Westminster PIP cuts attacked by 'abandoned' Covid patients
Cousins, who works for Long Covid Support, said: 'The benefit system does not work. It underestimates the disabling effect of Long Covid and ME (myalgic encephalomyelitis, an accompanying symptom).'
'To be assessed for PIP, you have to score different points on a system. For example, you get a certain number of points if you can walk to the loo, etc.
'But the problem is that PIP assessments are unable to capture the fluctuations of living with Long Covid. The system just isn't designed for people with Long Covid.'
Campaigners have met with Jo Platt MP (5th from right). (Image: Supplied) PIP is not an employment related benefit. Instead, it is intended to help manage the cost of living with a disability. This is something Cousins has direct experience with.
PIP is paid by the Department for Work in Pensions but in Scotland has been replaced by Adult Disability Payment.
However as the UK government provides a block grant to the Scottish Government for areas such as social security if spending on PIP decreases in England and Wales, the Scottish Government's block grant is reduced accordingly.
'I was on the British rowing team and got Covid at the beginning of the pandemic,' she explains.
'I got quite sick and spent around a year and a half recovering. I wasn't able to have a normal life. I was functional for probably four hours of the day.
'All I could do was rest. I seemed to turn a corner in Sepember 2021 and returned to training by the next year. But then I had a relapse and had to retire from competitive rowing.'
Cousins noted: 'PIP is not about employment, it is about ability. A recent survey we conducted which spoke to 1200 people living with Long Covid found that just 0.4% would be more likely to work if PIP was taken away.
'By contrast, 36% said they would be less likely to be able to stay employed. It's going to have the opposite effect on what the government is claiming and is going to cost more. If you remove support from people, they will be more sick."
Many people with Long Covid are healthcare professionals (Image: PA) Cousins added: 'People have been completely abandoned by the government. Several years ago, there were some positive steps when it came to treating Long Covid, like research funding and clinics. However, now the funding has dried up.'
Most people in Scotland who collect disability benefits receive the Adult Disability Payment (ADP), instead of PIP, and it is expected that all will be under the devolved system by 2026.
While the Scottish Government has said they will not cut ADP, funding reductions from Westminster are likely if the UK Government's bill is passed, which could lead to subsequent trimming, as in the case of the winter fuel payments last year.
Read more:
Labour says that their plans, announced in Parliament last Wednesday, are the result of 'a broken social security system' inherited from the previous government.
If passed, the bill will tighten PIP criteria. 390,000 disabled people are expected to lose access to the payments as a result, according o a report by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR).
Cousins said the cuts will directly impact the two million people sick with Long Covid across the UK, including an approximate 180,000 living in Scotland.
She said: 'There is no light at the end of the tunnel. These cuts are particularly cruel because many people who caught Long Covid are healthcare providers who didn't have access to proper PPM, and now they are taking the one thing they do have away from them.'
'Long Covid is a disabling illness and has the lowest quality of life support of any illness. Cutting PIP isn't going to increase economic activity or save money for the public purse, but it will plunge people into poverty.'
In a statement, a government spokesperson said: 'The vast majority of people who are currently getting PIP will continue to receive it. "We're creating a sustainable welfare system that genuinely supports sick or disabled people – including those with Long Covid - while always protecting those who need it most.
'At the heart of this is our review of the PIP assessment to ensure it is fit for the future. We will work with disabled people and a range of experts on this as we deliver our Plan for Change.'
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