A MAN who is in constant agony because of a severe form of arthritis has been told he is capable of working and has had his benefits stopped.

Stephen Scott says he has to spend much of the day flat on his back, dosed up with eight teaspoons of morphine sulphate a day to try to combat the pain.

"I would love to work but there is no way I can," said the 52-year-old former delivery driver, of Lowther Street, The Groves, York.

His consultant rheumatologist said in 2014 he was in ‘severe pain and significantly disabled’ and Mr Scott said his condition, an arthritis linked to psoriasis, had worsened massively since then.

He said the decision to stop paying him Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) would leave him unable to pay his bills or buy food, and he might have to resort to eating every other day to conserve supplies, although he had now applied to York Food Bank for assistance.

He said the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) had said in a letter that a work capability assessment had shown that although he might have a disability, illness or health condition, he was ‘now capable of doing some work.’

It said that as a result, he couldn't be paid the ESA any more and he should start looking for a job straightaway.

The decision maker said in their reasons for the decision: “He has pain all the time which is at a consistently high level; if exacerbated by over exertion, pain will be increased for the rest of the day….

"I contacted Mr Scott by telephone on 3/4/18 to inform him of the outcome of the work capability assessment. I explained the work capability assessment process and the health care professional’s findings and he advised me that he had spent the last five days in bed, in agony with pain.”

Mr Scott said he planned to appeal and had also applied for universal credit but feared he faced several weeks with no benefits.

York Central MP Rachael Maskell said such problems were happening on far too many occasions and were caused by an 'opaque and complicated' system, which meant people should have an advocate with them while attending such appointments.

She said decisions on whether people required such benefits should be based on evidence from clinicians, who knew their patients' conditions. She added that if Mr Scott came to see her, she would endeavour to assist him.

A DWP spokesman said it was 'absolutely committed to ensuring that disabled people get the right support that they need.'

He said: “Decisions for ESA are made following consideration of all the information provided by the claimant, including supporting evidence from their GP or medical specialist. Anyone who disagrees with a decision can appeal.”