No 4 point PIP descriptors results
| Submission ID: 1161942 |
| Date: 2025-04-08 13:36:06 |
| Nickname: Ladybug |
| Age: 56 |
| Main health condition: Both physical and mental health |
| Main conditions that affect daily living: Fibromyalgia Arthritis Chronic fatigue Autism Borderline Personality Disorder Chronic Fibrosing Interstitial Lung Disease Hoarding Disorder Eating Disorder Agoraphobia Anxiety & Depression Irritable bowel syndrome Urinary incontinence Deafness |
| Rate of PIP daily living component: Enhanced |
| 4 point descriptor score: No |
| Possibility to score at least one 4-point daily living descriptor at the next review: Even though my conditions have deteriorated and I have received new diagnoses since my last review I expect the DWP will find way to manipulate the scoring system to keep my scores below 4 |
| Tasks you struggle with on a day-to-day basis: Planning and preparing meals (all food) Eating a healthy diet Communicating with others Going out Remembering my medication/important events Staying safe (self harming, keeping my environment hazard free. I am a Vulnerable Adult and have regular input from the Safeguarding Team). Housework Managing my finances (family member has POA) Shopping Washing and dressing Putting on creams for skin conditions |
| Expected income you will lose if the Green Paper cuts are imposed: If the changes happen after I am migrated onto Universal Credit and I score no 4s in my next review then I estimate I will lose over £1000 a month. At the moment I am on contribution based ESA and the lack of clarity around what is happening to this benefit is an additional source of stress. If I lose the Care Element of my PIP then I will not be able to pay for my care (see final question below). Losing the Health Element of UC if/when I am migrated would mean I would not be able to pay for the extra things my disabilities cause me to need such as continence products/wipes/bags, regular non prescription medications, aids like TENs machine pads and additional sources of heat and cool to keep me comfortable, specialist foods as I suffer with ARFID and eat an extremely restricted diet, replacement parts for my manual wheelchair, other mobility equipment and devices not covered by OT, extra fuel bills etc, accessories for my wheelchairs and other aids in the home. In addition to my council run care package I also fund an extra 2 hours of private care a week from my ESA payments. I would lose all these. In summary, I would be left with nothing and at worst, be made homeless. |
| Expected problems if you tried moving into work, with support from a work coach: I live in a supported housing flat within a care home with a 24 hour care package. I can only go out using hospital transport (an ambulance) with an escort and I only go out to medical appointments or about once a year with close family in attendance. I am a full time wheelchair user. I can only sit in a wheelchair for a maximum of about 60 minutes a day with breaks and also only use a tablet/computer for about an hour, broken into short bursts of 10 minutes at a time with breaks in between (it has taken me all day to fill in this form with help). The rest of the time I am in bed, mostly sleeping or if awake daydreaming. I am too unwell to do anything else. I have to move constantly to deal with pain. I cant cope with more than two people talking in a room at once. I do not go outside even in my own home. I need easy access to an adapted toilet at all times to deal with my IBS and continence issues. I cant use a telephone without help. I am really not sure there is any job I could possibly do, much as I would love to be able to have a healthy body and go to work. I always dreamed of having my own nursery school. I have meltdowns when I am stressed (for example by a change in routine) and self harm. My autism means I engage in visibly odd behaviours to cope with my constant anxiety even when I am not upset. I am unable to manage a budget. My memory is extremely poor, I am easily distractible and I cannot reliably be responsible for doing any mental or physical task regularly, to a deadline or in a timely or efficient manner. I would be a detriment to any work team and a drain on their time and resources costing more than it would to keep me on benefits. The conditions that prevent me from working are permanent and have deteriorated over the years. I have a patchy work history with limited work experience in manual, menial jobs that I would be unable to perform now. |
| Anything else to tell us: I use the entirety of the Care Element of my PIP to pay my contribution to the funding of my care package, as it is included by my local Council when means testing. This means that were I to lose this income, the Council would have to cover all the shortfall that I currently pay or my care will be withdrawn. I will not stop being ill if my PIP is reduced. It will simply mean that the public, through their Council Tax, will be paying for my care instead of me. I don’t think this fact has been widely publicised in the media. If that doesnt happen, then I will be forced to move from my supported housing and will become homeless. My inability to maintain an independent tenancy was one of the factors in me being moved to where I am now. I would then have no support for all my daily living activities and no one to oversee my behaviour and make sure I am safe. I am not sure how any of this would help me into employment. The proposed changes to the way the Care Element of PIP is going to be used to determine how much disabled people receive in benefits is completely arbitrary and surely a contravention of our Human Rights. Many people like myself need support over a wide range of descriptors in the Care Element of PIP, and score highly overall but by not scoring a single 4 this somehow means we will suddenly need less support than someone scoring only 4 in a single descriptor and 4 ones in other descriptors overall. It does not make any logical sense. The current system does need overhauling, it is true, but not in the way the government proposes. It is currently overcomplicated, lacking in clarity or accountability and designed to deter people from claiming benefits that in many cases they have paid towards themselves, through tax and national insurance while working. The benefits system should be a source of support and compassion which in a truly caring society ought to be a basic right for all people, a safety net, not a stick to beat the vulnerable with. If society cannot care for its weakest members then there is no hope for anyone, for anything can happen and lives change without warning. Only a tiny minority of people try to cheat the system, as it is extremely difficult to get benefits even when someone is entitled to them, and the constant stress of never knowing when we might get summoned for a review or have a change imposed on us means that it is something that is never taken for granted, even by the illest of us. The government predicts that their proposed changes will mean 65,000 people being forced into voluntarily looking for work with the support of 1000 newly appointed work coaches. This means each coach will be responsible for 65 individuals with very differing needs. During a 37 hour working week, even if the coach did nothing else at all and had no breaks, each person would only get just over an hour a week of individualised support. This surely is insufficient to do anything meaningful to help or encourage people into work, even assuming there are any jobs available for them in the current employment climate. |
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