Tag: Jobcentre

05 he didn’t know how he was going to live

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No witnesses gave evidence
at the inquest,
only the coroner read out
written statements
from the man’s doctor, the first paramedic
to attend him after he collapsed,
a police sergeant who investigated
his death, the pathologist
who carried out
his post-mortem.
The day he died
he was awaiting the results of an appeal
against being found fit for work.
He visited the jobcentre,
and was asked to climb some stairs.
Heart disease, sarcoidosis,
diabetes, cirrhosis,
depression, anxiety,
agoraphobia and high blood pressure;
he had been referred to a respiratory clinic; had been diagnosed
with Asperger’s syndrome.
He had previously lost his job because of depression;
he was falling asleep at work; serious breathing difficulties.
Despite a ‘fit note’ from his doctor
he had started a new job within a few days;
he wanted to work.
But his employer realised how unwell he was, and was worried.
He lost the job.
He told the jobcentre staff
he would have a heart attack
if he climbed the stairs.
Told he could use the lift,
he asked if someone could accompany him
because of his claustrophobia.
He was told this was not possible.
It was agreed that someone would come down
to speak to him.
After leaving the Jobcentre
he went to see a friend,
who calmed him down.
He was worried about work, about
money.
They weren’t going to give him disability benefits.
He didn’t know how he was going to live.
Hours later
he collapsed in the street
and died.

[Disability News Service, 11/08/2022, Shock after inquest ignores ‘fitness for work’ and jobcentre concerns]

13 after he left the army

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He joined the army at 17;
served for two years in Belfast, a lance corporal.
After he left the army,
he worked with BT for 16 years, then
different jobs, but left
to care full-time
for his mother
who had dementia.
After she went into a home
he looked for work,
took two unpaid placements
(he was denied a third)
but his benefits were stopped
when he missed an appointment at the Jobcentre.
He was diabetic. Without support
he couldn’t afford to eat
or put credit
on his electricity card
to keep the fridge working
where he kept his insulin.
On the day he died
of diabetic ketoacidosis
he had three pounds forty-four pence,
six tea bags, a tin
of soup and a can of sardines
(out of date),
no food in his stomach,
and a pile of CVs
next to his body.

[The Daily Mirror, 27/07/2014, Killed by benefits cuts; The Guardian, 09/09/2014, David Clapson’s awful death was the result of grotesque government policies]

