Contents list
The poems
-
00 out of sight of the road
The tarpaulin was covered in logs and stones. Pulled back it revealed a pony six months old weak, barely alive, terrified out of sight of the road his front legs strapped together. Too weak to move it himself his head was twisted around over his back where it had flopped as he was dragged across…
-
01 she was not ill enough
She died of a lung condition. Her husband agreed the life support machine be turned off. The same day the Department declared she was not ill enough to receive benefits. [Daily Mirror, 08/01/2016, Dead mum not ill enough for payouts]
-
02 across a table
He had been detained on a locked ward; schizophrenia; complex drug problems. The day of the assessment he was heavily medicated, was experiencing auditory and visual hallucinations. He thought he had special powers, believed he was the Son of God. His benefits were stopped immediately. He had been deemed fit for work on the basis…
-
03 complicated jargon, red
She was diagnosed with ovarian cancer: major surgery chemo sickness hair loss complicated jargon, red tape. As well as working her husband cared for her. ‘Having chemotherapy makes you see everything through a mist.’ One day she came downstairs to discover her husband lying on the living room floor dead.
-
04 I don’t want people mourning me before I die
She works 20 hours a week as an employment advisor take-home pay less than 10,000 a year. But with 400 a month in welfare payments she is able to live alone work and pay for a specially modified car. She pays for carers to come in twice a day to prepare meals, twice-weekly visits to…
-
05 he didn’t know how he was going to live
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…
-
06 see a doctor
He was sent to his first assessment when he gave up his job as a delivery man after being referred for tests on his heart. His wife was with him: ‘She checked him out. She did his blood pressure and his heart, said “See a doctor as soon as possible.”’ He was diagnosed with heart…
-
07 the decision-maker
The coroner concluded at the end of the inquest: ‘The anxiety and depression were long term problems but the intense anxiety was caused by his recent assessment by the Department as being fit for work and his view of the likely consequences.’ A former orthopaedic surgeon employed by the contractor had carried out the assessment,
-
08 the same company
She was thrilled when she got work at a council children’s centre but a routine health check by a company contracted by the council and the Department found she was not fit for work. She was recovering from a five-year battle with anorexia. ‘It would be inappropriate to be offered employment in this role.’ Strapped…
-
09 knocked down
Knocked down by a car, his right leg was shattered. 17 days in hospital, numerous operations. He could put no weight at all on that leg after the accident, instead relied on crutches. When he applied for support on the basis that he was unable or virtually unable to walk,
-
10 uncontrolled, uncontrollable or life threatening
He quit his job in 2007 after becoming severely ill: depression anxiety. He rarely left his home, refused to talk to friends and relatives or answer the door or phone often spent days in the same room. He lived off his savings for two years until his money ran out.
-
12 the next day she took her five-month-old son in her arms
Six months after having her income cut off and housing benefit withdrawn she was sharing her sister’s one-bedroom flat destitute with a baby to care for. 32 years old, a Frenchwoman living in Britain since 1997. In 2008 she graduated with a degree in philosophy. She found she was pregnant.
-
13 after he left the army
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…
-
14 she was no longer allowed to work
After her leave to remain expired she was no longer allowed to work. She claimed asylum, was relying on food from friends and charities. No one had heard from her for four days. Her one-year-old son weakened from starvation was found by police crying beside her body.
-
15 he sat in his car in a quiet country lane
He was twenty thousand pounds in debt. Payday loans; one thousand per cent interest. His children told their grandmother Santa hadn’t come the year before. A single dad, he quit his job in a factory to look after his children, but fell behind with rent and with trying to feed and clothe them. He had…
-
16 one evening in August
He has a mental health problem. He takes triple medication. He reports self harm in the past.’ He was assessed in May. ‘He attempted an overdose six weeks ago but he would not say what he took.’ In June, the Department told him he was fit to work, and that his support was being withdrawn.
-
17 when questioned afterwards
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…
-
18 Dirge 1: for when you think you will be well again
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.
-
19 explosion in the Sangin region
She received income support after suffering an accident at work in 2003. In 2009 her son was killed in Afghanistan; explosion in the Sangin region. She received a death in service payment: 66,000. She found a letter from the Department telling her the money made her ineligible to claim support after she returned from a…
-
20 and her coat and purse
She walked out of the home she shared with her boyfriend some time after midnight. She had battled depression for a number of years, had taken a turn for the worse after receiving a letter telling her she had to be assessed to see if she was fit to return to work. Her mobile phone…
-
21 his job prospects
Her husband a former painter and decorator is bed-ridden registered blind with severe dementia. She and a team of carers look after him 24 hours a day. Doctors told him his condition is terminal. He was sent a letter offering an interview to talk about his job prospects.
