A MAN suffering from a serious cardiac condition - who was declared fit to work by benefits assessors - suffered a third heart attack just three hours after starting a new job.
Michael Bispham, from Dalton, who had already been fitted with a cardiac shock device, survived the ordeal on February 13 as he began a new role as a delivery driver in Barrow.
To add insult to injury, news that his employment and support allowance assessment was being reversed on appeal arrived as he lay in a ward at Furness General Hospital, awaiting transfer to the region's cardiac centre at Blackpool Victoria Hospital.
Now, his wife Emily has spoken of the double trauma of helping 44-year-old Mr Bispham in his recovery while fighting the "horrendous and unfair" benefits system she claims is designed to make honest people feel "worthless".
Mrs Bispham, 38, of Union Street, said: "My husband scored zero points when he was assessed for employment support allowance.
"He'd already had two heart attacks. That should have been it.
"We knew he was too poorly, we submitted 11 letters about his condition from consultants and the hospital, but they declared him fit to work.
"It nearly killed him. I'm so angry about it.
"Just when we needed help and support, we had to navigate the system with pages of forms.
"They stopped any money because he was no longer able to job seek and we were told to start from the beginning and apply again for the ESA he'd been turned down for in the first place.
"We had nothing for three weeks at what was the worst time of our lives. It was so difficult."
Mrs Bispham, a former greeter at a Barrow supermarket, was forced to stop work herself last year after being diagnosed with Crohn's disease.
She hopes to return to work as soon as she is well again.
She said: "We were just normal people with jobs. We've got a mortgage. This could happen to anyone. But the way you are treated by the government is appalling.
"Basically, it's a case of guilty until proven innocent at these assessments. You are there to prove you're not making it up."
READ MORE: Award-winning film highlighting benefits injustice to be screened in Barrow
READ MORE: Firefighters teach life saving skills to members of the public
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here