Orange: Yes, I was surprised; I expected it to be musculoskeletal. It points up the strange absence of specialist mental health assessors in FtoFs: the most substantial proportion of claimants as well as an absolutely large number suffer mental illness yet the assessors are all - or mostly all - physical-oriented. This has significantly added to the credibility issues of the assessment: X is psychotic / suicidal but is asked how well they can bend... Fact is that much more use needs to be made of paper-based decisions for mentally ill claimants of whom the FtoF is too often pointless and damaging. But 'cos paper-based would make it easier for the claimant, DWP resists it as it can only mean more successful claims. At the moment fewer than 10% of claims omit the FtoF, yet many more than 10% of claimants are very ill and disabled indeed and should not be put through this... That 10% should be more like 35%.
