Case Study 2: Assessed on the basis of ‘information your patient gave us’

Mr O is a 57-year-old man who has limited intellect with an IQ between 50 and 70. He spent many years of his adulthood in Gogarburn hospital but now lives independently with carer support.

He is unable to read or write. He has a number of other health problems, including severe arthritis which has required recent surgery.

He was assessed by Atos on the basis of “infomation that your patient gave us”. The DWP did not request any information from his GP, and the Atos assessor found him capable of work. The assessment completely ignored his complex needs and failed to gather any information from the GP. In one stroke, his entitlement to benefits – including housing benefit – were stopped. This decision caused him a lot of distress which he is intellectually ill-equipped to cope with. His benefits were reinstated ten months later after a successful appeal.