Man refused benefits dies of starvation

[2old2beamum]

A 44 year od man with mental health issues, aspergers and OCD deemed capable of work has benefits reduced to £40/week dies and has a BMI of just over 11. I weep with shame.

Darkesteyes your DH's treatment was disgusting. When my son sadly now dead he needed his mobility reassessed as someone smashed into our car completely smashed, had not got 3 years motability to run to replace car "he may walk soon" was DLA's response! consultant wrote strong letter saying he would be luckybto be here in 3 years (sadly he was right) Yes Drs can write!!

to all of you who have been abused by this rubbish system

Oh 2old im so sorry about your son

The actual treatment of his health condition was excemplary. But the help with financial practicalities was what was lacking.
The nurses on the cardiac ward were wonderful.

Yes, Darkest, I've seen arguments about whether consultants should write reports for the DWP. IIUC, they've never been paid for this and have no obligation to. GPs, on the other hand, have it written into the contract.

Or they did. The break up of the NHS into CCGs may put an end to that.

It's not 'joined up' at all is it? On one hand you have the DWP and other agencies all requiring medical reports from Consultants for various purposes e.g. housing, social care, benefits etc, and you have Consulatnts who have no duty to provide the reports.

I had actally thought when Cameron came in, at last, we might see some improvements in the assistance given to disabled people, as he has first hand experience of having a disabled child. But I was wrong.

Gill you'd think personal experience would have given him insight.

The thing is though he's so rich. I know some very wealthy people and they just don't understand how limited all your choices are when you don't have the money to throw at a problem.

He still had to rely on the nhs though

Yes, and by all accounts he received excellent service from the NHS - no less than you would expect.

But when it comes to care, respite, equipment etc they probably were shielded by their wealth (she has a well-paid job too).

I have always thought and felt, they understood the emotional cost and pain but did not understand the domestic and physical pain that occurs for the vast majority of carers

He didn't have to rely on it the way others have absolutely no choice but to rely on it. And emotions are different from bread and butter issues, which he clearly has no idea whatsoever about. He was elected an MP about a year before his son was born and the child's disability and need for round the clock care had no visible effect on his career whatsoever.

There are people on this thread who don't understand.

Blithering on that they can't imagine putting their trust in the welfare state. I don't trust the welfare state, but I'm at it's mercy whether I trust it or not.

And none of that is choice.

What part of being disabled was my choice? What part of not being born a millionaire was my choice? I couldn't even have got private insurance because of "pre-existing symptoms", but even if I had payouts are usually time-limited (as MNers have discovered).

IME (bitter) even the opinions of consultants are overridden by unqualified people who have no medical knowledge at all. One very small example was the administrative person assessing my father's paperwork who informed us that she did not believe that "severe visual impairment" meant blindness. Even though the consultant had written "blind" in brackets on the form. (The form only offered 2 tick box choices: Visually impaired and severely visually impaired). This person was in a position to decide whether he could have attendance allowance and a blue badge.

We no longer have any decent occupational health service in the majority of industries in this country. Another safety net and source of help and support gone.

There is a former soldier being interviewed on the news now about how he needs to use a food bank.

And yes, of course it makes a massive difference if you are rich enough to import loads of help, afford a bigger house, afford to pay for adequate heating and food, run a decent car, pay for taxis. None of the people running this country (and I use the term loosely) have the faintest idea what many people are facing.

Maryz, I don't know whether it applies across the water, but this side there is a sneaky extra thing you need to know.

"Can" actually means "can safely, to a sufficient standard, with reasonable repeatability, without causing severe discomfort".

Reasonable, sufficient and severe are ambiguous of course. But it's a helluva difference from "can at all, once, with extreme pain, and you'll be in bed for days afterwards" literal meaning of "can".

You tick "can't" and then fill in the "additional info" box stating the degree to which you can and the impact or dangers, with examples. So you haven't lied on the form, but you haven't allowed them to glance at the "can" tick and move on without scoring you.

This used to be the DWP's best kept secret. There's slightly better guidance on the 2013 form, but you still have to be on the ball to pick up on it.

Frogs - You reminded me. When I started work we had an on-site nurse available throughout the working week. She had a small medical room. If you needed stitches removing or a wound cleaning you just toddled off to see her during the day. It saved you having to go to your GP or back to the hospital.
We also had an in-house welfare service that provided support for emotional or financial problems.

All gone.

Ugh. Incoherent. I'm in the UK, is what I meant to say to Maryz.

Get on the bike and look for work. They sold the bike to pay for heating!!

What a disgrace.

Tonights Panorama is about food banks and benefit sanctions.

I watched panorama with increasing blood pressure. edwina curry. ...she doesn't believe that there is any need for food banks.
my dsis is in her 50s, a qualified teacher, ran her own company for 25 years and is on Jsa. is now 20k in debt just to get by. she says she thinks its a deliberate plan by the tories, that.if the poor just die its no longer the government's problem.

my sons friend has AS. he keeos getting sanctioned. ds buys him food. its shameful.