Our state is rotten.

[Sunsun21]

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/jan/28/philippa-days-family-call-for-urgent-changes-to-benefits-system?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

I did comment for what it’s worth although I think that this is a diversion from the more
important issue of what happened to this young mother. Surely that is what Mumsnet should really be for, to discuss issues which affect mothers and women rather than a forum for petty squabbles and insult? I gave my thoughts and invited others to do so.

Why didn't her family rally before - they are rallying now
Do agorophobics get the full disability benefit? That seems a big ask of the state to me.
Not saying she wasn't badly treated but her disabilities such as diabetes are not normally given disability benefits. Most diabetics work.
Are all diabetics and agorophobics to be entitled to benefits?
I'm not saying this isn't a very sad story but rather than headlines some discussion would be more helpful. Can't believe no one in her family stepped up.

@PinkyParrot There isn't a list of illnesses that mean you're entitled to certain benefits. Sickness and disability benefits are given if your condition affects you in certain ways. So a diabetic or agoraphobic could well be entitled to certain benefits depending how they are affected.

@PinkyParrot

Why didn't her family rally before - they are rallying now Do agorophobics get the full disability benefit? That seems a big ask of the state to me. Not saying she wasn't badly treated but her disabilities such as diabetes are not normally given disability benefits. Most diabetics work. Are all diabetics and agorophobics to be entitled to benefits? I'm not saying this isn't a very sad story but rather than headlines some discussion would be more helpful. Can't believe no one in her family stepped up.

This 'why didn't the family step up' is the argument the government just loves to hear - because it shows that there is support for dismantling the safety net (pathetic as it already is) further.

Nobody should have to depend on family being willing to help for their support. There should be a baseline of support that is equal for everyone if they qualify on the basis of their health. Saying 'family should do it' is just taking us back to the bad old days when there was no safety net.

And it really isn't that hard to see how agoraphobia and diabetes would impact negatively on one another and make both conditions worse.

There should be a baseline of support that is equal for everyone if they qualify on the basis of their health.
she can't have qualified or she would have got benefits.
So are you suggesting moving the baseline?
I'm trying get people who say this or that person deserves benefits to explain why and how is the state to fund it. It's very easy to be kind to everyone if you aren't finding the money. As any party who isn't in power proves time and again.

I have 2 autistic children who are unable to go to school.

The process of applying for DLA is so cynical. They routinely assess that there is no right to be benefit or award at a lower rate. This is a tactic. Every time I have applied I've had to ask for mandatory reconsideration because they have applied their own laws incorrectly. Every time, without any additional evidence, they have had to increase the rate.

They rely on people accepting the first (incorrect) decision. They rely on people not having the energy to deal with it and giving up.

Shameful.

PinkyParrot if you kept up with the news, you would know that the assessment process, especially with regards to mental health issues, is completely not fit for purpose. You would know that decisions not to grant benefits have a very, very high rate of being overturned on appeal. You would know that benefit assessors have been shown to lie in their documentation.

So you do not know that this lady did not qualify. It is far more likely that she was screwed over by a system that is intended to do just that.

DynamoKev

It's a shitty system, designed by sadists. Do other first world nations treat welfare claimants like dirt?“

USA certainly does.

@itsbiganditsorange

Are you going to just lob in a link and then bugger off, or are you actually going to come back and contribute something to the thread?

You read a story about how the state failed a young woman and her child 28 times and that’s the only thing you contribute?

Anyway, you’ve derailed the thread enough. It’s a bloody scandal and would be at any time but it’s particularly distasteful at a time when the government’s throwing our money at its mates.

My son will turn 16 next year and I’m already terrified about the change to pip from DLA.
He has Down syndrome and autism and is pretty much a 5 foot toddler. I’ve had a few sleepless nights worrying already and am saving as much as I can incase of any problems switching over. I’ve already spoken to his teacher, health visitor and consultant, all have said they will back me up if there’s any issues. Face to face meetings with a pip panel will be problematic, my son won’t hold eye contact with anyone he doesn’t know well and he’s non verbal.
Anybody with serious health problems or disabilities shouldn’t have this extra worry, life is as difficult as it can be sometimes anyway.

