UK: Disability benefits (UC, ESA and PIP) - news and updates 2024 and 2025

MrMagoo said:
Still looking for figures on people deemed unfit to prep for work but not awarded any 4s on pip.
I want to determine how many people judged as unable to reach, sit type or speak are found to be able to prepare food, wash, dress and speak with an aid.
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It doesn't seem to be available yet. The poster below has a FOI in, but DWP are stalling.

 
'The Politico website has claimed that a bill to cut disability benefits will be introduced to parliament next week, allowing the first vote to take place as early as 30 June.

Whilst we have no way of knowing if this is correct, Labour are definitely running out of time if they want the bill to have completed all its commons stages by the start of the Summer recess on 22 July.

So this seems a good point at which to look at how Labour may try to rush the bill through parliament with minimum scrutiny and how campaigners can be prepared for this.'

Prepare for Labour to try to force cuts through parliament

Get the benefits you're entitled to: help with personal independence payment (PIP), universal credit (UC), employment and support allowance (ESA),disability living allowance (DLA). Claims, assessments, reviews, appeals.
www.benefitsandwork.co.uk www.benefitsandwork.co.uk

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Oonagh Cousins from #ThereforME has posted this week's offering in their substack focussing on the planned reductions in PIP.


www.thereforme.uk

Campaign Update #21: Taking the PIP

Most of our readers will already be well aware of the ongoing outrage around the government’s recent plans for disability benefits reform.
www.thereforme.uk www.thereforme.uk

linked to 8 page report on the impact of the proposed PIP reforms on people with ME and long covid
 
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The bill was read. So far there’s no indication it will be put through the faster-track “money bill” process, but that could change.

Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill Updates

Get the benefits you're entitled to: help with personal independence payment (PIP), universal credit (UC), employment and support allowance (ESA),disability living allowance (DLA). Claims, assessments, reviews, appeals.
www.benefitsandwork.co.uk www.benefitsandwork.co.uk
The bill has been published

Interesting bit on LCWRA / “severe disability” unable to work, you’ll need to meet the LCWRA standards and meet 4 additional criteria which are basically that you’ll never get better enough to work, and that you have an NHS diagnosis, not private.
 

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MrMagoo said:
The bill was read. So far there’s no indication it will be put through the faster-track “money bill” process, but that could change.

Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill Updates

Get the benefits you're entitled to: help with personal independence payment (PIP), universal credit (UC), employment and support allowance (ESA),disability living allowance (DLA). Claims, assessments, reviews, appeals.
www.benefitsandwork.co.uk www.benefitsandwork.co.uk
The bill has been published

Interesting bit on LCWRA / “severe disability” unable to work, you’ll need to meet the LCWRA standards and meet 4 additional criteria which are basically that you’ll never get better enough to work, and that you have an NHS diagnosis, not private.
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So the nhs don’t have home visits even most GP s and clinics don’t ‘do’ the severe nevermind very severe and if they do the harmful protocol is even more dangerous and of course they don’t do home visits anyway. If they got an ambulance into a hospital then as per Maeve’s inquest finding, which I’m unaware the responses to the letters sent by the coroner as a ‘prevention of death’ follow-up even seemed to take seriously nevermind address, then culture seems to dictat to staff to claim ignorance of the condition as if that wilful ignorance covers choosing not to offer a safe service that is appropriate (and/or enforcing harmful actions rooted in what is confirmed now as old myths and debunked but harmful orthodoxy/now can be termed bigotry or tropes if you read what that orthodoxy is and that isn’t really either medical nor started because of ‘science’ or ‘evidence’ nor even managed to find any after decades of trying to produce it post-hoc to justify it).

What are they trying to force the severe and very severe into? You can’t qualify or exist if you are too unwell/unless you become more well? If the nhs service fails you by not existing for the most ill then what?

Surely from a legal ie act making sense standpoint then if you made such a change then you couldn’t at the same time have a situation where you have a Nice guideline that isn’t taken as some legal ‘right/entitlement’ to care that actually meets it, rather than the clearly not even near compliant dance we still have for the tiny bits that exist ‘even if the changed the name of what they shouldn’t be offering’ .

From a jurisprudence perspective you can’t have both surely?

