- A month later
- he took his own life.
- His father said his son’s mental health
- had deteriorated in the last couple of years
- but he had previously been able to work intermittently
- in agriculture
- and labouring.
- His final job was cleaning buses.
- He was taking strong medication
- anti-psychotics,
- anti-depressants,
- was experiencing
- paranoid delusions.
- His father said
- ‘his mind was gone’
- He remembers finding his son’s assessment report
- and his other official paperwork
- scattered over the floor of his flat
- after he died.
- Several weeks later
- Department officials
- visited the family.
- ‘They said
- “I don’t suppose it will help now
- but we have reversed the decision.”’
[Disability News Service, 02/12/2019, DWP: The Case for the Prosecution]