Public trust in the DWP has been "sorely damaged" after major failures where some benefits claimants died after struggling to use the system. MPs are calling for new safeguarding laws to ensure the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) provides proper support, after hearing of cases where claimants died.

These included Universal Credit applicant Kevin Gale, who committed suicide after his depression and anxiety were allegedly made worse by struggling with the application process, and ESA (Employment and Support Allowance) claimant Errol Graham who starved to death eight months after their benefits stopped.

An inquiry by the Work and Pensions Committee found that the measures in place to help vulnerable claimants were "disparate". They have called for a new category of 'victims of domestic abuse' to be added to the 'Additional Support Area' in Universal Credit, to help DWP staff identify vulnerable claimants. The committee said the lack of this category was a "glaring omission".

Committee chair Debbie Abrahams said it was a clear failure of the safeguarding system that people had to "face harm" after dealing with the DWP. She said: "Until recently, getting people back into work to cut costs had been prioritised over providing support and care for vulnerable people.

"We heard evidence that the process itself of engaging with the DWP itself too often led to mental distress. Where this led to not being able to get financial support, many had paid the ultimate price." One vulnerable PIP (Personal Independence Payment) claimant said that dealing with the DWP was a "nightmare" and that some people were afraid of applying for PIP - leading to them working longer hours than appropriate given their medical condition.

PIP is intended to help cover the extra costs that a person has due to their health condition or disability. The benefit includes a daily living part and a mobility part, with a lower and higher rate for each element depending on your level of need.

The said others were put off applying for PIP as they had helped others with their application and decided they "didn't want to go through the process". Some PIP claimants reported that their claims had been closed without them being informed, while others said that the ESA and Universal Credit teams "didn't talk to each other", the report found.

The DWP is currently undertaking a major programme of reforms, with plans to revise the PIP assessment. The Work CapabilIity Assessment will also be scrapped - an assessment used to determine a benefit claimants ability to work and to what extent they should be required to look for work.

This will be replaced by a single assessment based on the PIP assessment. DWP minister Sir Stephen Timms told the committee there are plans to reform the DWP's approach to safeguarding.

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He said: "There is a change of approach. What we want is for trust in the department to be rebuilt. I think everybody would acknowledge that trust in the department has been at quite a low level. We need to be much more open than has been the case in the past."

He also told the MPs: "The department has used the word 'safeguarding' in the past, but a former minister banned the use of the term in the department at all, so we will reintroduce it. We think it is a good word and a word that we should be clear about what it means and how we seek to deliver it."

Three cases were highlighted at the inquiry. One was a tragic case of starvation. The other two were suicides. The words below are taken from the report

• Errol Graham - "died by starvation in 2018, eight months after his Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) was stopped. The coroner at the inquest found there had been a series of missed opportunities to share information between agencies, and had information been shared, support for Mr Graham may have been mobilised.
  The coroner said, “[T]he safety net that should surround vulnerable people like [Mr Graham] in our society had holes within it”."
• Philippa Day - "died by suicide in 2019 after a series of errors with her disability benefit payments. Philippa Day was seriously affected by a range of complex and comorbid mental and physical health conditions. The narrative conclusion of the coroner’s inquest stated, “[T]he failure to administer the claim in such a way as to avoid exacerbating Philippa Day’s pre-existing mental health problems was the predominant factor, save for her severe mental illness, affecting a decision taken by Philippa Day to take an overdose of her prescribed insulin”. The coroner highlighted problems relating to training for DWP call handlers; records of call handling; and issues around health assessments.
• Kevin Gale - "died by suicide in 2022. Mr Gale had been diagnosed with severe depression and anxiety and his anxiety had been exacerbated by his application for Universal Credit. The coroner highlighted as matters of concern, that 'current DWP procedures may not be practical for those with mental health illness and can exacerbate symptoms'. The coroner heard evidence relating to the number and length of DWP forms claimants were required to complete; the length of telephone queues to speak to DWP advisers; and the requirement to travel long distances for appointments for people affected by mental health illness."

• If you need someone to talk to, you can contact The Samaritans by calling 116 123.