PIP Myth Buster or PIP Busted?

Just been reading this document from our beloved Department of Work and Pensions:
Personal Independence Payment myth buster

So, confirmation that they are going to redefine disability (to better reflect today’s understanding of disability) in other words to reduce entitlement to save money. Further that ‘Entitlement will not depend on what health condition or disability we have’,Ehh? And no one will ‘lose out’ but some people will ‘leave the benefit altogether’.

When we apply we have to provide proof as to how our disability affects our everyday life and provide supporting evidence (photo copies) of other significant tests, results, medication and reports none of which can be more than two years old, (so does that mean we will need to be reassessed every couple of years just to keep proving that ours is actually a lifelong disability even though it may be obvious? It looks like it to me. I wonder how our creaking NHS is going to react to pointless regular and repeated requests for reassessment and how hard pressed parents, carers and especially vulnerable people without supporters are going to achieve all this?

Strange, they don’t say if we are entitled to see proof of the assessors qualifications.

So rather than being a myth buster this document actually confirms many of my fears. I will have to apply for PIP on behalf of both my wife and son both of whom have significant lifelong disabilities and have been dreading it ever since the first announcement.

What is LB the Bill? Easy Read overview

What is LB Bill? Easy Read overview.

SEND Refoms – ‘Independent’ Supporters

This is all a bit vague for me, let me get this straight.

So the Government are spending 30 million on a system of independent supporters that are expected to deliver professional and competent advice on Education, Health and Social Care having just carried out an online training course which will become available only one week before the first face to face interview takes place.

I read somewhere that the ‘independent’ supporters are supposed to work ‘closely’ with the Local Authority and in some circumstances actually take the side of the LA therefore the sceptic might worry that this isn’t really being independent.

And between now and the 1st September all Agencies have to come together to agree a local memorandum of understanding which in normal circumstances might take months or never because everyone and his dog, (popular reference due to the Pudsey effect you know), are trying to avoid any semblance of responsibility for anything that might require the spending of money they don’t have and because the memorandum is local there is no best practice standard to argue against therefore we could end up with a dog’s breakfast (I thank you), with families having to just accept what has been cobbled together to meet the deadline whilst making absolutely sure no one has to, you know, actually worry about spending any extra money or anything.

Lastly, when you consider the implications of the Children and Families Act plus the Care Act will our ‘Independent’ supporters have enough of their allowance left to spend on fulltime legal advice I wonder?

I can’t see anyway that all this might go wrong.

Day 3: Letter for Connor #107days

Day 3: Letter for Connor #107days.

Government Welfare reform communications toolkit

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/welfare-reform-communications-toolkit

Disgusting pile of crap. instead of focussing on those who abuse the system including tax dodgers they use their instinctive hatred of the weak, disabled and unfortunate to drive forward discriminatory reforms which vilify the vulnerable and do nothing to get the private sector off public benefits that see us all subsidising wages and rents, they use our money to bribe firms with incentives to create jobs and allow private companies to pay slave wages and use zero hours contracts.

They say that they want to ensure ‘the most vulnerable – disabled people and pensioners – are protected’ yet by capping total expenditure they are actually introducing rationing and by destroying the Health Service piece by piece I can’t really see anyone being protected in the future. They are even expecting the NHS to now take joint responsibility for Care services which though a brilliant idea will fail unless it is funded properly, and we all know that the real aim is to drain the NHS of valuable resources so it can achieve less and less to leave a vacuum for the Private sector to fill.

I for one will be really pleased to see the back of this current shower of scroungers, Watch them all join the Boards of multinational private Health providers when they get booted out of office.

I Wish you enough

Shamelessly copied form a posting on Facebook but beautiful.

Recently, I overheard a mother and daughter in their last moments together at the airport as the daughter’s departure had been announced…. Standing near the security gate, they hugged and the mother said:”I love you and I wish you enough.”The daughter replied, “Mom, our life together has been more than enough. Your love is all I ever needed. I wish you enough, too, Mom.” They kissed and the daughter left.

