Farewell Welfare Care: 'Personal Annhialation'

I'm sure that most would agree that it's good to see disabled people out and about, having a good time and enjoying themselves. That's what 'personalised budgets' are supposed to do so that disabled people aren't stuck in their homes 24/7. In fact, two years ago, Paul Burstow the Minister for Care announced in the 'Guardian Newspaper'  that the government were going to extend the 'personalisation' of adult social care. Finally the draft 'Care and Support Bill', was released yesterday that seemed to confirm the government's plans for increased choice and personalisation.

Well/Fair Treatment?

Over recent years there has been much talk of making people more responsible for their health. So for example, it was suggested that if a person injured themselves because of being drunk then they should pay for the cost of their treatment at the local A&E. Further, in some areas local health authorities have denied patients operations unless they give up smoking or lose weight. Some may feel it is only right that treatment is denied when an individual refuses to take appropriate care of his/her health. Conversely, how would people feel if treatment was forced upon them rather than denied to them?

Destination Unknown?

Last week a report named 'Destination Unknown: Summer 2012' was released detailing 2 years of research regarding the cumulative affects of welfare reform on 6 households. The report was written by Claudia Wood for the Demos* project: 'The Disability in Austerity'.

A day doesn't seem to go by without newspaper articles featuring some aspect or other of welfare reform, from Cameron's housing benefit reforms announced yesterday, to debates about what and for whom universal benefits should pay for. As the Demos research demonstrates however, disabled claimants are particularly vulnerable because many claim more than one benefit and use more services, added to which there is much uncertainty about further cuts in the future, hence the title of the report: 'Destination Unknown'.

Mental Welfare

Two weeks ago the Guardian started a series called 'Breadline Britain'. Across the UK there are many reports of people committing or attempting suicide due to the draconian elements of welfare reform. What kind of society are we turning, where people decide that they would be better off dead than alive? Why not take a look at the short video produced by the Guardian (at the bottom of the page) where claimants detail just how hard life has been due to welfare reform.On the live thread they reproduced part of my comment with regard to the deteriorating mental health of people claiming benefits which I'm reproducing below:

Film: These Four Walls

Life lived in a box of shadows waving across walls, looking outside in and inside out at what life could be without these four...