Last year, when George Osborne swiftly laid out his benefit cuts on the table, he threw a small bone to disabled people living alone who require occasional overnight help from carers. He passed an exemption that meant from April this year, these people could receive the two-bedroom rate of housing benefit to pay for a room to be used by carers as required. For those who would find this extra allowance useful, it seemed like a small reprieve among the announcements of slashes to housing benefit; maybe those who need the most help and care wouldn’t do so bad after all. Osborne and Grant Shapps, the minister for housing, also said that the worst off and most afflicted would be looked after, and be free of the clampdown on housing benefit. Before the election, David Cameron promised to “protect the most vulnerable” – an assurance he has broken.
Tag Archives: disability
Government condemns ‘shocking’ Winterbourne View abuse
Government condemns ‘shocking’ Winterbourne View abuse
Secret filming at Winterbourne View appears to show patients being physically and verbally abused
A pattern of abuse at a residential hospital uncovered by BBC Panorama has been condemned as “shocking” by the government.
It comes after Bristol police arrested and later bailed four people over the treatment of patients with learning difficulties at Winterbourne View.
Care Services Minister Paul Burstow said he was determined to strengthen safeguards for vulnerable adults.
NHS South West said it had been “appalled” by the issues raised.
800,000 ‘not given help with social care’
800,000 ‘not given help with social care’
By Nick Triggle Health correspondent, BBC News
Age UK says 800,000 people are excluded from the system – and the figure is set to top one million within four years.
It said budgets had hardly risen in recent years even before the squeeze, despite the ageing population.
The charity renewed its call for an overhaul of the system, something ministers are looking at.
Funding rise
Social care in England is means-tested, which means those with savings of over £23,250 are excluded.
But councils have also been making it more difficult for those who do meet the income threshold to get care, by tightening the eligibility criteria.
Six years ago, half of councils provided support to people with moderate needs, but that figure has now dropped to 18%.
It means only 1.2 million are getting formal care either at home or in a care home – although some of these are being forced to pay for the services themselves anyway, as they exceed the income cap.
Hitting the poor and sick again!
Housing benefit cuts undo a positive move on disability
For disabled people, the government is giving with one hand and taking with the other in its changes to housing benefit
- Lucy Glennon
- guardian.co.uk,
- Friday 27 May 2011 14.29 BST
