So, who is going to employ all these disabled people the government wants to wean of welfare

[Jimisnotmyname]

Really wondering. Not saying it is necessarily a bad thing to encourage those who can work, to work but as a carer for 2 disabled family members, I am hugely struggling to find another job as nobody is willing to give me any flexibility (which I need as a carer) and there are always candidates who do not need the same accomodations I do. I would imagine that many of those currently not in work because of disability or a health condition, will often need a similar level of flexibility. I just wonder who on the the government think will offer jobs galore on these circumstances??

I wonder this too because I’m a SAHM desperate to return to work and can’t get a job because they question the break (plus I don’t have up to date references). I feel unemployable because nobody is interested. Also jobs receive so many applicants these days, so I can’t understand where they are going to magic up the jobs from either. In fact so many companies seem to be laying people off rather than taking people on due to costs.

Are you sure it's our there?

There is a woman at our GP surgery whose job is to connect people with these things. I begged for this help. She was lovely but the help isn't there.

There was absolutely nothing that she could offer me. All she could do was ensure I was claiming the benefits that I am entitled to and signpost me to places that I could pay for these services.

The care home, where DD1 lives, doesn’t according to employee reviews. Most of the staff have been off at some time, with stress or depression. Iirc, if staff are off sick more than about twice a year, they get a disciplinary….

Another care home in the same sector (now closed by the CQC) - a resident attacked a staff member, who had to to go to hospital. Their manager asked if they’d be coming back afterwards to finish their shift?

I remember a staff member complaining to me, in another care home in the same sector, that the job advert promised every other weekend off - which never happened in reality. She had made it clear at the interview, she could never work Sundays, because she was caring for a relative. They put no end of pressure on her to work Sundays….

DD1 couldn’t do any job in a million years. She needs 1:1 care all her waking hours. She has amnesia and is virtually incapable of learning anything new. Explain a job to her, at the level of a 2 year old, and she’d have forgotten what you said within 30 seconds! Anything more complicated than a 2 year old level, and she couldn’t understand you in the first place, never mind remember it. She also can’t see why she should do anything anyone says, if she doesn’t want to - and she’d hit you, if you persisted! Irritability and aggression are symptoms of her syndrome! Persist even more, and the stress could kill her - hence the 1:1 care!

What a horrible attitude. Anyone can end up disabled. I was fine 5 years ago. I am managing to keep my job but lucky I had it before I got sick and lucky to keep it as my manager has been helpful.

It's a lottery for people with chronic illness like mine. People with ME and long covid are going to risk permanent reduction in capacity by forcing them to push beyond their limits. This is a narrow and cruel change.

I don't receive any PIP or access to work as I couldn't cope with the stress of trying in top of what I do already. It undoubtedly costs me more to live now I am disabled but I have just accepted it.

I am mild with MEcfs but it takes a huge effort to keep this way. I work flexi and 30 hours a week. I can WFH a couple of days. If I had to travel every day I'd been in a terrible state. I would end up costing the state with care because I have no partner to help me.

I think we'll see suicides over this. How is this a labour government?

The 'little push' is the first bit that makes that unfeasible. The second bit is assuming a belt runs all the way down like they did in the 1980s, instead of ending before things are lifted onto the scale and then lifted and placed into the packing area.

That and a) they're too high to work from wheelchair user height and b) they've been replaced by self checkouts supervised by somebody standing up or people standing up and filling shelves, collecting Amazon packages, taking deliveries, supplying the blokes on bikes with orders packed and ready when not standing behind a security partition for the seven foot high cigarette counter with alcohol and parcels on the floor around them.

Thankyou, succinctly put. You've saved me a job 😄

Not all jobs have progression you know. Many people ( even without disability) who were doing amin wage job 5 years ago are still doing it. There's not the careers or abilities for everybody toprogress

Yep,got one in the family except she’s too shy to work.She’s now 42 and never had a job,she lived with her parents until she found an equally idle partner they now live with his mother.She got pip on MH grounds without any evidence on a phone interview.I’m hoping she has a face to face review at some point.I know people will now claim she couldn’t possibly have got pip with no evidence but she actually did,much to my horror.I always assumed you needed reems of medical notes but as this was just after covid lockdown a phone interview was all that was needed.Also lots of downright lies.

The benefits system has enabled some people who may have had to ‘push through’ to stay home and not work or engage with society. We all know them, they’ve all the reasons in the world why they can’t and absolutely no intention of ever trying.

You would hope that this move might encourage these people to start trying to work.