-
22 with nowhere to go
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…
-
23 ‘a pleasant lady to assess’
She weighed around 5 stone 6 pounds (34 point 4 kilos) and was being fed by a drip. A history of illness: Crohn’s disease, osteoporosis, suffered a stroke in 2005. A physical assessment described her as having a ‘slim build’; ‘a pleasant lady to assess.’ After,
-
24 the family received a letter
She took her own life. The family received a letter from the Department endorsing the decision to stop her benefits and saying she was fit for work while she was in a mortuary ahead of her burial. [BBC News, 10/05/2021, Death of people on benefits prompt inquiry call]
-
25 long hours
She was brought up as a slave long hours scraps of leftover food like a dog fine scars down one side of her face and right leg. At the age of 15 she was sold to a trafficker who brought her to the UK. In London she was locked in a house and repeatedly raped.
-
26 on someone’s desk
It has been heart breaking to realise we have people sleeping by the underground entrance; devastating to learn that at least two people have died there. I confess that I feel a sense of hopelessness as I cannot personally solve this problem. I would like to believe that this is on someone’s desk.
-
27 left in his flat
He had been sectioned before, could not cope with unexpected changes. ‘Upsets my life completely. Feel under threat and upset. Cannot deal with social situations. Keep myself to myself. Do not engage with strangers. Have no social life. Feel anxiety and panic in new situations.’ He had been receiving benefits for many years as a…
-
28 every 18 months
He was celebrating getting a new job at a warehouse; outside the nightclub he was approached by five men. One of them struck him with a wheel brace on the head. Spinal damage he cannot walk farther than a few yards. Asthma, depression, panic attacks; he spends most of his time in bed.
-
29 on the appointed day
The first time he discovered he was in trouble was when a letter arrived from the Department. It was headed Fraud Investigation Section. An investigator was going to call at his home to interview him. Diabetic neuropathy; he had been unable to walk without discomfort for over a decade. He had been claiming benefit. His…
-
30 he had used pliers
His benefits were stopped when he failed to attend a capability assessment. He did not respond to calls, letters or home visits. He was seriously mentally ill. When his body was found he weighed four-and-a-half stone (30 kilograms) and his family said he had used pliers to pull out his teeth.
-
31 when this also failed, she walked
One of the first officers to arrive at the scene noted evidence of a poor attempt to clean up the mess; watered-down blood in the kitchen. Officers noted how her husband had blood on his clothes. His brother, who received a call at work urging him to rush round to the house, had dirt on…
-
32 his doctor would have told them
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…
-
33 the most frugal existence
He suffered countless attacks throughout his life; he would fall like a tree to the ground. He suffered from meningitis at five months old. It left him brain damaged; severe epilepsy. He had his first attack when he was six. Despite heavy medication he was taken to hospital regularly.
-
34 my patient will be in pain
In his report, the first doctor lists various serious health issues: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cervical spondylosis, osteoarthritis. In his summary, the doctor stated: ‘My patient will be in pain on standing and at the commencement of walking. Whilst on the balance of probability he would be able to walk 20 metres in my opinion…
-
35 a large amount of medication
His housemate found him in bed a large amount of medication on his bedside table. The housemate last saw him two days before (he had spent the day in bed himself due to illness) but decided to check on him when he stopped hearing noises coming from his room. He did not move the body.
-
36 she was. she had
She was volunteering. She had a good social network. She was getting married. She was notified by letter: she had scored zero points in her assesment on the ninth of December. A welfare rights officer informed her her benefits would be reduced. She became upset. She did not know how she was going to pay…
-
37 blind in one eye, barely able
On Boxing Day a stroke caused a blood clot on his brain. He was left paralysed down his left side, unable to speak properly, blind in one eye, barely able to eat or dress. He used a mobility scooter. Panic alarm around his neck in case he fell.
-
38 a beautiful sense of humour
A government scientist, he gave up this role when he was diagnosed with severe cardiomyopathy, failure of the heart muscle. By the end he could not walk, struggled to read. He often fell over, on one occasion smashing his teeth. Doctors gave him a year and a half to live.
-
40 a decision was taken
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…
-
41 a second, unopened letter
She received a letter from the Department saying she should go back to work. She suffered chronic breathlessness, pulmonary disease, depression; she was a recovering methadone addict. The letter also told her her incapacity benefit would be stopped. She was so distressed she took a cocktail of drugs.
-
42 down the stairs, fussing
Two years after his wife’s death, her widower was visited by the husband of his niece. ‘I went in the back door. The dog came flying down the stairs, fussing. He must have been in the room with him.’ He had suffered depression following his wife’s death. ‘I went upstairs.
