By Damon Rose & Beth Rose in BBC News. With 13 million disabled people in the country, plus their friends and family, the political parties have a huge community to court. Universal credit is still making headlines, while the main parties are divided on what to do with the social care […]
Politics
How England’s Broken Planning System Has Created (Not Reduced) The Risk Of Floods
By Lee Bosher in The Conversation. Recent floods in England have been described as unprecedented or even “biblical” events, often with the misguided assumption that they were unavoidable or unpredictable. That is not the case. Over the past few decades, development practice in England has led to more than 300,000 homes being built in […]
The Unknown Warrior
The Unknown Warrior November 7th was the day Four bodies taken from where they lay All exhumed from their battlefield grave Just four of the many warriors brave The soldiers digging not told why Their comrades were not left to lie The fallen four with names unknown Then taken from the combat zone […]
The Legion Man
After I Revealed Whitehall Plans To Deceive The Public On Universal Credit, An Investigation Began. Its Conclusions Are Shocking
By Aditya Chakrabortty in The Guardian. Early this summer, a national newspaper published a string of curious articles. Under the logo Universal Credit Uncovered, the features promised readers of the Metro the truth about this most notorious of all benefits. The series began with a giant advert wrapped around the cover of the paper, coupled […]
Activists Combine To Offer PIP Assessment Recording Kits
By John Pring in Disability News Service. Disabled activists have responded to the government’s continuing failure to deal with the dishonesty and inaccuracy of the disability benefit assessment process by launching schemes to ensure that claimants can record their own assessments. Grassroots groups of disabled activists launched two separate campaigns this week […]
CPS Concern Over Huge Drop In Police Disability Hate Crime Cases
By John Pring in Disability News Service. The Crown Prosecution Service has joined a leading disabled campaigner in raising concerns about a huge fall in the number of disability hate crime cases passed by police forces to prosecutors. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) annual hate crime report for 2018-19 revealed this week that […]
General Practice Is Disintegrating Due To Its Serial Reforms
By David Zigmond in BMJ Opinion. Why is it so difficult to get continuity of care, or even an appointment, with your GP? And why is the GP workforce now so unhappy and depleted? David Zigmond offers some explanations beyond those of increasing demands and how we finance them. Recently both the BBC and several […]
Calls For Fresh Law To Tackle Pavement Parking
By Stuart Minting in The Press. FRESH laws are needed to tackle the problem of motorists parking on pavements – according to a council meeting. North Yorkshire County councillors were told residents including children, wheelchair users and pedestrians face significant issues created by inconsiderately parked cars. And that the problem was present in […]
Ministers Push Ahead With Single Face-To-Face Assessments For Disability Benefits
By John Pring in Disability News Service. Ministers are pushing ahead with controversial plans to merge two disability benefit assessments into one, despite concerns raised by disabled campaigners. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) wants to offer a single face-to-face assessment – with the agreement of the claimant – that would […]
Fibromyalgia And Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: The Gap Widens
By Cort Johnson in Health Rising. The similarities are striking: the symptoms, the shoddy research funding, the poor treatment from doctors, the gender imbalance and the stigma both still face. Both diseases still really exist on the fringes of medicine and medical research. Yet one disease is moving forward rapidly and the other […]
Veterans – Not Just For November
Hospital Food Review Announced By Government
From The Yorkshire Times. The government will work with the NHS to improve food quality in hospitals and provide consistently safe, nutritious and tasty food. The review will consider: 1. How food can help aid faster recovery, taking into account the unique needs of vulnerable groups 2. Support from national bodies such as […]
DWP Admits It Has No Idea How Many Of Its Disability Champions Are Disabled People
By John Pring in Disability News Service. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has admitted that it has no idea how many of its 19 “disability champions” are disabled people. The disability sector champions – covering areas such as banking, gaming, arts and culture, media, music and retail – are supposed to drive […]
Government Of Canada Invests $1.4M In Biomedical Research To Improve The Quality Of Life Of People Living With Myalgic Encephalomyelitis
From: Canadian Institutes of Health Research MONTRÉAL, August 22, 2019 – It is estimated that more than 580,000 Canadians live with myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), formerly known as chronic fatigue syndrome, or ME/CFS. This poorly understood, multi-system disease is debilitating and can strike individuals of all backgrounds and at any age. Patients experience symptoms including unrelenting exhaustion […]
Crippled: Austerity And The Demonisation Of Disabled People By Frances Ryan – Review
By Yvonne Roberts in The Guardian. Two years ago the United Nations released the findings of a secret inquiry into state-level violations of the human rights of disabled people. Its conclusion was that a “human catastrophe” was under way. In every sphere, including employment, housing, education and social security, disabled people are hugely disadvantaged. Shamefully, […]
My ME Puzzle
Disabled People Already Fight Battles Every Day. Making Us Prove We Need Benefits Is Almost Inhumane
Theresa May’s Disability Announcements ‘Are Just Cynical Leftovers’
