Posts Tagged ‘princess royal trust for carers’
Tuesday, August 17th, 2010
“As a charity at the forefront of the fight against muscle disease, the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign has urged the government to consider that many disability benefits are intended to help meet the extra costs of living with a disability.
“We welcome the intention in the 21st Century Welfare consultation paper to simplify the complex benefits system, and to make the process more efficient. And we are pleased to note that one of the stated objectives of the reforms is “supporting carers and enabling disabled people to have an equal role in society.
“But any reform to the Disability Living Allowance must be carried out with the intention of promoting independence and quality of life for people with a disability more effectively, rather than as a cost cutting measure targeted at some of the more vulnerable people in our society. At the same time, fraudulent claims should be rooted out and the consequent savings used to strengthen and enhance support for carers and people living with disabilities.”
Robert Meadowcroft,
Acting Chief Executive and Director of Policy and Campaigns,
Muscular Dystrophy Campaign
Tags: carers, carers uk, disability, disability living allowance, dla, muscular dystrophy campaign, princess royal trust for carers, RADAR, social care
Posted in budget, carers, disability living allowance, disabled | 1 Comment »
Friday, August 13th, 2010
Received from PRTC …
We regret that benefits will increase in line with Consumer Price Index rather than Retail Price Index as a measure of inflation. The different could mean about £130p/a to each carer by 2015. Carers and disabled people need more not less financial support.
Furthermore, we would like to see greater support to help carers and disabled people work, rather than simply being subject to more testing about their capability which can often be wrongly assessed causing undue stress.
We understand the financial pressures on Government, but public funding cuts must not be aimed at carers and families, who are emblematic of the Big Society they hope to foster. Research shows that cutting support for carers will very quickly cost more money than is saved. Carers who do not receive support are more likely to suffer physical and mental breakdowns. When this happens, the original patient requires emergency hospital admission or expensive residential care and the carer becomes a patient as well – meaning costs spiral.
Carole Cochrane
Chief Executive Officer
Tags: carers, carers uk, disability, disability alliance, disability living allowance, dla, health, princess royal trust for carers, social care
Posted in budget, carers, disability living allowance, disabled | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, August 4th, 2010
Throughout its history Soundings journal has been at the forefront of rethinking welfare policy. In the last decade Britain has been subjected to levels of reform that have undermined the old welfare consensus established in the years following the second world war. The issue of conditionality has shifted from being a reciprocal agreement to becoming a punitive method of controlling and monitoring claimants. The collapse in the value of benefits contributes to the fear and anxiety of being made redundant or becoming sick or disabled. The old welfare safety net is in tatters. The Disability Living Allowance is one of the last remaining universal benefits paid to those who are working and those who are not working and based on the principle of need. We know that the Labour Movement will need to create a new welfare system for the future, one that is not run for profit by business, which keeps people out of poverty and which while requiring a fair reciprocity does not punish or impose workfare. This is a major undertaking but it will be built on benefits like the DLA and for this reason we need to defend it as a priority.
Jonathan Rutherford
editor Soundings
Tags: aspergers, autism, carers, carers uk, disability, disability living allowance, dla, health, Inclusion London, NHSCA, princess royal trust for carers, RADAR, rethink, social care, soundings journal, the national autistic society
Posted in budget, carers, disability living allowance, disabled | 2 Comments »
Wednesday, July 28th, 2010
Carer Watch ask the Coalition to make a clear statement about the level of welfare benefits that they intend to offer to support disabled people and their carers in these very challenging times.
Disability Living Allowance was specifically named in the Emergency Budget as a benefit that was being targeted and where substantial savings could be made. Many groups/organisations representing the disabled people and carers are reporting that this has caused an immediate wave of anxiety and concern.
DLA is an essential benefit that was specifically designed to provide financial support towards the extra costs incurred by people living with a disability. DLA payments have enabled hundreds of thousands of disabled people to maintain a degree of independence and quality of life that would have otherwise been lost to them. (more…)
Tags: carers, carers uk, disability living allowance, dla, princess royal trust for carers
Posted in budget, carers, disability living allowance, disabled | 31 Comments »
Friday, July 23rd, 2010
We vigourously share the concerns expressed by Carer Watch with regard to benefits and support for disabled people and their carers. The evidence is found in the overwhelming comments and statements posted to them by individuals, charities and numerous organisations. A blanket approach to address the benefit cheats is not suitable . Social justice must prevail to help these vulnerable people have a reasonable life - not be punished and incarcerated . We have to remember that these problems and illnesses caused through misfortune of life could happen to anyone of us. The issues must be persued in the interest of fairness, not cold bloodied accounting. This is a test of compassion .
Tony Wright
Tags: carers, carers uk, disability, disability alliance, disability living allowance, dla, princess royal trust for carers, rethink, the national autistic society
Posted in budget, carers, disability living allowance, disabled | 1 Comment »
Sunday, July 18th, 2010
To Carer Watch – Statement against the Cuts.
A local person here in Norfolk has a disabled relative who has just lost his DLA and Tax Credits. Despite his disabilities, he always pushed himself to work 16 hours a week. Yet the award of Tax Credits to reflect his relative disadvantage in the labour market has now been withdrawn. The DLA supposed to compensate him for the extra living costs associated with his disablility has been stripped away. We hope he will appeal.
As a matter of public policy, the punitive treatment of the disabled and its devastating impact on carers is an issue we need to confront the Conservative Liberal Coalition with head-on.
Alexandra Kemp
Chief Executive
West Norfolk Women and Carers’ Pensions Network
Tags: carers, carers uk, disability, disability alliance, disability living allowance, dla, health, princess royal trust for carers, social care
Posted in budget, carers, disability living allowance, disabled | 1 Comment »
Friday, July 16th, 2010
Whilst Carer Watch have been contacting various groups/organisations regarding this campaign, one of our members decided to contact NHS Consultants Association. Please see below the exchange she had with them.
We thank Rose for her time and effort in this, and we also thank Peter Fisher for his response and support on behalf of NHSCA.
Quote from Peter and NHSCA
“In a civilised society, its most vulnerable members should be the last to be targetted for spending reductions. It is perverse to be claiming to ring fence the NHS budget whilst reducing support for disabled people in a manner which will have damaging effects on their health and knock on costs for the
NHS”
(more…)
Tags: carers, carers uk, disability living allowance, dla, health, NHSCA, princess royal trust for carers, RADAR, social care
Posted in budget, carers, disability living allowance, disabled | 2 Comments »