WCA agony and humiliation

I went for a WCA yesterday. Words fail me to describe it, I felt humiliated, pathetic, inadequate. It was my first one. Im a senior mental health nurse and have previously worked in CMP with people on long term IB in a hopefully helpful and supportive manner with dignity, respecting their capacity and personal choices and any other health professional or support from vol. sector and more to the point the fact that their GP who they see directly for health care has given a note that states you are not fit for work currently. Why oh why is this not enough!

No, the fact my GP whom I see regularly and is well qualified to comment on my fitness for most things is dismissed, as are other specialists I am under. How can the questions and situation you are put in be used to override all this based on a 30min torture session

I did not realise just how bad this test is until having to go through it myself and I find the whole ethos behind it at best unhelpful and at worst damaging and highly detrimental. My take on my chosen career is do no harm and about care and compassion and listening to what is actually being said and exploring it. These forms and assessments are very flawed to be polite. I am disgusted at the assessment whether it be for physical or mental health. Why should people have to prove they are unwell? With any ill health to aid recovery it so important to look at what you can do that is helpful and how you do manage everyday life. Not be judged and told to answer to fit a computer generated question designed to undermine you and any other person who is involved in your recovery and day to day life.

What is going on? We are one of the supposedly most developed and rich nations in the world. Up until very recently I paid copious amounts of tax and NI and would happily pay a bit more to help support my fellow humans in society survive, its never easy on benefits and personally for me I think as part of this it is important to support each other in a non judgemental way, this is my personal view and I know everybody has their own opinions which I also respect.

Anyway, I feel have just done a test where I had to prove and justify that I am not fit for work and came out feeling rubbish, confidence on the floor, that I was making things up and cross questioned and angry that people are made to go through this, bad enough if you were well.

Thankyou B&W for this site, I apologise if I have offended anyone it is not intentional and these are my feelings and views about the process not individuals. I am glad to have a place to let off some steam aarrrghhhh

Hi Swissskit,
wait till you get the paperwork from the WCA and see how what is written down there bears no resemblence to anything you said and did at the WCA. That realy does open your eyes to what a joke the whole thing is.
One comment I remember from mine was " Managed to tie shoe laces" I was wearing trainers with velcro fastners no laces.

No need to apologies, you are only saying what more and more people are saying after being put through the WCA.

I suffer from MS and I am still having difficulty convincing friends who have it that they are not exempt from the WCA just because they have MS.

I have been trying to raise awareness for the past 5 years about these welfare reforms, and at times it has felt like I was banging my head against a brick wall.

These reforms are designed to get people off benefits and save the Goverment money rather than getting people into work.

Don't apologise for your post ...please send it to your M.P.and a national newspaper. Until the public 'wake up and smell the coffee' this kind of scenario will continue. I am so sorry that you had to go through this.

swisskit, please dont apologise. You said, very eloquently, exactly what I feel about the whole system. Maybe a newspaper like the Guardian would be interested in your experience?

swisskit wrote:

I went for a WCA yesterday. Words fail me to describe it, I felt humiliated, pathetic, inadequate. It was my first one. Im a senior mental health nurse and have previously worked in CMP with people on long term IB in a hopefully helpful and supportive manner with dignity, respecting their capacity and personal choices and any other health professional or support from vol. sector and more to the point the fact that their GP who they see directly for health care has given a note that states you are not fit for work currently. Why oh why is this not enough!

No, the fact my GP whom I see regularly and is well qualified to comment on my fitness for most things is dismissed, as are other specialists I am under. How can the questions and situation you are put in be used to override all this based on a 30min torture session

I did not realise just how bad this test is until having to go through it myself and I find the whole ethos behind it at best unhelpful and at worst damaging and highly detrimental. My take on my chosen career is do no harm and about care and compassion and listening to what is actually being said and exploring it. These forms and assessments are very flawed to be polite. I am disgusted at the assessment whether it be for physical or mental health. Why should people have to prove they are unwell? With any ill health to aid recovery it so important to look at what you can do that is helpful and how you do manage everyday life. Not be judged and told to answer to fit a computer generated question designed to undermine you and any other person who is involved in your recovery and day to day life.

What is going on? We are one of the supposedly most developed and rich nations in the world. Up until very recently I paid copious amounts of tax and NI and would happily pay a bit more to help support my fellow humans in society survive, its never easy on benefits and personally for me I think as part of this it is important to support each other in a non judgemental way, this is my personal view and I know everybody has their own opinions which I also respect.

Anyway, I feel have just done a test where I had to prove and justify that I am not fit for work and came out feeling rubbish, confidence on the floor, that I was making things up and cross questioned and angry that people are made to go through this, bad enough if you were well.

Thankyou B&W for this site, I apologise if I have offended anyone it is not intentional and these are my feelings and views about the process not individuals. I am glad to have a place to let off some steam aarrrghhhh

They no longer say your unwell just not fit for your original job, sick notes are not that anymore they are fit notes and they are looking at you to see what you can do not what you cant do... of course they take no notice of you or your GP as they no best (apart from in getting rid of PCT) where they say its better for GP to have the dosh as they know there clients better


they will carry on moving goal posts making more and more sick people fit for work

you will have course have worked out, that your score will be less than 15 as seems most are