'pip Tick-box System Is Not Targeting The Right People'

A man surviving pinch kidney nonaccomplishment said nan strategy for individual independency payments (Pip) was not fresh for intent aft he was rejected for nan use twice.

Tony Henderson, 55, from Bacton, Norfolk, has dialysis for astir 4 hours a day, six days a week, and has had 3 bosom attacks successful 12 months owed to strain being put connected his bosom from humor being pumped astir his body.

Despite nan authorities reversing plans to tighten eligibility criteria for Pip successful July, Mr Henderson said that nan "tick-box system" was still not "targeting nan correct people".

The Department of Work and Pensions said an ongoing reappraisal would guarantee Pip was "fit and adjacent for nan future".

Mr Henderson's kidneys first grounded successful 1998 aft a regular aesculapian discovered macromolecule successful his urine.

He received a philanthropist kidney from his wife, Sarah, which his assemblage rejected. A 2nd philanthropist kidney grounded successful 2020, and he has been connected dialysis since.

Some group pinch kidney nonaccomplishment cannot urinate, truthful a instrumentality cleans nan assemblage of toxins and excess fluid.

Mr Henderson, who has worked arsenic a cook for 40 years, is connected 20 medications and presently useful 3 days a week.

After being turned down for Pip, he has been concerned he whitethorn person to activity much days.

"It's nan fatigue it's nan not knowing day-to-day what you're going to beryllium like," he said.

"When you travel disconnected [dialysis], you don't really want to do thing for a while. You conscionable want to reset.

"Pip would beryllium nan only point that I could get that would thief maine not person to interest astir having to return connected much hours," he added.

He said not being eligible for nan use was "disappointing and very frustrating", particularly arsenic he had received it while antecedently surviving successful Hertfordshire.

"I'm really 3 times arsenic bad, health-wise and apparently [the authorities hasn't] changed nan criteria," he said.

"I'd activity 50-55 hours, now I tin hardly struggle to do 25," he said.

"I don't want to springiness up activity because it's portion of who I am, and I bask my job," he added.

He said he now cannot guidelines for 10 hours, but his employer had been "brilliant" and fixed him a chair and allowed him regular breaks.

Mr Henderson said he would activity full-time if he had a kidney transplant, but that looked to beryllium a agelong measurement disconnected arsenic he had to beryllium "operation free" for a year.

Mr Henderson said soon aft being turned down for Pip, he had his first bosom onslaught and had 2 further bosom attacks erstwhile he was attached to a dialysis machine.

He past appealed nan determination successful March and was again refused nan use aft a telephone assessment.

Mr Henderson said he had been waiting 5 months for a tribunal day to situation nan decision.

"No-one seemed to cognize during my past appraisal what dialysis really was aliases really it makes you feel," he said.

His wife, Sarah Henderson said she felt location was not capable consciousness of kidney failure.

"A batch of group deliberation it's down to drinking excessively overmuch aliases an unhealthy manner and it's not," she said.

She called nan determination to contradict her hubby Pip a "smack successful nan face".

"We've some worked since we near school. We've some contributed, paid each nan nationalist security and tax.

"When we really request it, we're now not getting immoderate thief astatine all. We're told he's not unwell capable and he's excessively independent.

"It makes maine angry because I cognize nan much he does, nan worse he feels," she said.

"I deliberation if [Tony] said... he couldn't spell to work, if he said he couldn't thrust immoderate more, he'd astir apt guidelines a bully chance of getting it. We're conscionable excessively honest.

"He's getting penalised for going to work, moreover though it makes his intelligence wellness better.. nan full Pip strategy needs to change," she said.

A reappraisal of Pip assessments is being led by disabilities curate Sir Stephen Timms and is expected to reason successful 2026.

Fiona Loud, nan argumentation head for nan kindness Kidney Care UK, said she heard from group who had been turned down for nan use and hoped they would beryllium progressive successful nan review.

"Once your kidneys are failing, you consciousness often sick, you will beryllium perfectly exhausted astir of nan clip and your bones ache, you whitethorn beryllium swollen and breathless and connected a restricted diet.

"If you are connected dialysis you usage much energy and h2o which besides affects your income."

She said nan existent Pip strategy did not support group pinch "the compassion and dignity" that they needed.

A Department for Work and Pensions spokesperson said: "We cannot remark connected ongoing ineligible action [Mr Henderson's tribunal appeal].

"We are changing nan societal information strategy truthful it helps group to unrecorded pinch dignity, genuinely supporting those who tin activity into employment and ensuring nan information nett will ever beryllium location for nan astir susceptible – and puts nan spiralling use measure connected a much sustainable footing."