As you rightly have a Nice guideline on a disease that exists and requires care but by attempts of services to discriminate against a minority they refuse to offer a safe service to those with me/cfs but a harmful pseudo thing only accessible to those without the condition that doesn’t work or help even after the science and research being properly assessed to confirm then those would be subverting their access to existing or access as well each time they decline proper funding and support for a medical led service.

You by having those two active decisions and intentions actively created a pathway by which segments of society can be easily blocked from accessing all rights ? If we won’t provide someone who will see you then you don’t exist.
 
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I think, in fairness, you can get an NHS diagnosis of ME if you’re severe, just not any treatment. I was borderline whether I’d be “moderate enough” to be offered any or sent to deal with the community services.

Will we get signed off as “no possible recovery or improvement in function” I doubt it.
 
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MrMagoo said:
I think, in fairness, you can get an NHS diagnosis of ME if you’re severe, just not any treatment. I was borderline whether I’d be “moderate enough” to be offered any or sent to deal with the community services.

Will we get signed off as “no possible recovery or improvement in function” I doubt it.
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Can that be done for those who would need a home visit/couldn’t get to a clinic even if one existed near them that did diagnose severe (but only if they get there) ?
 
bobbler said:
Can that be done for those who would need a home visit/couldn’t get to a clinic even if one existed near them that did diagnose severe (but only if they get there) ?
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In theory, I don’t see why not. I didn’t even attend one NHS clinic in person - it was just online, blood tests etc arranged by Gp taken by community phlebotomist.
 
MrMagoo said:
In theory, I don’t see why not. I didn’t even attend one NHS clinic in person - it was just online, blood tests etc arranged by Gp taken by community phlebotomist.
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And is that available in all parts of the country?

I get the theory that if some do offer it online then there isn’t much excuse for the better clinics to grow and offer at least that to all ie beyond what might be geographical ‘catchment’. But does it happen? And will that be made default right to access that without the energy issue if it was a special application for out of area referral etc?

Plus will GPs then be able to refer following eg telephone appointment where they may have to speak to the carer if someone is very severe etc?
 
bobbler said:
And is that available in all parts of the country?

I get the theory that if some do offer it online then there isn’t much excuse for the better clinics to grow and offer at least that to all ie beyond what might be geographical ‘catchment’. But does it happen? And will that be made default right to access that without the energy issue if it was a special application for out of area referral etc?

Plus will GPs then be able to refer following eg telephone appointment where they may have to speak to the carer if someone is very severe etc?
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I don’t know but I don’t think getting an NHS ME diagnosis is the biggest problem in all this for pwME. A GP can diagnose it, it’s really going to affect anyone who had to go private for ADHD or Autism diagnosis (women, mostly).

For people with ME who have a diagnosis, are we going to be signed off as no recovery possible, no improvement possible, for life. I suspect not.
 
MrMagoo said:
I don’t know but I don’t think getting an NHS ME diagnosis is the biggest problem in all this for pwME. A GP can diagnose it, it’s really going to affect anyone who had to go private for ADHD or Autism diagnosis (women, mostly).

For people with ME who have a diagnosis, are we going to be signed off as no recovery possible, no improvement possible, for life. I suspect not.
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Sorry I thought the never get better issue (not just diagnosis) was implicit in those same access issues to a service capable of it etc and missed what the other ones are.

And yes for anything that has either no compliant service or a postcode lottery or could not have what is needed to make this/these box(es) possible to tick in the future it feels like a contradiction unless something retroactively makes that access a right/possible in some way in order to make that requirement not undermined by access/availability (and delay seems to be another issue I don’t know how you deal with if it’s known there is eg a 5yr waiting list for something, closed list). And yes whether nhs sending someone to a private place for various reasons, right to choose, or being left with no other option. Lots hoping to keep jobs were doing the proactive thing to try and help that and/or might feel they can’t wait to get help due to pressures there.

It sounds like a complex tangle and I’m curious how if you place a requirement in one area that is dependent on all being able to access x then do you then have to ensure all have said access and that it is compliant (eg with guidelines) ?
 
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MrMagoo said:
I think, in fairness, you can get an NHS diagnosis of ME if you’re severe, just not any treatment. I was borderline whether I’d be “moderate enough” to be offered any or sent to deal with the community services.

Will we get signed off as “no possible recovery or improvement in function” I doubt it.
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It wouldn't bother me to have reviews if they were fair and didn't purposefully try and misunderstand. But after only being through the original process, I don't trust they actually try and listen.
 
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