18 Dirge 1: for when you think you will be well again

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The dispatcher noted on the call log that the patient wanted to die,
but this particular piece of information was not conveyed.
The information which the crew were given was:
Psychiatric/Abnormal behaviour/
Suicide attempt;
trying to slit wrists; Armed with a weapon –
glass.
Therefore
the crew were given adequate information
of the patient’s intent.
She was due to attend the Jobcentre on the fourth
to make her declaration of unemployment
in order to remain eligible for her benefit payment.
However, she contacted the centre that day
to say she was sick.
She subsequently attended on the seventh
where she explained that she had not come in on the fourth
because she was ill.
She was asked to complete a form
to formally declare her sickness.
She completed and returned the form,
then immediately left.
This meant that the Work Coach
was unable to discuss
the details of the statement she had made:
‘I was busy trying to kill myself,
drinking non-stop.’
There is a space on the form
for the date when you started being unwell
(she put the fourth)
and another
for when you think you will be well again
(she put the seventh).
The coach discussed his concerns with his line manager, and
recorded the incident
in accordance with Department procedures.
Policies state
that employees are empowered
to take any reasonable steps,
including contacting the emergency services,
if they feel the customer
faces clear and significant risks to their welfare
or safety. In this case,
based on the information he had,
the Work Coach made a judgement
that there was no immediate risk to the customer’s safety.
She died later that same day.
On the morning of the sixth,
she reported that a man had attempted to rape her in her home.
One of the first-responding officers,
on encountering her outside her address,
noticed blood on her clothing, and,
quite properly,
attempted to persuade her
to allow police to seize the clothing
for forensic examination,
and to dissuade her from immediately returning to her home,
the apparent crime scene.
A third party witness
expressed surprise at the intrusiveness of the questioning,
conducted by a male officer
in a public area;
a less than ideal situation.
The witness added that,
although the officers’ questions were not in any way inappropriate,
and they had explained why they needed to ask them,
she would herself have felt
uncomfortable
answering such questions
in such a way.
The second attending officer sought advice
from the Team Detective Sergeant
regarding how best to proceed with the agitated woman
who informed the officers that she had been
drinking throughout the preceding night. In line with best practice
a female Sexual Offences Investigation Trained (SOIT) officer
was tasked to attend.
Despite difficulties,
officers obtained
sufficient detail
to circulate a description of the suspect,
who was promptly arrested nearby.
(He was later released.)
It was clear that there was some tension
between the desire on the part of the initial attending officers
to achieve best evidence
and the manner and location of the communication
between the woman and those officers,
necessitated by the character of contact
between the parties.
She walked off towards her flat;
an officer followed
trying to prevent her from entering.
Once outside the address he and another officer
tried to explain to her
why the scene needed to be preserved
but she continued to be obstructive.
She continued to demand that she be allowed to enter her flat
and threatened
to kick her own door down. Eventually
she used her keys to enter the address
and closed the door.
Research indicated she was capable
of being volatile and violent
when intoxicated.
Reports for example
indicated she had assaulted police in her home
five months earlier
when they attended there
to check on her welfare.
The Detective Sergeant
decided that
in her present state of mind
she was no longer suitable
for an immediate SOIT officer deployment,
and instead arranged for an officer
to re-attend the address
with a colleague
the following day,
which was the seventh.
On arrival
the front door was closed.
The officer knocked several times
before a female voice from within said ‘Who
is it?’
It’s the police. Can you open the door please?
The voice
replied ‘Everything
is fine. There is
no crime here.’
Can you open the door?
I don’t want to force it open.
We just need to speak to you
that’s all.
The door was opened.
She said
‘I don’t need
you lot. You can
fuck off.’
The officer explained
they were asked to attend
on behalf of the ambulance service
as they had been contacted
by someone threatening
to harm themselves
with a piece of broken glass.
‘Well it’s not me. I don’t need
you lot here. I
never asked you
to come so can
you please fuck
off.’
Have you hurt yourself with some glass?
She replied
‘No.’
What’s your name?
‘You don’t need
to know my
name it’s all
on your systems.’
The officer stated he saw a letter
and a bank card
on the sofa
which confirmed her name.
He said
Have you called for an ambulance?
She replied
‘No. I don’t need
an ambulance and I don’t know
why
you are here.’
Could anybody else
have called an ambulance for you?
Have you phoned a friend or
anybody to say
you were going to hurt yourself
with some glass?
She replied
‘No. Look
I never
called
you lot
please
fuck
off.’
The ambulance crew arrived,
and took over the lead in continuing attempts
to rapport-build,
only to experience
similar difficulties.
It was during this period that the SOIT officer and a colleague arrived
having postponed their initial visit
from the previous day, the sixth.
No officer present briefed the ambulance crew
regarding the alleged sexual assault.
On this occasion too, having been briefed by the first officer
on the woman’s state of mind
and volatility,
and by the ambulance crew
regarding her
nevertheless
evident mental capacity
and lack of immediate welfare concerns,
all parties decided
once again
to leave.
About forty minutes later, she left her home.
She is seen on CCTV entering the station.
The train was not driver-operated.
It was travelling at only 15 miles per hour.
It happened so quickly, commuters
continued reading their papers.
They had no idea
what she was doing.
The proximate cause of death was injuries sustained
when she stepped in front of the train.

