DWP wrongly told vulnerable mother, 28, who took her own life benefits were being slashed

Shortly before her death aged 28, the Glossop local received correspondence from the DWP stating the enhanced daily living allowance portion of her Personal Independence Payment (PIP) had been withdrawn.

An inquest heard this week the decision to cut her benefits was incorrect. Senior coroner Alison Mutch found the erroneous determination had a "very significant" impact on Ms Logan.

The coroner described Ms Logan as "a vulnerable person with a history of self-harm and suicidal ideation" who had previously been assessed as eligible for PIP, including both the enhanced daily living allowance and standard mobility allowance.

In her prevention of future deaths report, Ms Mutch wrote: "The decision to remove the enhanced payment has been accepted as an incorrect determination. The method used for communication of the decision was also not appropriate given her known vulnerabilities."

The coroner concluded: "On the balance of probabilities, the incorrect decision to withdraw her enhanced daily living allowance and the method of communication of the decision significantly contributed to her declining mental health and her actions on 18th May 2025 which led to her death on 20th May 2025."

The DWP was aware of Ms Logan's mental health difficulties, with her file at the DWP flagged to indicate her previous self-harm and suicidal thoughts.

Under matters of concern, the coroner noted the benefits assessment had been incorrectly determined despite undergoing a check before the final decision was issued.

Ms Mutch wrote: "The evidence before the inquest was that the person carrying out the initial assessment carried out the assessment correctly and that the checking process had not picked up on the errors."

The purpose of this verification stage was specifically to prevent such mistakes, yet it remained unclear why the flawed approach was not identified.

Despite the department's records clearly acknowledging Ms Logan's vulnerabilities, she was sent a standard letter with no measures taken to mitigate the potential harm such correspondence might cause.

The coroner recorded a verdict of suicide, with the medical cause of death given as hypoxic brain injury resulting from hanging.

Ms Mutch has issued a prevention of future deaths report to the Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden, who must respond by March 19.

A DWP spokesman said: "Our sincere condolences go to Ms Logan's family and friends. Protecting the millions of people we support every year is a priority. We take the Coroner's comments extremely seriously and will provide a full and detailed response."

For confidential support, contact Samaritans on 116 123 or visit samaritans.org.

Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter