| This is how my petition to Number 10 panned out, 302 people gave their support. | |
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“Success” This was the first petition that we can boast of, Lisa had during her own dealings with "Professionals" found that not enough consideration was being given to claimants of benefits with chronic pain, the process was to say the least in Lisas' words "bigger than a pain in the arse" so decided to ask Prime Minister Brown to help ease the pressures on such groups. The petition received a flood of people from all walks of life eager to add their signature in support, we do know that some influential and most learned individuals signed and feel sure their input to agony and pain will develop as we progress. Lisa in response to the Prime Ministers response states : TopGordon you know something must change in favour of chronic pain sufferers within the benefit system, doctor procedures and many other interests and not just the Work Capability Assesment as the author of the response seems to think the petition was about, my request and 302 other peoples request is for the holistic approach to the matters, I myself hear so many times of people becoming frustrated by the unclear and loose terminology within the department laws that quite often has no defined definition leaving many parts of the law when making a claim excessively open to misinterpritation or at very least used inappropriately to deny such claimants access to a positive claim which in turn and sometimes quite rapidly can send the claimant into a spiral of problems that is not only costly to the public purse but does without doubt cost the claimant, many of whom are "obviously suffering" beyond what many do consider a respectful threshold, their "stored health and abilities" then quite often semi productive people soon find themselves non productive and a full burden on the system by compounded physical and mental issues. The response that Government gave on your behalf was not in my opinion appropriate given the gravity of affect the current system places on the community as a whole or sufferers as individuals, this being the cost and health implications, the response fails to directly address any points raised in the petition to which many random people volunteered support and again in my own opinion is a rather barbaric response, we know how you and Government expect to process our claims and the procedures currently deployed but the petition is asking for Government to consider making changes not just to be told again what the current procedure is. With hope of helping both Government and suffers understand the implication on both sides of the fence, may I warmly invite Government decision makers and advisors to register with agonyandpain.com. I feel sure both sides through simple interaction on the community boards can help understanding and mould the way in which society moves forward and calculates the difference between what is reasonable and what is not, this can be achieved prior to any court having to eventually make the necessary rulings which is fast becoming the only way to settle disputes, and then only to the people who can afford to or are extremely lucky to receive the correct help to present their case in a court. Although I would like to see a blanket coverage I do realise there are many borderline claims however the "obvious" claimants do require a more satisfactory sublime service to compliment many good worthwhile procedures currently in place. On behalf of many concerned people within the UK may I take this opportunity to praise Government and other professionals including Lindsey Middlemiss and MP Rob Wilson who on 5th of May 2009 for the productive first ever Parliamentary Fibromyalgia debate which many found beneficial and positive, the debate also contained many points that can suitably be lent to many similar illnesses that have chronic pain as an obvious common interest. Thank you Number10 for making online petitions possible, at very least there will be a recorded 302 supporters of change registered.
Below you can read how the petition panned out. TopWe the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to Ease the pressure on fibromyalgia sufferers and the benefits system including medical assistance. Submitted by Lisa Manzie – Deadline to sign up by: Passed – Signatures: 302 “Gordon, We ask for easier access to benefits within the DWP, Fibromyalgia sufferers are being pressured to produce too much evidence also, we are being asked to attend too many back to work pressure initiatives which compounded with excessive form filling causes flare-ups which does not allow us suitable calm to balance our condition which as you know has no cure. A Fibromyalgia sufferer would be happy to get out and about, work would be seen by many of us as a luxury, we really do not need to be pressured or lead before we are ready. Cheers for now Mark Manzie on behalf of those who suffer” Lisa Manzie, the Petition Creator, joined by: Top
The Government’s response TopThank you for signing this epetition and raising the concerns of Fibromyalgia sufferers in relation access to benefits and the work capability assessment. The Work Capability Assessment Top Individuals applying for Employment and Support Allowance will be asked to undertake a Work Capability Assessment. This is carried out by an independent healthcare professional, who assesses an individual’s functional capability. They then provide advice for a decision maker within the Department on the individual’s limited capability for work and limited capability for work related activity. The Work Capability Assessment does not simply assess an individual’s capability on that day, but will take account of fluctuations in their condition. The healthcare professional will assess whether an individual is capable of carrying out an activity reliably and repeatedly the majority of the time. If this is not the case, then they are considered unable to carry it out at all. The advice which the healthcare professional provides to the decision maker therefore accurately reflects fluctuations in an individual’s condition, with respect to their frequency and duration. Fluctuations are also accounted for in the provision of support. For example personal advisers are able to defer work-focused interviews where a claimant is too ill to participate at that time. In this way, Employment and Support Allowance operates as a personalised benefit, tailoring support to the individual. The Work Capability Assessment focuses on the effect a person’s condition has on their capability for work, not on the condition itself. Work-focused Interviews Top Customers in receipt of a working age Jobcentre Plus benefit e.g. Incapacity Benefit or Employment and Support Allowance are required by law to attend a Work Focused Interview as a condition of continued entitlement to the full amount of benefit. However, where there is reason to believe that the customer would not benefit from the interview at the current time it may be deferred for a short period. Any deferral decision is made on an individual basis, takes account of the customer’s particular circumstances including the effect a person’s condition has on those circumstances, not on the condition itself and is at the discretion of the adviser. The purpose of the Work Focused Interview is to help a customer identify appropriate job goals and establish what assistance is required to achieve them. The adviser works with the customer to agree an Action Plan. They would not expect the customer to participate in any activity until they were ready. One outcome may be attendance on a Condition Management Programme. The aim of the Condition Management Programme is to educate, support and advise customers on how best to manage their condition and to improve their functional ability. For Incapacity Benefit or Employment and Support Allowance customers, these interviews are conducted through the Pathways to Work Service which is specifically designed for people with a disability or health condition. |
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