To Think Rishi is Delusional

[Sunshineguy]

The Prime Minister wants people to shrug off increased ill health. Is he delusional? Fatigue is categorized as a mental health issue for long term disability benefits. Fatigue is also the most common symptom of Long Covid. Is Rishi right to say we're a nation of shirkers? Or is he ignoring the presence of a new virus that is disabling people? Has your health improved or worsened since Covid arrived?

Interesting replies, thanks. There's a growing body of evidence of long-term persistence of covid infection, so it wouldn't be surprising if some people were struggling with long-term effects. Summary of the latest evidence in this Lancet piece from yesterday.

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(24)00216-0/fulltext

Definitely delusional after yesterdays results! 🤣

He needs to call a General Election & just do one!

PIP, AA and child DLA are meant to be universal benefits because they contribute to the extra cost of disability - which can be substantial. They are also gateway benefits to other services for the disabled so that needs to be addressed first. I’ve never agreed with means testing as it’s a race to the bottom which cuts off support to many who need it if they are just a pound or two over the thresholds.

Given that these are extra cost benefits and according to recent studies the actual cost of living with a disability is far higher than even the higher rates of some benefits like PIP, l think introducing means testing is going to be difficult. I think we should also bear in mind that child benefit and the amounts parents can claim in nursery fees are far in excess of the amount of monthly disability benefit payments.

I think rather than means testing, concentration on how much extra cost is involved is the best way to go, and I don’t think PIP does a particularly good job of it, because it concentrates on how much help and what aids and appliances the disabled person needs, but doesn’t take into account things like higher bills because of incontinence or charging essential equipment for example.

And my mum started claiming AA after a dementia diagnosis. She had an assessment over the phone - an assessor wanted to clarify some points on the application form before the decision on the award was made. There is an assessment, but it’s on paper, rather than face to face.