The concern is that it will also strike those who simply cannot work no matter how hard they try to ‘push through’ and they will end up suffering.

I have a brother with a fairly severe (when bad) mental health issue. He, with our help, has pushed himself to get back to work and found a job that meets his needs. It can be done and where possible it should be done.

If only that were the case.

you might want to think it would be, but it won't

Hope they’ll be keeping to reasonable adjustments some will be entitled to.

I’ve had insomnia all my life, average 3-4 hours on a good night. Didn’t even know people claimed for that. But - and sorry to sound harsh - my solution has just been, ‘suck it up!’

Really don’t think insomnia is comparable with someone who’s severely disabled.

I’d like to work. I’m hoping they will have some ideas for me. I suffer anxiety, depression and psychotic episodes. My driving license was taken away from me. I’m on multiple medications. I don’t leave the house except for medical appointments. I’m very suicidal and SH daily. When I’m psychotic I think people are trying to hurt me and I want to hurt them back. So all sharps have to be hidden away.
Im getting pretty sick of hearing how people with anxiety and MH issues are swinging the lead. Prior to my breakdown I worked full time in a safeguarding role. I never imagined life would end up like this for me.
But I have no severe diagnosis. No schizophrenia, no bipolar, no personality disorder. I think I will lose my PIP, it’s currently under review.
I look forward to them finding me job opportunities. I’ve not managed to find anything for the last 6 years since I’ve been really unwell.

Remember many disabled people may not have a huge number of qualifications yet there are platitudes given about working from home?

Can anyone suggest good home working jobs that do not rely on ICT, numeracy and English language skills? Typically a lot of working from home jobs are graduate roles and that will exclude a lot of disvaled people coupled with the fact companies are now wanting people in the office.

I don’t know about care homes, but local authorities and educational institutions use the Bradford Scale - so someone such as me with hemiplegic migraine could (and did) reach the threshold for absence every year by having, for example, four separate days/afternoons/mornings off. Local authorities, schools, NHS won’t want to permanently take on staff with disabilities and risk paying for extended sick leave.

There aren't that many fully remote roles these days. I have been trying to get one for months despite having a solid CV. I get nowhere.

First it was 'back pain'

Then it was 'anxiety'

Then it was 'fibromyalgia'

Then it was 'long COVID '

These diagnoses are so open to abuse from people that need a nice wishy washy set of symptoms, that can't be proved, to cling to.

Healthy eating and nutrition courses or subsidised gym/swimming pool memberships better funding for schools and alternative routes to employment outside of academia

These schemes already exist where I am. There are cooking and nutrition classes, free gym membership with access to swimming, an excellent scheme for supporting young people out of school and into suitable work. A friends 17 year old left school and through the supported work project has a job with the local authority after a couple of work trials to find the right fit. He’s doing really well despite some complex needs.

There’s are supports out there but you need to be able to navigate the systems in place to access them, or have someone that can advocate for you, which not everyone has.

We do need to support people into employment and also need to consider an ever growing rate of disability. Finding the balance between supporting those who really can’t work and encouraging those who can work find appropriate employment is always going to be hard.

I suspect the truth lies somewhere between “everyone on disability payments can absolutely not work” and “hoards of people are exaggerating the impact of their disability to rob the tax payer”. The reality is society can’t fund everyone who is unable/unwilling to work indefinitely so something needs to change but any change will inadvertently impact the former while trying to address the later.

Not forgetting ME,that was the go to one a few years ago..

this is a ridiculous over reaction.

Don't you? Chronic insomnia is frequently linked with pain conditions, PTSD, other complex neurological conditions - do you think that there could be more to it?

Do you want a lorry driver with insomnia driving a lorry around after weeks of sleep deprivation?

If you're getting 3-4 hours a night, that's far more than many others. To me problematic insomnia is the chronic variety with serious consequences.

Nonsense.

I have had no issue working for a LA at all.

They are aware I have a disability and so don't take action when I have sick days related to it.

In fact it's often my manager who encourages me to take a day off /go home early when she can see I am struggling!

There was mention of an exemption for losing benefits if work doesn't work out when trialling it from being on pip. Makes sense really, it would be positive for a lot of people's mental health to have more of a sense of purpose and socialisation, even if it's just 2 shifts a week in a shop.

Insomnia - bollocks to that! I do 10 hour shifts on 3 hours sleep sometimes. I have no choice. You just suck it up.

Try having fibromyalgia.... You'll see how wishy washy it is. Honestly, this disability bashing must stop. It's disgusting.