-
43 the night before his medical
He worked for forty years: a miner, then a telecoms engineer. Following a heart attack and several strokes his doctors ordered him to stop working. He had claimed for three years, ninety-one pounds a week. He had already gone through an eight-month appeal to keep his benefits, but following a crackdown on ‘spongers’ he was…
-
44 he may have been successful
His former wife gave evidence at the inquest. They had been married for twelve years, separating in 1995, although they still saw each other on a regular basis. During the first half of their marriage he suffered a brain haemorrhage, leaving him paralysed down one side. She had last seen him when he called to…
-
45 everything through a mist
She was diagnosed with ovarian cancer: major surgery chemo sickness hair loss complicated jargon, red tape. As well as working her husband cared for her. ‘Having chemotherapy makes you see everything through a mist.’ One day she came downstairs to discover her husband lying on the living room floor dead.
-
46 23 minutes
The inquest, which lasted two days, heard that his medical assessment took just 23 minutes. He suffered from HIV, hepatitus, sciatica, severe depression, insomnia, dental pain. He had a history of self-harm, which stemmed from abuse as a child. His benefits of ninety pounds a week were stopped on September eighteenth.
-
47 two. one
January. She was called in for an assessment. She and her sister spent two hours on two buses travelling to the centre for a two minute assessment. She was only asked one question: did you get here by bus? 53 years old, a former nurse. She was left partially sighted after an industrial accident in…
-
48 Dirge 2: declare war
In the years of plenty it was easier to placate and complicate than simplify. The argument for welfare reform is not just one of affordability. In too many cases welfare has entrenched poverty. Get a job tomorrow earning between ten and thirty thousand a year, you’ll only take home thirty pence out of every extra…
-
49 there were complications
She had her first transplant heart and lungs in 1985. She returned to her council office job. But her body began to reject her new organs; she had another transplant in 1989. There were complications. 31 hours of surgery. 80 pints of blood. Afterwards she had no stamina.
-
50 you probably won’t have heard
You probably won’t have heard much about the case. A 33-year-old woman in the West Country living with her parents. She very poorly: bipolar disorder; she has been sectioned on numerous occasions after harming herself. In February she received a letter from the outsourcing company which told her she was about to lose her support…
-
51 they took
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.
-
52 available to help
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,
-
53 it’s not as if nobody knew
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,
-
54 the old system
During the 1960s while pregnant with her her mother took thalidomide. She is blind in one eye, partially deaf, can barely walk, barely dress herself. She has arthritis. In 2004 she underwent surgery to remove a brain tumour. She retired from her job as a care assistant. She was to undergo spinal surgery late in…
-
55 not compatible
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…
-
56 until the money ran out
His family only pieced together his predicament after discovering a repossession order in the bin. He had lived in the house all his life. The order, dated 13 September 2013, gave him ten days to leave. He suffered from mental health problems including agoraphobia. He had worked as an assistant sales manager in the 80s…
-
57 how all seemed normal
In a statement read by the Coroner’s Officer, her husband of 36 years told how all seemed normal when he went to work, but when he returned home the following morning with their son his wife was in the back room, lying half on the bed. They phoned 999. The operator talked them through CPR…
-
58 we have to think this way
In the undercover film the trainer tells trainee assessors: “If it’s more than twelve or thirteen percent eligible you will be fed back ‘your rate is too high.’ That’s what we’re being told.” During assesments company health professionals award claimants points, reflecting the apparent severity of their condition,
-
59 the car he was passenger in
The car he was passenger in came off the road at ninety miles per hour and collided with concrete and steel. 1996. A former bodybuilder, he was left barely able to walk. Legs: constant feeling like someone digging a knife right into the joints. He spends days in bed.
-
60 making it right
Tests revealed blood clots in both lungs. 2009. He was a landscape gardener working for the Council when he fell seriously ill. He was discovered to have deep vein thromboses in his legs. Hughes syndrome. Often referred to as ‘sticky blood’. A life-threatening condition. His big toe was amputated.
-
61 reasons for the necessity
Britain in the last decade wasn’t so much a lie as a mistake. When the Chancellor was giving reasons for the necessity of austerity he relied heavily on recent findings by two Harvard economists. They had ‘shown’ via a model built using 44 countries over two centuries that when a government’s ratio of debt to…
-
62 stop worrying
You are a fucking bitch”: a man’s voice. Then the sound of violent banging, a woman’s sobs. Officers were on the way; sobbing and breathing heavily, she said the man had retreated. Police arrived and arrested him. She had opened her window. If the man had succeeded in getting through the door she was prepared…