''Philippa Day: DNS wins legal fight with DWP over ground-breaking release of secret report into benefit death''

''Philippa had been diagnosed with type one diabetes when she was 18 months old, and later with emotionally unstable personality disorder, anxiety, depression and agoraphobia.

The inquest, which is set to continue into next week, has already heard repeated evidence of DWP’s failings from Philippa Day’s family, the mental health professionals who worked closely with her, and DWP staff (see separate stories).

Those mental health professionals had tried repeatedly to persuade DWP and its private sector contractor Capita to restore benefits that had been wrongly removed from her, and then ensure that she did not have to attend a face-to-face interview in a personal independence payment assessment centre.

Philippa appears to have taken her own life soon after learning that she would be forced to attend that assessment, a prospect that had left her “highly distressed” and even terrified.''

www.disabilitynewsservice.com/philippa-day-dns-wins-legal-fight-with-dwp-over-ground-breaking-release-of-secret-report-into-benefit-death/

V sad, I stand corrected that was terrible treatment.

If you have not done so, I recommend watching 'I Daniel Blake' which highlights the failures and changes to the benefits system in recent years, even though a fictional story.

The coalition government made inhuman changes in particular to the assessments system and outsourcing of it. I don't know how the minister responsible for this, Iain Duncan Smith, can reconcile this with his Christian faith.

The so-called 'Health Care Professionals' who carry out these assessments are utterly shameless prostitutes of their 'professional' status. They are enabled by the toothless and complicit NMC who have been criticised at the highest governmental levels for routinely ignoring Fitness to Practice complaints about thee people and their corrupt 'decisions'. The system stinks, so I agree with the OP that our state is rotten in this respect.

@Beyondfedupnow try not to worry too much. I know far too many disabled people are failed by the system but my BIL is in receipt of PIP for disabilities including adhd, autism, dyslexia and another 'moderate learning disability'.
Usually they send him a form every 2 years which I fill in and that's it however he got called for an assessment just over a year ago. My mil went with him and she said they were absolutely lovely and there were no issues whatsoever.

This has been bought to everyone's attention loads of times no one cares enough to do anything my friends son got worse they cut his DLA not increased it but CUT it my son should have had a paediatric appointment 12 months before the pandemic was heard of he still isn't on the list but who cares he is disabled right? Just deal

Its a diagrace. Sanctions or cuts should be out lawed. I don't give shiny shit how many appointments someone has missed or whether or not they didn't apply for enough jobs. Its not punishable by starvation and desperation and in this case death!!!! Even twatting cunting nonces and rapists eat , FFS.
It beats me why the fuck I'm paying my Taxes if its not going to those who need it. Where does all this sanctioned money. It must go somewhere, towards their Christmas dinner dance.
doesn't even come close to how I'm feeling right now. Also what good use or orniment are condolences. A mother Daughter Sister has gone.
Rip Pip. Love thoughts and prayers for to your poor family.

The actual details of the DWP's coverups in Philippa's case are incredible; deleted telephone calls, disappeared documentation, ignoring her desperation.

Most countries of the world, however poor, do not treat their vulnerable like this.

It is state-sanctioned murder. I would start by prosecuting all the administrators who were complicit in this case for manslaughter.

RIP Pip.

@PinkyParrot

There should be a baseline of support that is equal for everyone if they qualify on the basis of their health. she can't have qualified or she would have got benefits. So are you suggesting moving the baseline? I'm trying get people who say this or that person deserves benefits to explain why and how is the state to fund it. It's very easy to be kind to everyone if you aren't finding the money. As any party who isn't in power proves time and again.

Bollocks. People are routinely granted what they originally asked for on appeal.