[Responses from the Metropolitan Police (17/03/2016), London Ambulance Service (11/03/2016) and the DWP (undated) to the Prevention of Future Deaths report made by Coroner ME Hassell, 20/1/2016; added details from The Guardian, 06/02/2016, Faiza Ahmed: how one woman’s cries for help were missed by every authority]

22 with nowhere to go

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When she returned to their flat
she found a note:
‘Don’t come into the bathroom.’
Her husband was 44,
a former helicopter pilot.
They met while travelling in South Africa
eventually settled in London.
She got a job but was made redundant.
He
constantly struggled to find work,
was unable to complete training
as an electrician;
the Jobcentre would not continue to pay his benefit
because the training
stopped him from being available
for job interviews.
He tried to commit suicide for the first time
by crushing 150 tranquiliser pills
which he swallowed with whisky.
He was found
still alive
by his wife.
The suicide bid
was so she and their son
could benefit from a life insurance policy.
Later
they received a letter from the Council
saying
their housing benefit would decrease
by 30 pounds a week
forcing them to move
with nowhere to go.
He was found
dead
in the bath
by his wife,
with three stab wounds
to his chest and abdomen.
A diagram showing the position of the heart
had been mounted on one wall
and three kitchen knives
were on a folding table
next to the bath.
Suicide notes
addressed to his family
and the police
had been placed on the bed
along with more anatomical diagrams.
But his wife had already cancelled the policy.

[Sutton & Croydon Guardian, 25/08/2011, Southfields dad committed suicide after housing benefit cut; Court News UK (via the Internet Archive), undated (archive dated 14/03/2016), Father killed himself after benefits cut]

32 his doctor would have told them

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He had stated in the assessment form
that he had problems:
anxiety
depression.
He was unable to cope
with either support workers
or help from his family.
Because of the severity of his panic attacks
the assessment was carried out
at the cottage where he lived
alone.
His mother says he was unaware
of the purpose of the assessment
she said
neither the assessor
nor the Department
made any attempt to secure
evidence about his health.
His doctor would have told them
that he was unable to work.
The doctor told the inquest
he had visited him in extreme distress
a short time after his benefits were stopped.
The doctor handed him a note
explaining that he was extremely unwell
and completely unfit for work.
The note does not appear to have reached his local Jobcentre.
He did not take his own life, though;
four months after his benefits were stopped
he starved to death.

[Disability News Service, 02/12/2019, DWP: The Case for the Prosecution]

51 they took

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One night
she heard him sobbing
downstairs.
He worked long hours on the farm.
He would leave at five AM.
Some days she would not see him again
until eleven. He wasn’t scared
of work.
Over the years he developed heart trouble,
diabetes, terrible ulcers.
His health deteriorated from there.
He became depressed.
She was borrowing money off everybody.
Last winter
they couldn’t put on the heating.
They sat
with blankets round them.
He was called to his Jobcentre
in late 2012.
They took his blood pressure.
They never checked his back or
asked about his diabetes
and the terrible ulcers he had on his legs.
A computer told them
he’d been on the sick
for twenty-four years –
that’s the only thing
they really knew.
It was decided
that he was capable of limited employment.
His benefit was cut.
He appealed;
a ruling would take almost a year.
He didn’t have a year.
It started in his neck,
spread rapidly.
A very rare form of cancer.
He kept saying
“I wish I could win this case
before I die.”
One night she heard him sobbing downstairs.
He told her
“I can’t go on.”
The cancer took his sight,
his hearing,
finally
his life.
They
took his dignity.

[Daily Mirror, 19/10/2013, Cancer killed my husband, but Atos took his dignity a long time before his death]

52 available to help

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He received a letter last month;
the Jobcentre – an appointment.
 
It read:
‘You and your personal adviser
will discuss the possibility
of going into paid work,
training for work,
or looking for work
in the future.
They will tell you about the support
available to help
with going back to work,
and make sure you have all the information
to help you make decisions that
are right for you
about work.’
His wife
called the Jobcentre to explain.
Sixteen years ago
he was diagnosed
with progressive
multiple
schlerosis.
He cannot walk,
talk,
or feed himself.
He communicates by blinking.
They told her
if getting to the Jobcentre was difficult
they could organise
a telephone interview
but if he did not attend
his benefits would be stopped.

