Rt Hon Iain Duncan Smith MP
Secretary of State
Department for Work and Pensions
Caxton House
Tothill Street
London
SW1H 9NA

19 September 2011

Dear Iain,

ATOS Healthcare

The purpose of this letter is to express my deep concern, and that of my Party, at the continuing use of ATOS Healthcare to assess disability and sickness benefit recipients on their ability to return to work.
It is shocking and unacceptable that 40% of appeals of ATOS decisions are being won by claimants. This error rate cannot be within the terms of any reasonable contract and I urge you to take the necessary steps to remove this company from its position of grave responsibility.
Those being assessed will often be vulnerable, and a significant proportion of claimants will suffer from complex and fluctuating mental health conditions. For many the assessments themselves will be a source of grave worry, and will even be counterproductive. Add to this, the fact that they are being conducted so poorly and many people feel even greater worry and concern. How is it possible to reassure someone that the assessment is fair when ATOS get it wrong in 4 out of 10 cases?
In addition to this appalling error rate, concerns have also been raised over lack of disabled access at ATOS assessment centres and we now see that 12 doctors employed by the company have been referred to the General Medical Council.
Have ATOS Healthcare at any stage been given the impression by the DWP that their task is to reduce numbers of claimants? Work capability assessments should be exactly that. They should be utterly objective - not a political device designed to reduce the number of Employment and Support Allowance payments.
The decision on whether someone is able to work is one that should be undertaken by the state, so that there is direct accountability if an error is made. I therefore urge you to take the necessary steps to remove the responsibility of undertaking work capability assessments from ATOS Healthcare and impress this responsibility upon your Department.
Turning to the level of testing being imposed rather than who is doing the testing, in situations where good voluntary schemes to help people into work, at their own pace, are provided, I know that disabled people and others with long-term fluctuating health conditions make use of them. I urge you to examine the high level of compulsory testing in the system and whether the level of mandatory testing being imposed by the Government is really helpful or necessary. Resources are far better spent where it is accepted that the majority of people want to work if and when they are able. What is needed from Government are strong voluntary programmes to help people according to their individual needs.
However, in the short-term, the first priority must be to take work capability assessments out of the hands of ATOS Healthcare and to ensure that the state itself carries out its responsibility to protect and support people who are unwell or disabled.
I should be grateful for your response to this letter.

Yours sincerely,

Caroline Lucas, MP, Brighton Pavilion