MS And Parkinson's Sufferers Told They Are Fit To Work

Almost half of people with some progressive conditions, including Parkinson's, who put in a claim for the sickness benefit Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), are being told they will recover enough to look for work in the future.

In an investigation Parkinson's UK conducted with three other charities, it was revealed that 45% of people who put in a claim for ESA, and had Parkinson's, Cystic Fibrosis, multiple sclerosis, or Rheumatoid Arthritis, were placed in the Work Related Activity Group (WRAG).

The WRAG defines people as able to recover to the point where they can look for work.

Today, Parkinson's UK, along with the MS Society, Cystic Fibrosis Trust and National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society, are calling for major changes to the system when presenting a dossier to the independent review of the Work Capability Assessment.

Head of Policy and Service Improvement at Parkinson's UK, Caroline Hacker, said: "A system which tells people who have had to give up work because of a debilitating progressive condition that they'll recover, is farcical and simply defies belief.

"It shows that many assessors, and those who rubber-stamp the decisions in Government, don't apply the most basic understanding of the medical conditions they are dealing with."

(CD/JP)