Beggars, homeless, street drinkers & drug users in Sheffield!

[HeHasRisen]

Grrr!! Bloody council!! **shakes fist**

[Anna B]

On 11/12/2023 at 13:08, RollingJ said:

Although that account is from 2017, it is still true today. A friend of mine has suffered from Adhesive Arachnoditis - caused, although always denied by 'experts', by medical negligence, and at her last TELEPHONE 'assessment'  that because she is able to 'function adequately' - in constant pain - that they were considering reducing her level of benefit.

 

Fortunately, this physical pain doesn't affect her brain/mind, so long as she takes the mass of powerful medication she is on, and she has the support of people in the medical profession who know the way this affects sufferers, she was able to overturn the 'decision' - reached, by the way, by untrained individuals.

Indeed.

Some people on Sheffield Forum ought to read the 'Disability and Carers' group (in 'Sheffield Interest Groups') for a few real life horror stories  such is the current functioning of the DWP. They might give people an indication of what the disabled are battling with, and the many government hoops they are expected to jump through just to get what they need.

 

It really is a disgrace. The DWP's ignorance and lack of respect is legendary, and most definitely not what you need when you are ill. The stress they create actually makes sick people worse, and more to the point, worthless, some to the point of suicide. 

 

It really must change.

 

Edited December 13, 2023 by Anna B

[RollingJ]

1 minute ago, Anna B said:

Some people on Sheffield Forum ought to read the 'Disability and Carers' group for a few real life horror stories that is the current DWP. They might give people an indication of what the disabled are battling with and the hoops they have to jump through to get what they need.

 

It really is a disgrace. The DWP's ignorance and lack of respect is legendary, and most definitely not what you need when you are ill. The stress they create actually makes people feel worse, and more to the point, worthless.  

I see what you are saying, Anna, but the main problem, at least from the information I get from the person mentioned  in my quoted post, is that for some reason, the DWP, or their masters, think that using untrained unintelligible individuals to conduct PHONE assessments of people with complex medical issues is a good idea - it isn't.

The lady I am talking about had to go from Brighton to Lewes for her last face to face 'assessment', and despite informing them that she was unable to climb stairs, when she got there, they expected her to visit the fourth floor - you can guess her response, but I understand it wasn't very polite. There was more stupidity associated with that visit, but I won't bore you with a long list - suffice to say that the complaint ended up with the relevant government minister.

[Anna B]

1 hour ago, RollingJ said:

I see what you are saying, Anna, but the main problem, at least from the information I get from the person mentioned  in my quoted post, is that for some reason, the DWP, or their masters, think that using untrained unintelligible individuals to conduct PHONE assessments of people with complex medical issues is a good idea - it isn't.

The lady I am talking about had to go from Brighton to Lewes for her last face to face 'assessment', and despite informing them that she was unable to climb stairs, when she got there, they expected her to visit the fourth floor - you can guess her response, but I understand it wasn't very polite. There was more stupidity associated with that visit, but I won't bore you with a long list - suffice to say that the complaint ended up with the relevant government minister.

Good. But did it make any difference?

 

I used to accompany people to assessments and the things I heard and saw were deplorable. Face to face assessments were always in my experience carried out by people with no medical training whatsoever let alone in a specialism to match a clients complex needs. Half the time they'd never even heard of the illness, much less understood its affects on the persons who were trying to explain it to them. They had no qualms about dismissing a qualified doctors written report about the patient in favour of their own opinion.  And the reports that came back were full of errors, in fact sometimes I couldn't believe we'd both been in the same room at the same time together.

 

More often than not this lead to a full tribunal in front of the bench with four or five 'learned' people, doctors and consultants etc, again not necessarily specialists in a particularly relevent area. Some liked to begin with a legal warning much like a judicial court.  One told a patient she must be lying! 2 years later she was dead. Sometimes the patients were so intimidated they burst into tears or couldn't speak. 

 

I hate to think what all this cost to deprive someone of a relatively paltry sum. If they  put half as much money, time and effort into getting people well, maybe the patients wouldn't be there in the first place.

Edited December 12, 2023 by Anna B

[RollingJ]

4 minutes ago, Anna B said:

Good. But did it make any difference?

 

I used to accompany people to assessments and the things I heard and saw were deplorable. Face to face assessments were always in my experience carried out by people with no medical training whatsoever let alone in a specialism to match a clients complex needs. Half the time they'd never even heard of the illness, much less understood its affects on the persons who were trying to explain it to them. They had no qualms about dismissing a qualified doctors written report about the patient in favour of their own opinion.  And the reports that came back were full of errors, in fact sometimes I couldn't believe we'd both been in the same room at the same time together.

 

More often than not this lead to a full tribunal in front of the bench with four or five 'learned' people, doctors and consultants etc, again not necessarily specialists in a particularly relevent area. Some liked to begin with a legal warning much like a judicial court.  One told a patient she must be lying! 2 years later she was dead. Sometimes the patients were so intimidated they burst into tears or couldn't speak. 

 

I hate to think what all this cost to deprive someone of a relatively paltry sum. If they  put half as much money, time and effort into getting people well, maybe the patients wouldn't be there in the first place.

It did - but I am saying no more on a public forum.

 

What you heard and saw appears to be the norm sadly. All I can say is that the lady I am referring to is highly intelligent - her disabilities are purely physical, and she can hold her own with these untrained 'assessors' with both hands tied behind her back.

[Anna B]

5 hours ago, RollingJ said:

It did - but I am saying no more on a public forum.

 

What you heard and saw appears to be the norm sadly. All I can say is that the lady I am referring to is highly intelligent - her disabilities are purely physical, and she can hold her own with these untrained 'assessors' with both hands tied behind her back.

Good I'm glad the assessors come up against such people as your friend, as it seems they frequently expect them to be the lowest of the low and for some reason deserving of persecution. Meeting with someone who is confident and can hold their own might teach them a bit of humility, and that that disability is no respector of persons. It can affect literally anyone, high or low. 

[Baron99]

SCC considering banning orders for begging, loitering, alcohol & drug taking in the city centre. 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-68132608

 

"It comes after a survey of businesses found 97 out of 100 had experienced anti-social behaviour in the last year." 

 

Well it would be a step in the right direction to smartening the city up.  

Edited January 30 by Baron99

[hackey lad]

1 minute ago, Baron99 said:

SCC considering banning orders for begging, loitering, alcohol & drug taking in the city centre. 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-68132608

 

Well it would be a step in the right direction to smartening the city up. 

Why do they need to consider this ?

[Baron99]

9 minutes ago, hackey lad said:

Why do they need to consider this ?

I agree.  If the vast majority of businesses interviewed complain they are suffering as a consequence of anti-social behaviour & ordinary citizens feel unsafe or intimidated going about their daily activities by such scum, it should be a God given, nailed on promise by SCC to do something about the problem. 

[hackey lad]

1 minute ago, Baron99 said:

I agree.  If the vast majority of businesses interviewed complain they are suffering as a consequence of anti-social behaviour & ordinary citizens feel unsafe or intimidated going about their daily activities by such scum, it should be a God given, nailed on promise by SCC to do something about the problem. 

And quickly . Wonder why this was not done years ago .