NAO's report shows scale of assessment structure and its impact on disabled people
Mark Atkinson, chief executive at disability charity Scope, responds to NAO's report on contracted-out health and disability assessments.
This report shows the sheer scale of the assessment structure, and the impact it can have on a huge number of disabled people.
Life costs more if you’re disabled- from higher energy bills to the specialist equipment that people rely on. Extra costs add up to, on average, £550 per month.
It’s vital that disabled people get the right level of support. Without it, people struggle to afford the basics in life, find and hold down a job or maintain a social life.
This report is timely because the full roll out of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is currently underway The Government is also consulting on changing the assessment criteria for PIP.
It’s vital that the way assessments happen – and any changes which follow the consultation – don’t leave disabled people financially stranded.