The mother walked over to the window where I sat. Standing there, I could see she wanted and needed to cry.I tried not to intrude on her privacy but she welcomed me in by asking, “Did you ever say good-bye to someone knowing it would be forever?” “Yes, I have,” I replied. “Forgive me for asking but why is this a forever good-bye?””I am old and she lives so far away. I have challenges ahead and the reality is the next trip back will be for my funeral,” she said.When you were saying good-bye, I heard you say, “I wish you enough.” May I ask what that means?” She began to smile. “That’s a wish that has been handed down from other generations. My parents used to say it to everyone.” She paused a moment and looked up as if trying to remember it in detail and she smiled even more. “When we said ‘I wish you enough’ we were wanting the other person to have a life filled with just enough good things to sustain them”.

Then turning toward me, she shared the following, reciting it from memory,”I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright.I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun more.I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive.I wish you enough pain so that the smallest joys in life appear much bigger.I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.I wish you enough hellos to get you through the final good-bye.”She then began to cry and walked away.

They say it takes a minute to find a special person. An hour to appreciate them. A day to love them. And an entire life to forget them.

THE WORLD NEEDS A SENSE OF WORTH

And it will achieve it only by it’s people feeling that they are WORTHWHILE.

This is what it feels like to me in the UK:

Cameron, Osborne and their partners and friends drive around in their his and hers luxury cars and live a life of luxury while they pursue policies that seem to be resulting in many families struggling to feed and clothe their children and old people dying of cold because they can’t afford to use their heating.

We seem to have been transformed from a first world nation into a developing nation during the life of one Government. Whilst the last lot were not by any means perfect the people, particularly the vulnerable and the disabled were being better looked after.

So why has this happened? To satisfy the greed of the bankers and global investors who do not give a damn about any Country once they have squeezed the last drop of profit out of each one in turn. The global recession (caused by bankers elsewhere) has been used to drive down private sector costs like paying decent wages and at the same time because of low wages the tax payer is being expected to subsidise this with in-work benefits! Holding the interest rates down has also destroyed the benefits of saving whilst costs, including private rents have been going through the roof.

Believe you me, greed is the biggest threat we all face and sadly the private sector seems to me to be out of control. I am all for free enterprise but things are getting out of hand.

For people to feel worthwhile they have to be valued. This Government treats everyone but the rich with contempt so a sense of worth will be hard to find amongst many ordinary people.

Elderly abuse reports increasing

The start of an epidemic is seeing more and more elderly people being increasingly confined to their homes because of a lack of day services due to Government cuts and soon to get much worse thanks to the mass expulsion of the elderly who are currently looked after in hospitals when they are sick but in the future will be expected to bugger off and die quietly at home cared for by people who are likely not qualified to do so.

Add to this care workers on zero hours contracts who are expected to work for a pittance having to care for people in 15 minute slots and whose resulting resentment of the system will likely cause them to abuse their clients increasingly to get even.

What a lovely Country we live in.

End of life Care

I wonder how they know when people are near ‘end of ‘life’. Divine inspiration or wishful thinking?

Improving Corporate accountability in Health and Social care

Took part in a consultation at the Department of Health today all about Improving Corporate accountability in health and social care. I was one of around 20 or so parent/carers who have children with complex needs and challenging behaviour invited to attend and we were joined by a group of learning disabled adults who also came along to give their views.

Lots of great discussions and many common themes emerged. It’s not rocket science but the current system seems to be there to support the bureaucrats and not the service users whilst letting Directors, Senior Managers and commissioners off the hook if anything goes wrong.

I do hope the DoH actually listens and learns from today. People who  provide Care services need to know they will be personally held to account in the future if anyone in their care has a bad experience. We never want to see another Winterbourne View ever. This is even more important with dwindling budgets leading to more and more care rationing and a temptation to use the lowest bidder. Fingers crossed.

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/improving-corporate-accountability-in-health-and-social-care