MP spotlights ‘nonsensical’ case of Culloden amputee
INVERNESS MP Danny Alexander has accused ministers of “playing snakes and ladders” with the lives of disabled people after an amputee was told by a government-hired medical adviser that he is fit for work.
It is the second time in less than a year that George McLean, 52, of Loch Lann Avenue, Culloden, has been deemed ready to return to work, despite being unable to fulfil any exercises required in a medical assessment.
Mr McLean, whose right leg was amputated from the hip, now fears he could lose his home because his benefits have been cut by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).
Mr Alexander called the conclusion of the test carried out by a private contractor employed by the UK government “nonsensical” and is pursuing ministers over the matter.
He said: “This is a disgraceful case. Twice now, a medical has been conducted and has arrived at conclusions which are self-evidently farcical.”
Mr Alexander added: “Ministers must stop playing snakes and ladders with the lives of disabled people.
“Mr McLean’s case would be more satisfactory if the medical reports acknowledged his clear disability, even if they went on to argue he could be fit for some forms of work.
“But the decision twice to award him no medical points at all, while claiming he can perform tasks which he cannot, suggests the whole exercise is a sham.”
A spokeswoman for Atos Healthcare, which carries out health tests on behalf of the DWP, said she could not comment on individual cases.
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