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Vulnerable man starved to death after benefits were cut
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Author:  Amnesia10 [ Fri Feb 28, 2014 8:28 pm ]
Post subject:  Vulnerable man starved to death after benefits were cut
Vulnerable man starved to death after benefits were cut

Quote:
The family of a man who starved to death four months after his benefits were cut off has called on the government to reform the way it treats people with mental health problems when it assesses their eligibility for benefits.

Mark Wood, 44, who had a number of complex mental health conditions, died at his home last August, months after an Atos fitness-for-work assessment found him capable of returning to work. This assessment triggered a decision by the jobcentre to stop his sickness and housing benefits, leaving him just £40 a week to live on.

The Oxfordshire coroner, Darren Salter, said that although it was impossible to identify the cause of death, it was probably "caused or contributed to by Wood being markedly underweight and malnourished". He weighed 5st 8lbs (35kg) when he died; his doctor said his body mass index was not compatible with life.
Author:  jonbwfc [ Fri Feb 28, 2014 9:12 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Vulnerable man starved to death after benefits were cut
I hate to say it but I'm not surprised. Horrified, but not surprised. He won't be the last.
Author:  big_D [ Sat Mar 01, 2014 7:04 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Vulnerable man starved to death after benefits were cut
Why didn't his family raise an alarm, or help him?
Author:  l3v1ck [ Sat Mar 01, 2014 9:24 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Vulnerable man starved to death after benefits were cut
big_D wrote:
Why didn't his family raise an alarm, or help him?

Just what I was thinking.
If he really was that vulnerable, surely he should have been in care.
Author:  jonbwfc [ Sat Mar 01, 2014 11:34 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Vulnerable man starved to death after benefits were cut
l3v1ck wrote:
big_D wrote:
Why didn't his family raise an alarm, or help him?

Possible he didn't have any or they might be far away. You'd have to wonder about his neighbours though.

l3v1ck wrote:
If he really was that vulnerable, surely he should have been in care.

That would be the local authority care system that the current government have slashed the budget on, yes? Some people need to wake up about how much of the recession they've loaded onto the poor rather than the rich.
Author:  Amnesia10 [ Sat Mar 01, 2014 5:21 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Vulnerable man starved to death after benefits were cut
jonbwfc wrote:
I hate to say it but I'm not surprised. Horrified, but not surprised. He won't be the last.

He definitely will not be the last.
Author:  cloaked_wolf [ Sat Mar 01, 2014 7:38 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Vulnerable man starved to death after benefits were cut
Sad to hear this, but it's not the first nor will it be the last. Mental health is often marginalised and often seen by others as not a "proper" illness. Consequently, there have been huge cuts in mental health services which the public will feel the impact of in the next couple of years. I wonder if lack of access to mental health services had an impact. Some people in society truly cannot cope with societal norms and expectations of work, life etc. In historic times, they may well have been homeless or died at a young age. In past times, they may well have remained in community hospitals.
Author:  big_D [ Sun Mar 02, 2014 6:33 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Vulnerable man starved to death after benefits were cut
jonbwfc wrote:
l3v1ck wrote:
big_D wrote:
Why didn't his family raise an alarm, or help him?

Possible he didn't have any or they might be far away. You'd have to wonder about his neighbours though.

He had a family, the article says the family are blaming the government for his death.
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