How many legs

[DeadEndStreet]

should a 10 year old girl have to lose to be classed as disabled. The new tory/lib government looking after our money or are these cuts trying to make more money to pay our mp's better allowances.

http://www.parentdish...-enough-for-benefits/

[Hopkirk]

£300 pounds a month to take her to occasional hospital appointments? That sounds like a lot.

No wonder they reviewed the case.

[DeadEndStreet]

Hopkirk that £300 will not be just for petrol if you read the story her mum died.

[Sqad]

That would be a medical decision, so dont blame the Government ( of any persuasion)

[DeadEndStreet]

Sqad the government are telling and paying bonuses to doctors that work for the DWP to sign people off sick and back to work.

[Mosaic]

Hey Pixi, don't diss the back. I've been in cross-eyed white hot pain all week - no outward signs of this, no sling, no nbandages - can't get ease sleeping, waking, walking, sitting. Even the drugs aren't touching it.
I'm sorry about the child's situation but don't please add to the mountain of humanity's misery by implying all back pain sufferers are workshy scroungers.

[sara3]

it says the £300 a month was for petrol, it's nothing to do with who her carers may be.

[Sqad]

DeadEndStreet.......that is news to me.......can you give me further information on doctors getting bonuses to get people back to work.?

The above case would have little to do with the GP.s it would be a decision made by a Medical Appeals Tribunal or something similar and believe me, those boys do not get bonuses.

[DeadEndStreet]

sara3 surely the £300 will be a mobilty payment not just petrol.

[DeadEndStreet]

Sqad there are lots of items about this on the web. I have in front of me a copy of a letter that i scanned yesterday.
The letter is from the DWP Job centre Plus to a doctor telling him that he need not give this person a sick note as she has been for a medical assessment.
They think she is capable for work.
This person has been seen by 2 different doctors at this practice and 3 at a previous practice all have signed her off.

If she makes an appeal against their decision he can give her a new certificate.

[sara3]

I don't think this is any central government based benefit. maybe it's some kind of "allowance", possibly awarded by her local authority.

to be fair, the article is so badly written.. even the comments below it are mostly from confused people.

[Coobeastie]

http://www.dailymail....ty-trying-normal.html

^ Labour government in power at the time.

[bednobs]

just how often does she need to go to the hospital? £300 a month for petrol for hospital visits is HUGE! Obv, i don't know how far away the hospital is but if it cost 30 pounds to gert there (for example) she could go 10 times a month - every 3 days! Plus she "can't run around" well that's probably because she has a false leg (dosen't stop her getting on the bus does it?) Plus it dosen't say she cant get out of the bath, just that she has trouble - so do a lot of people!

[daffy654]

The Daily Mail article about this gives far more detail about the situation, the one linked to in the op is very light on those.

[bednobs]

it's not the same story

[Coobeastie]

http://www.dailymail....receive-benefits.html

The Mail have an article about this particular case, posted the above 2009 story to show its not just a Tory/Lib Dem thing.

[Sqad]

Deadendstreet..........the DWP are not going to keep paying out (tax payers money) without an medical evaluation of the patients condition, but there comes a time when a independent doctor needs to reassess her disability and this is done usually by a doctor working for the Government. If that examination shows that her disability has improved and her benefit reduced, then she/he has the right of appeal to an independent appeals tribunal (MAT).At one time this consisted of a chairman, usually a Barrister and 4 doctors, this was reduced to a chairman and 2 doctors and I bet by now, it has been reduced to a chairman and one doctor. THe doctors are invariably specialists in the field of the disorder of the appelent.

[Sqad]

appellant. and their decision is final.

Also I still cannot find any evidence to your "claim" that the Government are giving the doctors bonuses for getting them back to work.

[karenmac60]

Sqad, the government are currently using a French company called Atos to make assessments of claimants. These assessments are not actually medical - they are short interviews which ask if the claimant can or cannot do specific things. If they are able to do the majority of things on the list they are deemed fit for work with no further investigation into the claimants actual illness. They have the right to appeal but all monies are stopped in the meantime and the appeal is a lengthy process.