It should continue. Without my PIP, I wouldn't be able to have the opportunity to have support around the additional financial costs of my disability, and sometimes I have to pay for private emotional mental health. I'll go to see a chiropractor who helps reset my nervous system, but I had to fight two years from with the support of the local church, charity, benefits officer. Otherwise I've got it. It was very exhausting, very hard. But PIP should reflect the emotional and mental health, and neurodiversity complexities. If you've got that medical evidence, you can prove they have those challenges. It should meet the criteria. Because if people were able to access the emotional mental health support through the NHS. Sometimes you don't need the medical model. Sometimes you need more practical or alternative therapies such as massage, touch, holistic are just as important.

Because for me, if I don't keep my emotional mental health stable, who's going to care for my son? So yes, PIP should reflect the modern-day emotional and mental health needs of the 2026. As we've had COVID and we were in lockdown so this has been exacerbated.

Thank you.

Sunshine today and I attended the local Community hub, it was very welcoming and really friendly. Warm cuppa offered soup but also a toastie. The community hub also had a clothes swap happening for adults and children. I managed to be kindly gifted some trainers (I was wearing my son’s trainers he outgrew but had holes in). At first I felt proud and offended but the volunteer was so kind and compassionate. I bet you never “treat yourself “, so I have a pair gifted trainers for lovely and no wet tiptoes for me xx

Question 2

I personally believe it to be unfitting and improper for the DWP to consult on "changes to employment" in this instance.

It is a dangerous move to link PIP to employment. It heavily nudges vulnerable and severely disabled people towards the fantasy ideal of work as though this were a cure when in fact it will more likely result in the disabled and ill suffering relapse, further ill health, or sadly death, from suicide or additional stress.

PIP must continue to provide funding for extra costs arising from disability whilst leaving work capability as an entirely separate entity.

Yes, whilst remote working has become more a popular option amongst the healthy working age population, it is by no means a miracle cure for chronic disease, fatigue, weakness, severe pain, disability or cognitive dysfunction.

Working from home is just as difficult as it would be working in an office or any setting. Pain is an attention magnet, chronic conditions require management, No amount of reasonable adjustments in the workplace can accommodate people who are medical unfit for work.

Since 2013 there has been no change to the biological reality of ill health.

It is deeply worrying that PIP, looks set to be used as a tool to offset, the up coming removal of the work capability assessment.

This is a dangerous tactic to employ. Linking PIP to work will undoubtedly push disabled people into unsuitable and unsustainable jobs in order to avoid the threat of losing their financial lifeline.

I am not alone in saying that pushing on through pain and discomfort leads to permanent physical damage and deterioration in overall health outcomes.

It is imperative that PIP is overhauled and re-designed in collaboration with the disabled people it serves.

It must become a compassionate trauma-informed, force for good. Not a weapon for reducing welfare eligibility or recruitment for work place participation.

I understand why the government is reviewing things, especially with more people struggling with mental health. But to me, that just shows that more people genuinely need support.

Whether it’s physical or mental, what matters is how it affects your day-to-day life. People shouldn’t have to fight to be believed. Support should feel understanding, fair, and dignified.

With my son going back to school tomorrow, I can't believe how expensive his uniform has been for me, and how hard it is to source his size.

My son is only 10 years old, but the clothes I have to buy him are for a size 15-16 year old. In fact, his clothes size verges into the men's sizes.

The challenges that I have regarding buying school uniform for my son is that even though he is only in year 5 at school, I can't buy him conventional sized school uniform for a 10 year old because it just doesn't fit him, and his school does not cater for this either. This means I have to buy my son's uniform from places like Amazon, or ebay etc, and pay 5 times more for a top that I could have brought him from, say - Asda in the school uniform section because generally sweatshirts in a size 15-16 year old size is generally in the men's section, which is more expensive.

The cost increases also when I have to buy him more than just one of these sweatshirts, so that I have some spare for him to keep him going throughout the week. Being on a low income when also dealing with this issue has often made it very challenging to be able to afford this, and I wish that the school uniform system would cater for children that are of a slightly larger size, so that us parent's can pay the same price for our children's uniform that everyone else pays.

I don't think PIP has kept up to date with societal changes, as some of the reforms that are being proposed have caused me some concern.

For example, I understand that, if you are awarded the 'Daily Living' element as part of your PIP claim, it is now considered as income and you can now be penalised for receiving it, whereas before it wasn't classed as such.

With regards to PIP being up to date with changes to employment and having more recognition of mental health challenges since 2013, I do not think this is the case sadly, as there seems to be very little flexibility in the system currently. An example of this, is, if you were to declare a change in your health condition, your PIP claim completely stops, and you have to apply for it all again from scratch.

This whole process can in fact exacerbate someone who may already have an existing health condition, like depression or anxiety, feel even worse.

It's the conditionality around PIP which I believe needs reforming.

I claim PIP myself, but had to apply 3 times before I was finally awarded it. This was not because my health conditions had changed each time I applied, but rather because I wasn't answering the questions on the application form the way that PIP wanted them to be answered.

I wasn't using the 'buzz' words needed to be awarded any points.

I personally think most of the questions on the PIP form are extremely rigid, and not flexible at all. They are not fit for purpose and are outdated on the whole. They do not reflect the array of health conditions that people have.

It makes sense that more people are applying for PIP due to mental health issues, especially after the pandemic. This highlights how support needs have shifted, and the system should adapt accordingly. In the future, PIP should better acknowledge mental health conditions and their impact on daily life, not just focus on physical health. It also needs to be more flexible and considerate of different work situations, particularly given the changes in employment since COVID.

Feeling fed up with living on tinned sardines, there’s no let up to this hell

I believe the PIP is for covering extra costs for people living with disability or long term health issues. These costs include but not limited to mobility (transport costs for taxis or buying a car), personal care and assistance.

This is meant to reduce the impacts of living costs as those concerned are not working or are unable to work.

PIP is there to pay for the additional costs of disability - heating, different foods, wheelchair gloves, mobility aids. Not additional care, things the NHS, education or care services should provide or do in other areas.

PIP is there to help people with long-term health stuff or disabilities pay for the extra costs of everyday life, like getting around or doing daily tasks. It's part of a bigger system, and it's not about how much money you make, but more about how your condition impacts you, so it helps people stay independent and have the support they need.