Panorama – Locked Up For Being Ill?

Terminally ill Brighton and Hove people left without benefits for months

People battling a brain tumour, cancer and a rare lung condition have been forced to live for months without benefits they are entitled to – as a Government department drags its feet carrying out assessments.

Reporter Natalie Leal learns the stories of some of society’s most vulnerable residents, who are financially relying on friends and neighbours – including one man being evicted from his home.

Terminally ill and disabled people in Brighton and Hove are being left without benefits for months while they wait for an assessment.

A report by Big Lottery funded project, Advice Brighton and Hove, has revealed major delays for disabled people applying for Personal Independence Payments (PIP) – branding the backlog “untenable”. The research was carried out after several frontline advice workers across the city raised concerns about exceptionally long waiting times for PIP assessments, causing vulnerable people unnecessary distress.

Author of the report, Tess Craven, said: “There is concern in the advice sector that as people applying for PIP are some of the most vulnerable and are being left without adequate finances, this is having a huge impact on their physical and emotional wellbeing.”

Advice Brighton and Hove gathered information, case studies and statistics from seven not-for-profit organisations, The Citizen’s Advice Bureau, Money Advice and Community Support, Age UK Brighton and Hove, Macmillan, Brighton Unemployed Centre. Families Project, The Federation for Disabled People and the Welfare Rights team at Brighton and Hove City Council.

From 60 example cases Advice Brighton and Hove found that just three people who had applied for the new benefit had received an assessment since its introduction in April 2013.

Extra costs PIPs were brought in to replace Disability Living Allowance (DLA). The benefit, for people aged 16 to 64 with a long-term health condition or impairment, helps with some of the extra costs caused by their disability or ill health. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) plans to fully replace DLA with PIP by 2015. Atos Healthcare carries out the assessments on behalf of the Government.

Julie Burrows, an advisor at The Federation for Disabled People, said: “The Disability Advice Centre has helped nearly 50 disabled people apply for PIP since April last year. Of these, only two have had an assessment to date and the others are still waiting. We have one client who applied for PIP last July and is still waiting for an assessment.”

One person who has waited months for a PIP assessment is Jane Slee. The former art lecturer applied for the benefit in September 2013 after the sudden death of her long-term partner.

The 63-year-old said: “I have never claimed any benefits before. My partner died suddenly in August last year. Because of my health problems he used to do everything for me, so I didn’t realise how ill I was.”

Ms Slee, who suffers from rheumatoid arthritis and a rare lung condition, said: “I can’t do everyday things for myself. The local newsagent is the furthest I can walk and that’s 50 yards.  Often I need to sit on the bench and rest even when I walk there because I get out of breath.”

She applied for the PIP so she could employ someone to help with cleaning and homecare, so she can stay in the home she shared with her partner for 20 years. Ms Slee is currently relying on friends and neighbours for help. She said: “I can’t keep relying on people to drive me around and help me. I can’t do any cleaning, if I hoover I may pass out. “Because I am on my own now I am terribly frightened of falling. “I carry my mobile phone around with me all the time when I’m at home and I don’t use the bath because I’m scared of falling.” After her health deteriorated in October last year Ms Slee spent two weeks in hospital. She is concerned gathering dust in her house, which she struggles to clean, is worsening her lung condition.

Since making the application in September Ms Slee had no contact from the DWP or Atos. Each time she has called she has been told by someone will contact her within two weeks to arrange an assessment. Each time she has heard nothing and she is still waiting for an assessment date to be set.

She said: “You feel apologetic when you keep phoning. But in fact it’s a right to have this. “I’ve worked all my life, I was a high earner and I have paid a lot of income tax.”

Frustrated by the lack of progress, Ms Slee asked for a home assessment hoping this would be quicker. However she was told a home assessment would take even longer to arrange. Ms Slee recently contacted her MP Simon Kirby who wrote to the DWP and Atos on her behalf.

She said: “I’ve been waiting nearly five months for them to get in touch with me. Once they send me for an assessment it could be another three months before I get anything.”

Read the rest of this article in the Argus, 6th March 2014, here: http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/11055294.Terminally_ill_Brighton_and_Hove_people_left_without_benefits_for_months/?ref=mr

 

Chucked off Sickness benefits and forced to sign on, but not fit to look for jobs let alone do them

From the facebook page ‘the People vs the Government, DWP and Atos

A bit of advice for those who have been chucked off esa and forced to sign on, but are not fit to look for the jobs let alone do them. Well last week was my first signing on day, as I’d been for interview there the week before. At the interview I told the guy that I dont wanna sign to say I’m fit for work when I’m not!

He said a few times that if I want any money I must sign it. So I said, well I aint gonna look or work! So he told me I had to apply for a certain amount of jobs per week or I wont get paid. So I told him I aint fit to work and nobody will employ me unless I lied at my interview. Then I’d get fired straight away cus I wouldn’t manage to get there on time it at all. Well he was keeping his cool just looking blank at me. As we started to fill his on screen form in, he asked, so what job would u like to do. So I said, one where I can turn up when I want and go home when I want n get paid while I’m off!
He said u can’t say that! So he suggested things n I said after each one, well I cant do that because of…..and gave him the reason. I was there over an hour cus I just wouldnt play this stupid game. In the end we wrote some things down just to go home. So while at home I wrote on here saying how could I get out of doing job searches for a job I will never be able to do ( ive got fibromyalgia and cfs severely, so get brain fog, have sleep probs and of course the pain).

I was advised to get a sick note. So, I turned up on friday with a sick note for two weeks, as this is the longest they allow u, and only 2 in a year, or you will get signed off jsa. So iI gave this different advisor the sick note, which the doctor had included the third friday, making it 15 days, and I was told that because it was 15 days I dont have to sign on next fortnight either, so av to go in a months time, but need to bring along a two week job search list. So I told the man I didnt want to do it. I said I think I will bring another sick note in.
I said, how can I be asking esa to do me a reconsideration and if not successful an appeal, if I’m signing on to say I’m fit for work. I said its ridiculous. Writing to tell them I’m not fit to work. I said its stupid as I cant be both.

So I asked what would happen if I  brought in a second sicknote straight after, making it more than a two week one next time too. He said they will close your case and make u sign on esa. I said, how can that happen if I’ve been chucked off it?

He said , what happens when esa say your fit for work and job centre wont except u because they say ur not fit to work is……..wait for it………. They put u into a group called the holding.
Its wherepeople  are put that don’t seem to belong in either group till its decided through reconsideration that u can go back on it, but if it goes to appeal and u lose your appeal, which will be months and months away, only then do u have to def be on jsa and abide by the rules!

So all u lot, get to doctors on ur signing on day and get a sicknote for more than 2 weeks and get chucked of the jsa that we didnt want anyway, and join the holding group instead. Thanks the nice Job Centre Plus man. Xxxx