Benefit Busters

Episode Synopsis

One of the government's targets is to shift one million people off long-term sickness benefits and get them back to work. In Oldham, the charity Shaw Trust has won the contract to implement this policy. Sherrie Jepson, a former car saleswoman, has the job of selling the idea of employment to people who were previously considered too sick to work. Kieron Tandy fell from a third-floor balcony while celebrating his 18th birthday in Turkey. He has metal pins in his back and has restricted mobility. His family doctor had confirmed him as 'unfit for work' but under the new system he's examined by an independent medical examiner employed by a private health care company, which will determine whether he is fit enough to return to work. Meanwhile, Sherrie starts to try to convince Kieron that he could work if a suitable job that allowed for his condition could be found.