Grenfell inquiry hears final testimony
The Grenfell Tower Inquiry held its final evidence sessions last week. DR UK continue to campaign on the implementation of Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (PEEPs) and encourage participation in the latest government consultation.
Read the full story Grenfell story on our website.
Pandemic has made many doctors less willing to attempt CPR, study finds
Doctors appear to be more willing to withhold resuscitation from very sick or frail patients since Covid – and have raised the threshold for referral to intensive care, research published in the Journal of Medical Ethics suggests.
One third of UK patients hospitalised with Covid during the first wave had a ‘Do Not Attempt Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation’ notice – including many Disabled people who were unaware of the notice.
Visit our website for the full ‘Do Not Resuscitate’ story.
DR UK responds to the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Review
Last week DR UK submitted a response to the government consultation “SEND review: right support, right place, right time”.
Read the full story, and DR UK’s SEND review consultation response, on our website.
Health and care services urged to improve engagement with Disabled people
Disabled people’s voices need to be valued and prioritised in the planning and delivery of health and care services.
This new report from The King’s Fund and Disability Rights UK sets out accessible advice for health and care services and disabled people’s organisations alike, to provide a comprehensive resource outlining what true partnership working could look like.
Read the full story and the King’s Fund report on our website.
Benefit sanctions harming claimants, lawyers warn
The Public Law Project (PLP) has warned that people questioning benefit decisions face a complex, punitive and unaccountable system. Their warning follows interviews with benefit claimants, advisers and support workers.
Sanctions can be applied to universal credit, ‘new style’ employment and support allowance and ‘new style’ jobseeker’s allowance.
Visit our website for the full benefit sanctions story.
DWP makes few concessions on improving engagement with Disabled people
The Department of Work and Pensions has rejected many of the recommendations in a report by the Social Security Advisory Committee that could improve engagement with Disabled people.
The committee’s wide-ranging and detailed report focused on how the department involves Disabled people when developing, delivering and evaluating social security programmes that affect them.
Visit our website for the full DWP engagement story.
Pause deductions from benefits to ease cost of living crisis, MPs say
With inflation set to peak at its highest level for 40 years, a new report from the cross-party Work and Pensions Committee highlights how the deductions from benefits, usually taken to recover money owed for a variety of debts and advances, are pushing some people into hardship and leading them to depend on foodbanks.
Read the full “pause deductions from benefits” story on our website.
Committee calls for Energy Support Packages to be better targeted
A new report by the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee has called on the Government to update its energy support packages to help the most vulnerable and low-income households.
Read the full story and the committee’s report on our website.
Government publishes strategy to improve women’s health
The Government’s Women’s Health Strategy published last week commits to addressing disparities in outcomes experienced by some groups – including Disabled women.
The strategy’s “six key points for transformational change” include one aimed at “ensuring that a woman’s age, ethnicity, sexuality, disability, or where she is from, does not impact upon her ability to access services, or the treatment they receive”.
Visit our website for the full women’s health story.
Secret reviews into DWP deaths have more than doubled in three years
The number of secret reviews into deaths of benefit claimants that have been linked to the failings of the Department for Work and Pensions has more than doubled in three years. According to the data, the numbers of such reviews totalled 64 between 2016-2018 compared to 140 in the last three years.
Visit our website for the full DWP secret reviews story.
Government plans to move Disabled people from institutions don’t go far enough
The Government has published its long-promised action plan to reduce the number of people with learning disabilities or autism living in specialist inpatient care.
It is intended to fulfil a pledge that by March 2024 the number of people living in such facilities will be half that of March 2015. The commitment came following a series of scandals in long stay institutions.
Visit our website for the full story on specialist inpatient care.
Citizens Advice Scotland warns of “perfect storm” as inflation hits benefit claimants
Citizens Advice Scotland has called for an urgent uprating of Universal Credit and legacy benefits as people face surging price prices and flat or falling incomes. It has published a report warning of “a perfect storm” that could tens of thousands of people in Scotland alone into poverty, problem debt, and destitution.
Visit our website for the full “perfect storm” story.
Report highlights issue of negativity towards Disabled people
Nearly 75% of Disabled people have experienced negative attitudes or behaviour – including verbal and physical abuse – in the last five years, research by Scope has revealed. The behaviours encountered ranged from staring or scepticism that the person was actually disabled through to physical assault, such as being tipped out of their wheelchair.
Visit our website for the full story on Scope’s research.
Survey of Adult Social Care reveals major challenges
Just one in eight directors of adult social care services in England are confident they have the resources to meet their responsibilities this year, a new survey has found.
Read the full social care story on our website.
European Blue Badge Confusion
Government Ministers are still negotiating with 11 European nations on the use of UK blue badges.
