Upcoming changes to benefits

There's a really key/significant difference.

The Covid vaccination/boosters came at a time when, as a healthcare worker I felt a responsibility to patients - as well as myself - and very little time plus no research/knowledge out there to know the effectiveness.

(I caught Covid again in Jan 22 and was very unwell affected lungs badly causing scarring/chronic difficulties).

I guess my health after Covid in Nov 2020 was pretty bad but it has now become extremely debilitating. I'm just trying to survive and am definitely averse to anything making it worse. I understand they were starting to see some good results from the current trial which is good news and promising.

What I would expect as a minimum is complete transparency about any adverse effects experienced by the 70 people it is, I think, undergoing the current trial as that information will be available to the research/trials team. Those kind of results would likely be known by next year. Hopefully.

If there was not that transparency then I don't need to fret at all as I wouldn't participate. I also won't know if I meet the conditions of the trial for months yet and I may not be able to meet them so I have to keep a pragmatic state of mind about it versus excitement of a 'cure'

I think what 12 years nursing has taught me is to take ownership of my health (and lack of it!) and any and all decision-making relating to it will be mine alone. I won't readily hand over my own autonomy to any healthcare professional or research scientist without being able to make an as fully-informed decision for myself as possible.

I'm going to remain cautiously optimistic. I appreciate your comment - it enables me to reflect on my own thoughts about it and the possible challenges.

A lot of posters here picked up on this, who decides?

Like Professor of Every known medical condition Wes Streeting's comments on the Sunday show about overdiagnosis.

His key objectives should be.

1. People forced out of working due to needing Surgery or other treatment are fast tracked in the NHS
2. Long Covid is real, Many LHB's wont talk about it owing to the old "Never admit liability"
3. They keep saying the UK is the worst affected country to recover to pre pandemic levels

who was the Party and PM at the time? the ones who made such a mess its left a legacy of misery. No Reeves came in with her stupid Fiscal rules and its meant the money needed to be spent on the NHS to stop people who had jobs now forced to rely on Welfare the figures are there, Just like the ones on Brexit.

The UN warned the World to prepare for a mass disabling event post pandemic and it was totally ignored, When you see posts from former consultants who are now relying on PIP when they were on 500k Per year, Yep that's a lifestyle choice. They put money into support for long covid and a treatment plan and they will be Global leaders and something to be proud of.

From "The Guardian":

Kendall hints she can see argument for Pip claimants whose condition will never improve not facing reassessment

Jeremy Wright (Con) asks Kendall if she agrees that, for people who are receiving Pip (the personal independence payment, a disability benefit), if their condition is not going to get any better, it would be “sensible to relieve them of the burden of that reassessment process”, unless they want to be reassessed.

That would be “less distressing for them”, and would allow officials to focus on assessing the people who need reaassessment more quickly, he says.

Kendall says she agrees with “a lot” of what Wright is saying. She urges him to be patient, and to wait until the plans are announced tomorrow.

Under the current system people who receive Pip, which can be worth more than £600 per month, are supposed to have their entitlement reassessed from time to time.

The government is expected to tighten the eligibility criteria, making it harder for people to qualify, but it is not clear yet how long it will take before the new rules apply, or before people already getting Pip have to face reassessment.

the guardian are reporting that starmer is going to drive through these changes and has ignored his mps.

I honestly feel that at the end of it all, people that cannot work and are too disabled to do so, will NOT be forced to work and WILL be protected

"The net result is likely to be significant changes to Personal Independence Payments, aiming to reduce eligibility for the highest levels of payments, especially among those of working age with mental illness."