Over 2,000 die after being certified ‘fit for work’

Between 2011 – 2014 a staggering 2,380 people in the UK died shortly after being declared ‘fit for work’ by Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) statistics.

For those that already saw the DWP decided Gordan Lang, an amputee war veteran with a terminal cancer diagnosis was ‘fit for work’, these figures may not come as a huge shock.

Ministers insisted that the data ‘could not be used to link claimant deaths to its welfare reforms’. The DWP refused to publish the mortality data until it was forced to under a Information Commissioner’s Office ruling in April which only came after multiple freedom of information requests.

The report shows that 2,380 people died between December 2011 and February 2014 after their claim for employment and support allowance (ESA) ended because a work capability assessment (WCA) found they were found fit for work.

Anita Bellows, a researcher for the campaign group ‘Disabled People Against the Cuts’ told the Guardian she was “very worried by the number of people who died within two weeks of being found fit for work”.

The figures show that nearly 90 people per month are dying after being declared ‘fit for work’. Unfortunately, Gordon Lang has also been added to that list.