Hardest Hit March - Wednesday

posted: 09/05/2011

1 in 6 people living with HIV have lived in severe poverty in the past three years. On Wednesday 11th May there is a national march in London and mass lobby of MPs at the House of Commons to protest against the government's planned cuts and changes to benefits.

The cuts and benefit changes will make matters worse for the many people living with HIV who rely on Disability Living Allowance, Incapacity Benefit and Employment Support Allowance.
 

National march and lobby of MPs

People from across the country are coming together on May 11th in London to protest against these cuts and changes and to the cuts to local services which provide key services for people living with disabilities including HIV.
 

People with HIV will be joining the march and lobbying of MPs and if you'd like to be part of this and walk alongside the THT and NAT and other banners, you can find out where and when to meet up by contacting Guy Slade at THT (020 7812 1631). Also register and find out more details on the Hardest Hit website.

Once you've registered, you can email your MP to ask to meet with them as part of the lobby at the House of Commons after the march.

If you arrange a meeting, tell THT, who can advise on what you could say to your MP and ask for.
 

Well Enough to Work?

posted: 23/03/2010

People with HIV are among those getting a raw deal in assessments carried out for Employment and Support Allowance (ESA). A report launched today by national charity Citizens Advice, and supported by eighteen other organisations including National Aids Trust, highlights grave concerns about how sick and disabled people are being assessed for Employment and Support Allowance (ESA).
 

ESA was introduced in October 2008 and it replaces incapacity benefit for new claimants. It aims to give more help to those who might, with support, be able to work. Everyone already on Incapacity Benefit will soon begin to be transferred to Employment and Support Allowance, using the assessment methods criticised in this report.
 

 2 out of 3 sick and disabled people told - ‘fit for work’
Since ESA was introduced, advisers across the country have been reporting high numbers of seriously ill and disabled people being found ‘fit for work’ under the new Work Capability Assessment (WCA). Two out of three people having this assessment are found ‘fit for work’.

Examples of people in this situation include people with late stage HIV, Parkinson’s Disease and Multiple Sclerosis, people with severe mental illness, and some who are dealing with acute short-term health problems, such as awaiting open heart surgery.
 

"People with serious illnesses and disabilities who could not reasonably be expected to work are being found fit for work," the report states. "Many of these people are too ill to sign on, or are not eligible for any other benefit, and so are left with reduced incomes and no help or support to find work." Sue Royston, the author of the study, said "This is a systemic problem. Advisers up and down the country are reporting that very seriously ill people are being found fit for work." 

Time for full review
Citizens Advice are calling for a full review, a rethink that would reassess who should be eligible for the benefit, and study the accuracy of the medical assessments.
 

Improvements planned
Responding to the report, the Department for Work and Pensions said the medical assessment system was being adapted and changes would soon be announced that would make it more sensitive to the needs of cancer sufferers, people with learning disabilities and autism, and those with fluctuating conditions (such as HIV).

Part of the problem is that the questions only allow yes and no answers so people can’t describe how their ill-health affects them, but must simply say yes or no to whether they can stand, or sit, or walk a certain distance. What do you say if you have some good days and some bad days, some days when you can, some days when you can't?

Mental ill-health, pain, exhaustion

The report also points out that the system pays little attention to the impact of mental ill-health on the ability to work, and warns that it does not properly recognise the effects of pain and exhaustion.
 

"Seriously ill and disabled people are being severely let down by the crude approach of the Work Capability Assessment. A much more sophisticated approach is needed, that not only looks at a person's ability to undertake a certain task on the day of the test, but considers supporting medical evidence and other aspects, such as the variability of a person's condition," David Harker, chief executive of Citizens Advice said. "We are very concerned about the 69 per cent of people assessed who are refused ESA."

Medicals are a one-size-fits-all production line
The report 'Not working - CAB evidence on the ESA Work Capability Assessment’ outlines the limited effectiveness of the assessment. Claimants undergo a medical test, which should assess what they can do, but the evidence shows that the test doesn’t deal with the complexities of many illnesses and disabilities.
 

Citizens Advice has numerous reports of hurried medicals, where medical examiners miss vital details,
make unjustifiable assumptions and don’t place enough emphasis on the impact of mental health issues on the ability to work.
 

Not working shows how failing the WCA can have an enormously detrimental effect. By being told they must find work, people face further hardship by either having to claim Job Seekers Allowance, which has strict rules and is less money, or, in many cases, no benefit at all.
 

The stress of having the assessment, and the prospect of fighting unfavourable decisions at a tribunal adds to the considerable pressure on people who are sick or disabled. The harm caused makes it even more likely vulnerable people will not be able to make a good return to working.
 

HIV and variable conditions
David Harker, Chief Executive at Citizens Advice said: “The current test to determine eligibility for ESA isn’t working. We are seeing cases where the Government’s aim of moving people into work is being totally undermined. Seriously ill and disabled people are being severely let down by the crude approach of the Work Capability Assessment. A much more sophisticated approach is needed, that not only looks at a person’s ability to undertake a certain task on the day of the test, but considers supporting medical evidence and other aspects, such as the variability of a person’s condition and the external barriers they face in finding work.
 

“We are very concerned about the 69 per cent of people assessed who are refused ESA. Some should never have been subjected to the work capability assessment, and we believe that if someone is seriously ill, more information should be gathered from their doctor before this decision is made. Undoubtedly, there are some people ready and able to go back to work at the time of their assessment, but our evidence shows that there are many more people who, by being moved off the benefit and away from any further support, are effectively being written off.” He concluded:
“Citizens Advice calls on the Government to address the problems outlined in the report, which are causing hardship to seriously ill people at a time when they most need support.”
 

HIV assessments
George House Trust, like other HIV organisations, have seen many bad examples. With Manchester Advice (who provide our expert benefits advice and represent people living with HIV at appeals) and with National AIDS Trust, and the help of people living with HIV, we are now gathering evidence about how these work capability assessments affect people with HIV. NAT plans to produce a report late this year and we will use the evidence to press for a better deal for people with HIV.
 

Citizens Advice press release
Citizens Advice report
More reporting