Earn £40,000 or less per year

Spoonie_Turtle

calcotti said:

slowcars said:

When you spend time locked up in a ward at the hospital you just can't pop off to the nearest CAB.
Being in that position doesn't really lend itself to think about a DWP renewal form especially when for years you are so unwell at home medicated on anti-anxiety, anti-depressants anti psychotics and the like such as Lithium that life is one long blur. Took 7 years to come out of it and to seek help from the Social Services Welfare Team.

I can’t see that as a DWP issue. Rather it is a systemic failure not to support someone who is has a long term hospital stay and is not able to manage their affairs.

And DWP being part of the system, of course.

If they for example would accept a letter from a healthcare worker who knew that person, saying they were that unwell, logically a reasonable DM could infer that they need support for XYZ activities and therefore qualify for whichever rate.  But expecting someone who can't manage their own affairs to have someone else who both understands the benefits and has the time to fill in the forms thoroughly, I would argue is part of the systemic failure to actually help that person.  It seems to me this is part of why Scotland brought in their own benefit, to try to make it less onerous for people to get support they need and are entitled to.

But, this is straying from the remit of this board.  I think we can safely say the majority of us here agree that the system as a whole makes life harder than it needs to be, for various reasons.

calcotti

Spoonie_Turtle said:

.  I think we can safely say the majority of us here agree that the system as a whole makes life harder than it needs to be, for various reasons.

Undoubtedly - and a lack of being joined up.

slowcars

calcotti said:

slowcars said:

When you spend time locked up in a ward at the hospital you just can't pop off to the nearest CAB.
Being in that position doesn't really lend itself to think about a DWP renewal form especially when for years you are so unwell at home medicated on anti-anxiety, anti-depressants anti psychotics and the like such as Lithium that life is one long blur. Took 7 years to come out of it and to seek help from the Social Services Welfare Team.

I can’t see that as a DWP issue. Rather it is a systemic failure not to support someone who is has a long term hospital stay and is not able to manage their affairs.

I do agree with you, there is very little that the DWP could have done other than maybe have someone from their visiting team go out to see me or my wife to find out what is happening? Then it can't be a hospital matter either. How would they know who was claiming what.
It is just one of those things I suppose but it does concern me that there must be many others who are in the same position that cannot deal with their affairs due to illness. Then from a broader point of view I wonder how many single OAP's there are or vulnerable sick that are left by the wayside?

calcotti

slowcars said:.. there must be many others who are in the same position that cannot deal with their affairs due to illness. Then from a broader point of view I wonder how many single OAP's there are or vulnerable sick that are left by the wayside?

Undoubtedly that is the case.