As for It's very easy to be kind to everyone if you aren't finding the money. This government is great at being "kind" to their friends and backers who are already very well off: how about diverting some of that dirty cash to people who are really in need?

What other system could run at such a high fail rate, with such high stakes?
The welfare state is a fable of days past.
This is a punitive, cost saving and life destroying policy.

Conservatives don't like poor people and could not care less if the policies to ensure they were 'deserving poor' killed a few off.

@Awwlookatmybabyspider

Its a diagrace. Sanctions or cuts should be out lawed. I don't give shiny shit how many appointments someone has missed or whether or not they didn't apply for enough jobs. Its not punishable by starvation and desperation and in this case death!!!! Even twatting cunting nonces and rapists eat , FFS. It beats me why the fuck I'm paying my Taxes if its not going to those who need it. Where does all this sanctioned money. It must go somewhere, towards their Christmas dinner dance. doesn't even come close to how I'm feeling right now. Also what good use or orniment are condolences. A mother Daughter Sister has gone. Rip Pip. Love thoughts and prayers for to your poor family.

Agreed!

@PinkyParrot

There should be a baseline of support that is equal for everyone if they qualify on the basis of their health. she can't have qualified or she would have got benefits. So are you suggesting moving the baseline? I'm trying get people who say this or that person deserves benefits to explain why and how is the state to fund it. It's very easy to be kind to everyone if you aren't finding the money. As any party who isn't in power proves time and again.

And still people see fit to tear apart this tragic story for comments like this.

Let me tell you this. I looked at applying for an assessors post a year ago. My mum has chronic mental health issues(bi-polar) and addiction (alcohol) as well as physical issues (arthritis, COPD,). She worked for 30 years in the NHS and early retirement has nearly finished her. While she is on receipt of PIP, it was a long, distressing process for her. And it was only on appeal she was awarded her claim. As a mental health nurse, I wanted to become an assessor to try to help others like her navigate the system.
However, a friend and colleague took up a post when I was in the middle of applying. She lasted 16 days. The expectation was for her to ensure she had a 'quota' of claimants she had assessed and rejected. There were bonuses for assessors with the highest quotas. When claimants were called for interview the room was 50 yards from the waiting room. If the claimant had said in thier application they found it difficult to walk 50 yards, thier application was rejected on the basis that they had proven they could in fact walk that distance as they had done so to get to the interview room! Now, bear in mind when claimants are called in they are desperate to present well and show they are being genuine. As a nurse my colleague could not continue so she left with no other employment to fall back on. She later rejoined the NHS and is currently fighting the good fight with the rest of us.
I should add that this was in Scotland and was for one of the companies contracted by DWP but not DWP themselves. They are a whole other story.

My (very long, sorry) point is this system is set up for people to fail. It begins and ends with assumption that claimants are, at best exaggerating, at worst lying. That comes across loud and clear during assessments. This poor lady did not deserve such awful treatment. And it's vile for anyone to STILL insist she was entitled to nothing even after she TOOK HER OWN LIFE. what the fuck is wrong with you all.

I am currently filling out these DLA forms again for the second time, for a second child. Life for families like mine is hard enough without this dreadful, complicated , cynical process. We are constantly given forms to fill in and spend any free time trying to navigate such systems and then asked why we don’t take a break from caring as Caring for ourselves is so important apparently.

Anyone who votes Tory should have to watch I Daniel Blake .

I encourage everyone who is lied about by their 'assessors' to make a formal Fitness to Practise complaint about them to the NMC, for what it is worth. The NMC has been criticised at high govt. level for covering the backs of its members and routinely rejecting these complaints, so I live in hope that its processes may be changed to address and challenge the disgusting immorality of people who call themselves 'health care professionals' (most of whom seem to be flakily-qualified 'physios' these days) who are prepared to treat highly vulnerable people so disgustingly at the point of delivery. They literally have blood on their hands for being part of this system. The NMC should hang its head in shame for all those who have died and suffered as a result of its members being part of these 'assessment' systems.