Why Britain was no country for a scarce 'old' disabled man called Stephen Smith

Liverpudlian Stephen, who has died at the age of 64, can hardly be classified as 'old'. His story began in 2017, when he had failed a Department for Work and Pensions 'work capability assessment', which meant that his 'employment support allowance' payments were stopped and instead, he was told to sign on to receive a £67 a week 'Jobseeker’s allowance', visit the job centre once a week and prove he was looking for work. The problem for Stephen was the fact that he had : chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, osteoarthritis, an enlarged prostate and used a colostomy bag to go to the toilet, meant that, with all the will in the world, he was physically unable to work.

Stephen said that at the time : “I could only make it to the kitchen to make food once a day. I had no muscles in the back of my leg, which meant I couldn’t stand up at all and had to lean or sit down all the time, but they were telling me I was fit for work.”

In desperation he contacted the Casa Community Centre and his case was taken up by Terry Craven, a benefit claims adviser. Opinions were sought from two doctors, who confirmed that Stephen experienced significant difficulty and pain when completing simple movements and daily activities. A note written by one of them stated : 'It is my opinion that Mr Smith could not walk 20 metres without pain or exhaustion.'

Despite this evidence, in January 2018, his appeal was rejected by the Department for Work and Pensions and he was told he had not scored the requisite number of points for him to be deemed as having 'limited capability for work.'

Stephen's health deteriorated further. His weight plummeted to an emaciated six stone and when he contracted pneumonia and he was taken to hospital. Despite his poor health, he was forced to get a pass to allow him to leave hospital and go to the tribunal to fight his case against the DWP. Fortunately, having seen Stephen’s condition for himself, the judge stated that his mobility and health problems meant that he satisfied the requirement for Employment Support Allowance.

The DWP apologised and a spokesperson said : “We are sorry for the experience Mr Smith has had and we are committed to ensuring that people with health conditions get the support they’re entitled to. Following the independent tribunal’s ruling, he is now receiving full ESA support. While Mr Smith continued to receive benefits and support during his appeal, we can confirm he will shortly receive all back payments for ESA due.”

Now, two months later, Stephen has died.

A DWP spokesperson said : “Our thoughts are with the family and friends of Stephen Smith.We are committed to ensuring that people with health conditions get the support they’re entitled to.”

Britain in 2019 : a country where more than 70% of disability benefit rejections are overturned at tribunal and one where academics have linked 'fit for work' tests to increased use of antidepressants and suicides among claimants.

In 2017 an inquiry by the 'United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities' into progress in implementing the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, found that Britain has failed to meet its obligations.
The Committee’s chair, Theresia Degener, branded the situation in Britain a “human catastrophe.” She said : “The austerity measures that the British Government has taken – they are affecting half a million people, each disabled person is losing between £2,000 and £3,000 per year, people are pushed into work situations without being recognised as vulnerable, and the evidence that we had in front of us was just overwhelming.”

Stephen's sad story is yet one more example of that "human catastrophe."
A friend said of him that he had never recovered from pneumonia and :

“He was a good soul of the earth. He would do anything for anyone.”