Derbyshire Unemployed Workers Centres

DERBYSHIRE UNEMPLOYED WORKERS’ CENTRES

PRESS RELEASE

CONTACT:Colin Hampton

DATE: 03/06/05

CONTACT TEL:01246 231441/07973 515850

EMAIL:

EMBARGO:None

CAMPAIGN LAUNCHED TO SAVE

MEDICAL EXAMINATION CENTRES

Activists from throughout Derbyshire have come together to oppose the proposal to close the Chesterfield and Derby Medical Examination Centres.The group plan to take the campaign nation wide.

If closed, Incapacity Benefit claimants would have to travel to Nottingham, Mansfield, Manchester or the far side of Sheffield to go for compulsory medicals. The closures are planned to take place by 31st August 2005. By the end of the year 21 Examination Centres are targeted for closure nationally.

Atos Origin, a European IT Services company recently won the contract to deliver medical advice and assessment services. These services provide the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) with information to make decisions over Incapacity Benefit entitlement. The contract is worth £500 million over the next seven years.

Derbyshire Unemployed Workers’ Centres brought together local MPs, Trade Unions, CABx, Derbyshire County Council Welfare Rights Service, Community Mental Health, Social Services and Local Authority representatives to launch a campaign to fight the decision.

The proposed closures will present great difficulties, cost and inconvenience to people already experiencing health related conditions.

“The decision to close the Medical Examination Centres has not been taken in the interests of the claimants it is for the administrative convenience and greed of the private contractor” said Colin Hampton, Co-ordinator of the Derbyshire Unemployed Workers’ Centres.

“We keep being told that privatisation and job cuts will not affect front line services. What we see is a worsening condition for people who are sick, disabled and those already living in poverty”.

Part of the DWP contract stipulates that a member of the public must not be expected to travel longer than 90 minutes from their home to the examination centre using public transport.

“It appears that Atos Origin have looked at the map and seen the opportunity for closures” said Gill Whittaker, Secretary of the Derbyshire branch of the Public and Commercial Services union. “We understood that the 90 minute rule was a safeguard not a benchmark.” PCS will debate the issue at their conference this week.

The campaigners from advice centres and from across the political spectrum agreed to call for an urgent meeting with Ministers. MPs will attempt to get the issue debated in Parliament. It was agreed to contact Atos Origin directly to try to impress on them the level of opposition to their plans and the catalogue of reasons why they should not go ahead.

“We will not stand by and watch local services be taken away” Colin Hampton went on to say “If they won’t listen to reason then we have plans to step up the campaign. We prevented the closure of Chesterfield’s Tribunal Suite and showed that Government, its agencies and multi-million pound corporations can be stopped if we come together in defence of our services”.

Anyone wanting more information about the campaign can ring 01246 231441.

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