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Disabled people’s organisations (DPOs) say measures in the government’s emergency Coronavirus Act – which became law yesterday (Wednesday) – will “run a coach and horses” through their rights to social care. They spoke out as MPs and peers debated, and then approved, […]
“Draconian” legislation that is set to have a “life-changing” impact on disabled people’s ability to access social care has become law, after being passed by parliament in just three days. The Coronavirus Act was granted royal assent late yesterday (Wednesday) afternoon after […]
New guidance for the NHS on which coronavirus patients should receive intensive care treatment has heightened fears among activists that many disabled people will be refused life-saving treatment if they are admitted to hospital. The guidance from the National Institute for Health […]
The government has failed to publish guidance to help disabled people survive the coronavirus pandemic if they use direct payments to employ personal assistants (PAs), nearly two weeks after ministers provided advice for the wider social care sector. It is now almost […]
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has refused to say whether it could strip out-of-work benefits from disabled people who are fighting coronavirus while trying to meet strict deadlines for assessment of their eligibility. DWP’s refusal to clarify the situation came […]
The government is facing claims that its continuing and repeated refusal to consult with disabled people’s organisations (DPOs) has contributed to its failure to protect disabled people’s rights in responding to the coronavirus crisis. Successive governments since 2012 have been criticised for […]
Disabled people’s organisations (DPOs) have asked the minister for disabled people to explain why the government is failing to consult with them on the development of its new cross-government disability strategy. The Reclaiming Our Futures Alliance (ROFA) said it had not been […]
The three companies that carry out disability benefit assessments for the government have made almost no progress in the last year on alerting local authorities to concerns about claimants whose safety is at risk, according to a disabled campaigner. Last year, freedom […]
The government is facing accusations that its emergency planning for dealing with the coronavirus pandemic has “abandoned” disabled people who use direct payments to employ their own personal assistants (PAs). Although the government finally produced guidance for the social care sector on […]
Horrified disabled activists have raised concerns about an NHS consultant who appeared to suggest publicly that he and his colleagues would not attempt to resuscitate many older and disabled people if they became seriously ill with coronavirus. Dr Matt Morgan, a researcher, […]
A user-led network has raised grave concerns about the implications of proposed new emergency legislation on the rights of people in mental distress. Today (Thursday), the government is set to publish an emergency coronavirus bill that aims to give ministers powers “to […]
Little has been done across the world to provide disabled people with the support and guidance needed to protect them during the coronavirus pandemic, despite many of them being in a high-risk group, a UN human rights expert has warned. Catalina Devandas […]
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has halted all face-to-face assessments for sickness and disability benefits for the next three months, in a “precautionary” measure it says will protect disabled people from unnecessary risk of exposure to coronavirus. The move will […]
A nursing home is facing an investigation into a “very serious” breach of data protection laws, after detailed personal information about its 36 disabled residents was apparently found in the street. The four-page document contains the names of all 36 residents of […]
A key helpline that allows Deaf people and those with speech impairments to secure help with their disability benefit claims was out of action for at least six weeks, apparently without the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) even noticing. Campaigners tried […]
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has been described as “callous” and uncaring by its own disabled employees. One disabled employee said he was told by a DWP manager: “For all the use you are to me, you might as well […]
Jobcentre staff have told a Conservative MP of their “grave concern” about the healthcare professionals who carry out disability benefit assessments on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). Anthony Mangnall, the MP for Totnes, learned of the concerns about […]
Ministers are refusing to release details of two reports into the deaths of benefit claimants in which coroners warned that more disabled people could die if the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) failed to take urgent action. DWP has admitted that […]
A coroner told the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to take urgent steps to prevent further deaths after a disabled man with a history of drug misuse died two months after receiving a huge back-payment in disability benefits. It is only […]
Ministers have been unable to answer key questions on how they plan to cope with the impact of coronavirus on social care, despite announcing £5 billion in emergency funding for public services. The failure to answer questions about the impact of the […]
The chancellor has announced few long-term measures focused on disabled people in his first budget, but he has provided significant emergency funding to cope with the impact of coronavirus on public services, as well as temporary measures on sick pay. Rishi Sunak […]