GPs sign away pounds 300m.

DOCTORS are being pressured into signing off more than 70,000 incapacity benefit applicants every year who are well enough to work, it is claimed.

Government targets are said to have created a bias in the medical assessment system, saddling the taxpayer with an unnecessary pounds 300m annual bill.

The allegations emerged from an employment tribunal case brought by two doctors in Birmingham.

Dr Jakes Branton and Dr Gail Young were employed by Atos Origin, which has a seven-year pounds 500m contract with the Department for Work and Pensions to carry out all its checks on incapacity benefit applicants.

Initially individuals are signed off sick by their own GP, but after 28 weeks they are required to undergo independent assessment.

About 30,000 people a month are examined by Atos's medics to see whether they are eligible for the Government handouts, which are currently worth up to pounds 84.50 a week.

However, Dr Branton and Dr Young insist that the firm was under "significant pressure" from the DWP to meet targets for levels of complaints from applicants, with severe financial penalties if cases had to be looked at again.

This allegedly led to Atos medics being pressurised to exaggerate people's degree of incapacity - because they would be less likely to object to the results.