I'm sure all of us knows at least one person who dedicates time to caring for someone but did you know that anyone caring for a loved one for a minimum of 35 hours a week receives £53.10 Carer's Allowance?
It is estimated there are six million unpaid carers in the UK who look after sick and disabled family and friends. In Scotland the number is 660,000. Their work saves the Scottish economy £5bn, almost the same as the cost of running the NHS in Scotland.
The Commons Public Accounts Committee has published a report which points out that around one-fifth of carers who receive benefits say they experience difficulties claiming.
Publishing the report, Edward Leigh, committee chairman, said: “Millions of people devote a large part of their time, often for many years, to caring for family or friends who are ill or disabled. But the value of the service they provide is not reflected in the quality of the DWP’s arrangements for providing them with financial support.”
He continued: “Carers who apply for benefits should not have to wade through official written guidance and communications that can range from the hard-to-understand to the downright incomprehensible. And they should not have to be jumping through unnecessary hoops to apply for benefits and allowances.”
This is one benefit which should be easily accessible. Carers are invaluable to our society and they should not have to tolerate the indignity of a sub-standard service from the Department of Work and Pensions.
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22 comments:
subrosa,
Apart from the difficulty of cutting a way through the deliberately complicated and onerous rules in order to claim this benefit there are other factors involved.
Many carers carry out their role through a sense of duty and are not aware of the Carers' Allowance - meagre as it is.
There should be an onus on hospitals and GPs to notify the DWP when they identify a person as requiring home care.
There should then be an onus on the DWP to contact this person or the relevant social works department in order to identify who the carer is and how the person's needs are being met.
This would not only address that individual's needs but also re-imburse many carers who are family members who, again, do so out of a sense of duty so that there is an element of "pride" and "independence" which prevent them from claiming the appropriate benefits.
Of course, it is in officialdom's interests that (a) the forms are complicated and (b) that individuals are discouraged from claiming.
This means that their "targets" are being met and their "bonuses" are being paid.
I would agree with some but not all of Brownlie's assertions.
Many carers do carry out the role(s) through a sense of duty and are not aware of such allowance. In taking on such responsibility one must always consider the consequences. This is not to mean in any way that the difficulty faced or lack of knowledge regards such allowances should preclude one from carrying out such tasks.
I would not agree that the responsibility rests with G.P.s or hospitals to notify DWP when a person requires home care. Neither can (or should) assume to know what actions are wanted by the person for whom care is required. Nor should it be that the state automatically become the 1st choice for such matters. In handing over such matters to DWP one must consider the administrative, bureaucratic, and over burdened functions DWP already are responsible (?) for. It may very well be that other provisions are being considered.
Subrosa notes that 660,000 is saved in the Scottish economy by unpaid efforts to the carers. I would question of that figure how much is mismanaged or over inflated? The true costs of such programs inclusive of the aforementioned and duly noted by Brownlie only reinforce my comments.
In thinking of a situation it is always best to step back and look at it from many angles less we take either the obvious or not so obvious for granted.
Steve
I agree with the gist of your post but we must be scrupulous that this allowance is not abused as all others seem to be.
Steve,
Unless the procedures have recently changed, the applicant has to obtain a form from the DWP, make an appointment to see the Doctor, wait for the appointment, give the Doctor the form, the patient has to be examined as being in need of care, the Doctor, some time later, will then send the form back to the applicant and the applicant forwards the form to the DWP. Many carers may be elderly or in-firm themselves and this is an added burden on their time and capabilities.
This onerous and time-consuming procedure could be simplified if the Doctor, on first examination of the patient, sends a form to the DWP stating the need for some form of care.
There are many ways of simplifying procedures but the Civil Service, jealously and with great zeal,guard their antiquated procedures
The opening paragraph is a bit misleading to say the least.
"I'm sure all of us knows at least one person who dedicates time to caring for someone but did you know that anyone caring for a loved one for a minimum of 35 hours a week receives £53.10 Carer's Allowance?"
NOT TRUE.
You are always asked to apply if you care for someone, but you're not alays entitled to it.
You only get care allowance if the person you are caring for gets the medium or high rate of Disability Living Allowance.
I'm a case in point. My aspergers son can't live without a level of support. He needs constant propmting, support and help with forms, phone calls and money.
He gets lower rate DLA even though he will never be able to live without support.
Therefore whoever cares for him will never qualify for carers allowance.
There are thousands in the same boat: people who are supporting loved ones that will NEVER qualify for carers allowance.
Funny isn't it that there always seems to be money for nuclear squibs, dud banks etc but little for the decent things that would make life tolerable for some of our people.
I doubt if my GP would be prepared to notify the DWP brownlie, I think she feels she has enough to do.
But I do agree hospitals could inform them or social workers if they are involved.
