Interesting Guardian article — Scope | Disability forum
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Interesting Guardian article

Ralph
Ralph Community member Posts: 79 Pioneering
‘McDonald, who chairs the disability charity Scope, said: “I thought this was a system to give people a hand up; in practice they encounter a sleight of hand that is completely out of kilter with the best traditions of British public service in which I was not only raised but worked for most of my career.”’

Given the number of articles, news items, these forums and others, I was surprised he was surprised. 

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/oct/06/former-watchdog-chief-labels-disabled-benefits-process-a-hostile-environment

Comments

  • thespiceman
    thespiceman Community member Posts: 6,388 Disability Gamechanger
    Hello @Ralph Pleasure to meet you I am not surprised by his reaction to the treatment he has received.

    With his PIP claim met so many times people who have the power and authority in Charities are clueless very much so what is happening to us all.

    My experiences with most charities was getting involved as I progressed from being a client or service user to volunteering .  Which I used to benefit my well being.

    Met last year Area Manager of the mental health charity was a service user of.  A number of us had no money being of claims being processed from one benefit to another.

    Could not understand that.  Team Manager got told by me regarding PIP when I said lose the car and other aspects of the assessments process.

    Made a curt, cutting remark. I answered back you wouldn't qualify for the benefit if you were sick or ill or disabled.  As she had disclosed to me one time, husband earns a salary enough for the two of you I added.

    Even so might not qualify anyway because depends on the assessment.  All to do with what you can do not the issues you have.

    Sat there stunned.  All I got was this look of horror.  Even more so when my support worker was ill and asked her the Team Manager to come to see what it is all about. PIP and ESA assessments. Guess what refused.

    Would help as I suggested in meetings of many of the charities been involved in. Soon as I suggested anything often the atmosphere changes and well I am often dismissed or contract terminated because I made a fuss and want what is right for the community we all are part of .

    What more can I add.

    Except that the assessments whether of any of this is never going to change is it. All despite reports and even what the Government have been told.

    As we have seen on the forum.  

    Take care

    @thespiceman
    Community Champion
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  • Sam_Alumni
    Sam_Alumni Scope alumni Posts: 7,671 Disability Gamechanger
    It is an interesting article, I read it more as he found it shocking, rather than he was surprised by it? 

    "I was shocked by the way this was being administered against the interests of some of the most disadvantaged people in the country,” he said. “PIP is beset by profound administrative failures which work to the disadvantage of disabled people."

    As a person with Parkinson’s and terminal prostate cancer, I doubt he lives in a bubble and I am really pleased people like him are using their platform to shout about the PIP system and how it is affecting so many of us.

    I found this bit really interesting! 
     "the latest official figures show 71% of PIP decisions were overturned when appealed against at tribunal."
    Scope
    Senior online community officer
  • debbiedo49
    debbiedo49 Community member Posts: 2,904 Disability Gamechanger
  • Markmywords
    Markmywords Community member Posts: 419 Pioneering
    I don't see a semantic difference between being shocked and being surprised.
    The truth is that the benefits system is not failing at all. It is simply following a different agenda to the one publicly stated.
    The government does not criticise Atos or Captita. Why do you think that is?
    Also, contracting-out assessments means that the government has some "plausible deniability" and "insulation" from responsibility. The non-disabled public are happy to accept it as "anyone on benefits is a scrounger."
    The proportion of appeals being successful is very high. The proportion of claims disputed is very low. Given the vulnerability and unresourceful nature of many claimants, this is predictable.
  • deb74
    deb74 Community member Posts: 814 Pioneering
    it is unbelievable how many people are having problems with pip! 
  • Ralph
    Ralph Community member Posts: 79 Pioneering
    To understand the problems you have to look at uc, pip and esa from a different perspective. 
    These changes were not about making life easier or making the system more efficient for disabled people they were purely instituted to save money. Money to give tax cuts to the rich and businesses. A bonus was the abuse of the sick and poor who many conservatives regard as a drain on the economy. The thing they missed was that they are so incompetent they are actually going to spend more money. 
    When a Government won’t treat its own disabled ex service men and women with dignity you know they are morally vacant. 

  • Ralph
    Ralph Community member Posts: 79 Pioneering
  • debbiedo49
    debbiedo49 Community member Posts: 2,904 Disability Gamechanger

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