News

GPs from across the UK voted in favour of a motion calling for the end of the work capability assessment (WCA) the medical test for employment and support allowance, at their annual conference in Liverpool yesterday.

The motion stated:
That conference, in respect of work capability assessments (WCA) as performed by ATOS Healthcare, believes that the:
(i) inadequate computer based assessments that are used have little regard to the nature or complexity of the needs of long term sick and disabled persons
(ii) WCA should end with immediate effect and be replaced with a rigorous and safe system that does not cause avoidable harm to some of the weakest and most vulnerable in society.

Dr Dean Marshall, Chairman of the British Medical Association’​s (BMA) Scottish General Practitioners Committee expressed concern at the devastating impact of the WCA on patients’​ mental and physical health.

Commenting further on the Stage 1 debate on the Welfare Reform (Further Provision) (Scotland) Bill, Dr Marshall not only raised the BMA’​s concern about the impact of the Bill on the people of Scotland, but also stated that, “​more importantly, we must keep an eye on the wider implications of these reforms. A reduction in income may lead to poorer quality of health for individuals and increased health inequalities for our nation as a whole.”​

The motion and additional information can be found on the BMA website