Caroline has backed a campaign by the national charity Rethink Mental Illness to make the Government’s fit-for-work test fair for people with mental illness.

Caroline pledged her support for the campaign after taking part in an event in Westminster on 11^th September, where the charity’s supporters asked MPs to prove they are fit for their jobs.

The event was organised by Rethink Mental Illness to give MPs a deeper insight into the flaws in the Government’s fit-for-work benefits tests.

Caroline went through an MP Capability Assessment, which mirrors the Work Capability Assessment, the controversial test used by the Government to decide whether thousands of people with mental illness and other disabilities, are entitled to financial support.

Roughly 20,000 people are going through the process every week, despite the fact that in a recent court case (1) three judges found that the tests put people with mental health problems  at a ‘substantial disadvantage’.

Caroline said: 

“It’s absolutely clear that the workplace capability assessment is not fit for purpose.   My constituents are raising concerns about it in meetings, at surgeries, in emails, and in letters.  Some of thier stories are heartbreaking.

“The assessment is absurdly rigid, whereas illness is often fluctuating.   Someone with a mental illness – like many physical illnesses - may be able to do something one day, but not another day.   The system is utterly unfair and needs to be scrapped.”

The ‘I Agree With Dick’ campaign, which is led by Rethink Mental Illness activist Dick Acworth, is calling for the Government to stop using the work capability assessment to judge whether people with mental illness should receive benefits, until the test is improved.

In August, Caroline received letters from our activists in Brighton, similar to those sent by the Government, summoning her to yesterday’s assessment. She was asked to bring proof of identity and ‘evidence demonstrating your ability to be an MP.’

Lara Carmona, Head of Campaigns for Rethink Mental Illness said: “This was obviously a slightly tongue in cheek exercise, but there is a very serious message underpinning it. Just as our MP Capability Assessment doesn’t accurately reflect Caroline Lucas’ ability to be an MP, neither does the Work Capability Assessment fairly judge whether someone with mental illness is able to work.

“That’s why we are delighted that Caroline has backed our call for the Government to make the fit-for-week test fair for people with mental illness. The system isn’t working, and it’s in everyone’s interests that we have a fair and accurate assessment process, which gets it right the first time. It could make a huge difference to some of the most vulnerable people in Brighton.”

Retired vicar and Rethink Mental Illness campaigner, Dick Acworth, who is leading the campaign, spoke with MPs after they have completed the assessments. His son has bipolar disorder and was wrongly found fit for work.

He said: “I was very glad to talk directly to Caroline Lucas about this flawed system and the devastating effects it's having on vulnerable people all across the country. My son was lucky, he had a supportive family to appeal on his behalf. This was stressful enough but I worry even more about the extremely ill people out there who don’t have people to fight their corner.”