The problem with carers is that so many people can be involved in a person's care.
Have you seen the application forms? Nightmare.
Hello Steve. The figure 660,000 was taken from the article and I have no way of verifying it.
The Carers Trust may have been one source of information but not all carers use such an organisation. Many struggle on until they are in desperate need of help then the CT are approached.
JPT, any allowance is open to abuse but this one is perhaps less abused than others it seems. One of the problems with it is that the person who needs the care can apply for it and that's not often known.
Brownlie, it's some years since I helped a member of the family apply for the care allowance and I don't remember her having to undertake all that, but she was terminally ill and I think the MacMillan nurses dealt with the paper work.
JPT: I agree that we must make sure that any Benefit goes to the people who deserve it, and is not cheated away, but that must never mean making it so difficult and complicated, or time consuming that a sick person, or a carer, or someone who is not very good with forms does not get it.
SR: I think you are right about the GP not wanting to get involved. They don't want to be the person who decides whether or not people get benefits (so I was told by a GP friend). Supposedly the DWP have medical staff (it's now put out to a private company) who are trained to deal with these things (but unfortunately who are set targets).
Delphius: Scandal that anyone with DLA at any rate is not entitled to a carer (keeping in mind how much constant care would cost if relatives did not do it). Getting DLA is hard enough as it is. It is not handed out to just anyone.
As usual, plenty of money for subsidised restaurants in Westminster and first class travel for the clowns that work there.... but not enough money for [people struggling to cope with illness.
I'm so glad I'm Scottish and can look forward to the day when we kiss this mean-minded state goodbye.
SR... just read your last comment. I think in fairness to the UK government that there is a special catagory of claiment, who can fast track most stuff, ie those who are terminally ill and have less than 12 months to live.
Ah Delphius, I thought it worked for all levels of DLA. Thanks for correcting me.
My statement is badly worded and I apologise. I should have inserted 'if they receive the Carer's Allowance they get...".
And money to subsidise our MPs food and drink Dram.
Hello tris. It's not a case of a mean-minded state, it's a case of a fair state. Carer's allowance is one which most people would recognise as a fair and just allowance.
I've never heard anyone condemn it in the way child benefit is thought an unnecessary benefit to some.
Ah you're ringing bells now tris, yes I'm sure that's the way it was handled. I was registered the carer although I didn't apply for the benefit, but I now remember the MacMillan nurses said they would make application on behalf of my family member and she would benefit. It was one of those things which happened in the last few weeks of her life and there was so much going on.
Its ok, its a common misconception bandied about by the DWP themselves.
They encourage you to apply for it, even if you have lower rate DLA. You'd think they would know their own rules, but obviously the system is so complex they can't hope to fathom them out.
Delphius, not so long ago I helped someone complete an application form for DLA (the lower rate was their aim) and I'm sure it asked for the name and address of their carer.
You'll correct me if I'm wrong.
Yes, the form does ask for the name of a carer.
But giving up a career and time to look after a loved one although classing you as a carer, doesn't automatically grant you carers allowance.
You fill the DLA booklet in (some 56 pages long) detailing the disabled person's various disabilities. Depending on the person's care and mobility needs, they are awarded lower, medium or higher rate benefits for care and mobility. Only medium or higher rate DLA for care and mobility unlocks carers allowance for the person caring for the disabled person.
In my son's case, although he's a vulnerable adult and will require support for the rest of his life, that doesn't count because he doesn't fit the profile for medium rate DLA.
So you can be a carer in name and occupation, but still not qualify for carers allowance.
I didn't realise that it only applied to medium and higher rates Delphius. Rather intrusive of the DWP to ask for the name of the carer without stating that.
As you know I've followed your experiences with your fight for your son's rights and I'm sad to know his carer receives absolutely nothing.
Very sad.
I had a letter delivered today.
I thought I might share the contents with you.
Dear sir,
On the subject of improving Family Tax Credits.
Over 35,000 families in Coventry benefit from Child Tax Credits and Working Tax Credits.
However many families have complained to me that the forms are too complicated, the level of customer service via the helpline is poor or you never speak with the same person dealing with your case which can lead to problems such as overpayments, late payments or non payments.
That is why I have started a campaign to improve the service the Tax Credits Office provides to make it easier for you and your family to get the support you require.
Yours sincerely
Geoffrey Robinson MP.
Erm Geoffrey, Just one question.
Just who has been a member of the government for years and just who precisely had the power to have this done and dusted years ago.
Geoffrey, git tae fuck.
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PS. it encloses a questionaire and encourages an endorsement of his "campaign" by way of a freepost to reply.
What a knunt, on a par with his buddy Ainsworth next door.
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I hope you wrote your Erm Geoffrey comment on a piece of toilet paper and returned it in the freepost envelope wisnaeme.
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