The culmination of forum discussions, facebook help-a-thons, website
comments and our PIP survey is an evidence-based, high quality,
forensically detailed response to the consultation on the proposed
assessment for Personal Independence Payment (PIP). The document,
which includes a foreword by Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, was
submitted to the DWP this afternoon. We’ve published it so all those
who share our concerns about the Government’s proposals can use it to
fight for a benefit that works for disabled and sick people.
The document includes a huge number of recommendations, some major and
overarching and some detailed and technical. It’s hard to identify our
‘key’ recommendations, but here’s a taste:
* The addition of a new activity based on the need for general
supervision
* That the activity of bathing incorporate the cleaning of the entire
body, including limbs and extremities
* That significant changes should be made to recognise the difficulty
and expense surrounding the management of incontinence
* That the difficulties associated with being unable to handle
paperwork and write be taken into account in relation to communication
and managing finances
* That points awarded take account of the high cost of some aids and
appliances such as voice synthesisers
* That the benchmark for considering wheelchair use be increased from
50m to 200m
* That more account be taken of the need for walking aids (other than
wheelchairs), especially those that need both hands to be used
* That, in addition to asking whether the claimant can undertake an
activity safely, reliably, repeatedly and in a timely fashion, the
assessment should also ask what the claimant can do without severe
discomfort.
* That the Government ‘take every regulatory, contractual and advisory
opportunity to ensure that problems reported with the WCA… do not
occur in the PIP assessment’.
For details of all our recommendations, take a look at the document!
http://wearespartacus.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/wearespartacus-pip-submission-30-4-12.pdf
or
http://preview.tinyurl.com/cb7glq9
We also urged the Government to give careful consideration to some
overarching issues we’re all concerned about – for example, the danger
that the introduction of PIP will seriously compromise disabled
people’s independence and will increase costs for other public
services such as the NHS and local councils.
We will be producing the document in accessible formats later this
week and we will also be encouraging everyone to carry on campaigning
on some of the key recommendations we’ve made. This is NOT the end…
this is only the beginning… of a new phase of engagement to protect
our lives and our well-being.
END
The above is a full quote, excluding comments, of this page:
http://wearespartacus.org.uk/wearespartacus-responds-to-government/
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