[The Guardian, 22/06/2015, Man who cannot walk or talk called for jobcentre ‘back to work’ interview]

53 it’s not as if nobody knew

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They kept food in plastic bags
in the shed;
the cold night air.
They couldn’t afford a fridge,
couldn’t afford to heat their house.
They lived in one room.
Every Sunday they walked
six miles each way
to a soup kitchen
to have something to eat
and pick up food bags,
free vegetables
to cook into a broth
on a camping stove.
It’s not as if nobody knew.
 
A year ago,
they appeared in a film
about living below
the breadline.
She had learning difficulties
and needed support from her husband,
an army veteran.
He was her full-time carer.
The Jobcentre decided she couldn’t sign on;
she wasn’t fit
for work.
Her benefits were stopped.
He worked in the army
as a PE instructor,
but fell on hard times
after the service.
Struggled to cope with
civvy street.
Their 12-year-old daughter
was taken into care.
He fought to get a carer’s allowance
but they wouldn’t recognise his wife’s disabilities.
He was told he could not claim
until she had been fully diagnosed:
month after
month after
month of specialists, living
hand
to mouth.
They were terrified she was about to be sectioned.
They stayed with relatives and friends
to avoid the authorities.
They walked everywhere
hand-in-hand
like young lovers.
Neighbours raised the alarm.
They had not been seen for several weeks.
This is where despair ends.
They were found
lying side by side
on the settee.
A police spokesman said
post-mortem examinations
had been carried out.
The deaths are being treated
as unexplained.

[The Daily Mirror, 11/11/2011, The tragic story of suicides Mark and Helen Mullins is a tale our politicians should pay attention to; Coventry Telegraph, 08/11/2011, Bedworth ‘suicide pact’ couple found lying side-by-side; Coventry Telegraph, 11/05/2021, Death of Warwickshire couple included in review into serious harms of people claiming benefits; Channel 4 News, 09/11/2011, Police investigate death of couple; BBC News, 09/11/2011, Inquiry call over Mark and Helen Mullins deaths; Metro, 08/11/2011, Married couple driven to commit suicide by utter poverty; Mail Online, 09/11/2011, Army veteran and his wife die in tragic ‘suicide pact’ after becoming ‘too poor to live through the winter’]

55 not compatible

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After a half-hour interview at his home
he was assessed as capable to return to work.
 
He was very distressed.
(Rising rent arrears,
warnings from the electricity company.)
He was reluctant to ask relatives for help;
they were unaware his benefits had been removed.
Concerned about his patient’s condition,
his doctor wrote a letter
in support of his application:
‘extremely unwell
and absolutely unfit
for any work
whatsoever.
Please do not stop
or reduce his benefits.
He simply is not well enough to cope
with this extra stress.
His mental and medical condition
is extremely serious.’
It is not clear whether the letter
reached the Jobcentre.
He was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome
and obsessive compulsive disorder
in his late 20s.
He had an eating disorder
and cognitive behavioural problems.
He was sacked from his first job
because he was unable to follow instructions.
The Department’s assessment concluded
his mental state
was normal.
This triggered a decision
by the jobcentre
to stop his sickness benefits.
His housing benefits were stopped around the same time.
He was not told.
He struggled to survive
on his disability allowance.
Forty pounds a week
to live on.
His sister said
‘He would have wanted to be seen as normal.
He was desperate to get by
as normal.’
A body mass index
of between eighteen point five
and twenty-four point nine
is considered healthy
for a man.
Between April and August his
dropped
from fourteen point one
to eleven point five;
he weighed five stone eight pounds
(thirty-five kilos)
when he died.
The doctor told the inquest
his body mass index
was not compatible
with life.

The Guardian, 28/02/2014, Vulnerable man starved to death after benefits were cut]