By John Pring in Disability News Service. Disabled people’s organisations have reacted with suspicion and some hostility to the outgoing prime minister’s attempt to shore up her “legacy” with a series of disability-related announcements. Although some of the measures announced by Theresa May (pictured) were welcomed, many user-led organisations questioned why she had left […]
Government Admits Not Considering Impact Of No-Deal Brexit On People With A Disability
By Benjamin Kentish in The Independent. Ministers have been condemned after admitting that they have not carried out any assessment of the impact that a no-deal Brexit would have on the lives of people with disabilities. The government was accused of having “ignored” people with a disability after admitting that “no formal assessment” had been conducted, despite fears over a […]
DWP: 80 Charities File Watchdog Complaint Over ‘Misleading’ Universal Credit Adverts
By Dan Bloom in The Mirror. The Disability Benefits Consortium claims the adverts are “deliberately misleading” and contain “obvious exaggerations”. Charities have reported the government to the advertising watchdog over “deliberately misleading” promotions for Universal Credit. The Disability Benefits Consortium, a coalition of more than 80 disability charities, lodged a formal complaint to the Advertising […]
DWP Quietly Hands Private Firms £600m Extra To Test Disabled People For Benefits
By Dan Bloom in The Mirror. EXCLUSIVE: Atos and Maximus had their PIP and ESA contracts extended for the second time despite accusations they’re running a “failing” welfare system. Now the eye-watering cost to taxpayers can be revealed. Tory ministers are quietly handing private firms an extra £630 million to test sick and […]
We Desperately Need To Be Able To Diagnose ME At Earliest Stage
Coming Soon: The Great Universal Credit Deception
Boost For People With ME And Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Thanks To Australian Parliament
by Sasha Nimmo The Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) patient and research communities are delighted the Australian parliament officially recognise the urgent need for biomedical research in the field. Senator Anne Urquhart, a Tasmanian Labor senator, (on behalf of her colleague Senator Helen Polley) and Senator Stirling Griff, a Centre […]
Cutting Disability Services Doesn’t Save Money. But It Does Damage Lives
By Frances Ryan in The Guardian. In times of deep inequality and shrinking services, politics is often framed like a David and Goliath battle. You see it in the mothers who this week challenged the London developers trying to stop their “social housing kids” playing in segregated play areas. Or the teachers and parents in Cambridge marching against […]
Who Reviews ME/CFS Applications For NIH ?
By Jennie Spotila in Occupy M.E. There is no question that NIH’s funding of ME/CFS research has been minuscule relative to the size of the public health crisis. Review of ME/CFS grant applications at NIH has drawn scrutiny from the public as one contributing factor. The public perception is that the grant review panelists […]
There Is Something Right In The State Of Denmark
From Invest In ME Research. Following excellent work by European ME Alliance-Denmark member Dansk ME Foreningen, and work and input by those such as European ME Clinicians Council member Dr Jesper Mehlsen, there is now unified support in the Danish parliament for separating ME G93.3 from Functional Disorders and acknowledgment […]
Denmark: MP’s Will Vote Whether To Recognise ME As WHO-Defined Disease !
From #MEAction. This past Tuesday, March 12, Danish Health MPs unanimously agreed on a declaration that will recognise myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) as a distinct disease, remove it from the “functional somatic syndromes” category, and promote the World Health Organization (WHO) diagnostic codes for ME. Parliament will vote on the declaration this Thursday, […]
Northern’s Long Six-Carriage Trains Delayed By Two Years
By Tom Burridge, Transport correspondent, BBC News. Train operator Northern’s six-carriage long services in and out of Leeds station have been delayed by two years, BBC News has learned. The longer trains were to be introduced at the end of this year but will now not enter service until late 2021. The delay is […]
Newton Forced To Apologise After Misleading MPs In WOW Debate
By John Pring in Disability News Service. The minister for disabled people has been forced to apologise to MPs after Disability News Service (DNS) caught her misleading MPs about support for disabled people for the fourth time in less than a year. The misleading comments by Sarah Newton about disability poverty came in […]
Another Big Bill For The £24m Health Centre That Costs The NHS £2m A Year To Run And Has NEVER Been Used
By Lisa Meakin in the Manchester Evening News. Not a single patient has used the Altrincham Health and Wellbeing Centre – now another £1.5m could be spent turning part of it into office space. Another £1.5m could be spent turning part of a brand new health centre into OFFICE space because the NHS services it […]
Government Is Failing On Disabled Women’s Rights, UN Is Told
By John Pring in Disability News Service. Activists have told a UN committee how the UK government is failing to address the significant barriers and human rights violations faced by disabled women in accessing social security, justice, jobs and health services. Eleanor Lisney and Rachel O’Brien, from the disabled women’s collective Sisters of Frida, were […]
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Research: Written question – 221619
Q Asked by Mrs Sharon Hodgson (Washington and Sunderland West) on 14 Feb 2019. Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Research 221619 To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many grant applications have been made to the Medical Research Council for ME/CFS related research since 2010; how […]