On 30th July 2012, ATOS, the private company currently contracted by the Dept for Work and Pensions (DWP) to implement the new Work Capability Assessment (WCA), was the subject of not one but two investigative documentaries:
Channel 4’s Dispatches: http://www.channel4.com/programmes/dispatches/episode-guide/series-117/episode-1
BBC’s Panorama: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01lldrc
Both documentaries raised serious concerns about the processes and standards that have been adopted by ATOS: about whether those processes are target-driven e.g. doctors being allowed to pass only a certain percentage of those they assess as unfit for work; about whether those processes can conclude that someone who is demonstrably unfit (e.g. with heart failure and waiting for surgery) can be passed fit for work. Both documentaries may be viewed via the above links.
Rescare will make the creation of a factsheet on Disability Living Allowance, Benefits, and the new WCA a priority – with a particular emphasis on the implication for persons with learning disabilities.