- His daughter received a text
- and immediately knew something was wrong.
- The decision was taken
- despite being told by his doctor
- he was too sick to return to his job.
- (He had been a painter and decorator.)
- He had suffered from anxiety and depression
- for six years. He also had
- breathing problems
- caused by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
- The Department had written to him
- a year earlier
- requesting a consultation in July.
- Four days before the medical
- he attended his doctor’s surgery
- in a state of panic.
- He was declared fit to work.
- Following the decision
- he lodged an appeal
- but it was rejected.
- His support was stopped in November.
- December. His daughter had been planning
- to help him take his case to a tribunal,
- but she had had to leave him
- to go Christmas shopping
- and to pick up her children,
- when she received the text.
- ‘I love you.’
- She found him
- and performed CPR
- before calling an ambulance.
- Three days later
- a decision was taken
- to turn off his life support.
[Inews, 06/06/2019, Chronically ill father died by suicide after DWP declared him fit to work and cut his benefits]