Changes to Brexit made it impossible to find any one who was adequately qualified or experienced to be a personal care assistant for me (paid through direct payments), so my partner had to give up his job with the council and take a pay cut to take that position instead - and I had to fight the LA in order to get them to agree to this, or go without care or receive substandard care. If more people from the EU or anywhere else are pushed into not being able to settle with their families then I will struggle to find future carers - because we have a huge skills gap in this area across the country and the government doesn’t seem to see that many UK citizens just won’t take these low paying jobs because it won’t allow them a standard of living they’re used to. Almost all of my best care staff have not been from the UK - and whilst it doesn’t affect my family’s security as we are all UK citizens it has massive implications on our lives in terms of being able to gain future support, and further attacks on the status of people wanting to stay in the UK feeds into growing levels of xenophobia - and ableism, homophobia and transphobia are things we have to deal with on a near daily basis.

We need solidarity not division.

Happy to see some sunshine although its still cold. The kids are happy to be getting out to play again

It would affect me by increasing uncertainty about living and planning my future in the UK, especially if the rules become tougher or the allowed duration of stay is extended. It might also impact my daily life due to added pressure on services and changes in how migrants are perceived or treated, which would affect my overall feeling of stability and belonging.

I was talking to my daughter last night about how when you have no money you just switch off wanting anything and needing anything. You see other people buying stuff and it just all seems so surplus to requirement and doesn't make sense. She said that because you end up only spending money on things you need like food or travel something like a doughnut becomes a treat or a luxury. She said but then you remember your friends buy clothes, shoes, eat out, go away or get tickets to a concert as a treat-and that's normal. A doughnut is not a treat she said.

Things are just rising terms of cost of living sometimes I get so stressed and then I say "why? just leave it in Gods hands".

I am not sure but I find the whole process daunting

Hello Lily and all Changing Realities Team, according to the second question,

the Personal Independence Payment (PIP), introduced in 2013 by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), has not entirely adapted to recent changes. Despite greater recognition of mental health, its criteria often do not fully capture complex needs or evolving work patterns, leading to a disconnect between policy and everyday experience. Thank you

Hello Lily and Changing Realities Team,

According to the first question, The Personal Independence Payment (PIP), managed by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), is intended to evaluate functional ability; however, its criteria are often considered too inflexible to fully account for complex conditions. The application process can be demanding and stressful, while communication is commonly viewed as unclear. Overall, it frequently fails to reflect the everyday experiences of claimants. Thank you

Moving house this week, it’s been really difficult with a toddler and the nursery holidays! Noticing how difficult it is on a low budget, lots of costs. Having to manage money carefully this month.

I think PIP is too standardised with how you have to fit in with the descriptors to be eligible. These are too rigid for mental health challenges and in some ways are contributing to making claimant mental health worse, in effect the rigidity of the system is creating the problems. For example someone claiming for severe depression, might need prompting to eat, wash and need someone to help them attend appointments. As their condition is treated and improves this may no longer be the case, however this person may still be reliant on benefits as they are not able to work. I think the outsourcing of PIP to private contractors who then make claimants go through another health assessment is an obscene waste of money. The Adult disability benefits system is an extremely complicated and stressful system, that creates a culture of fear into claimants. I think they need to go back to the old system, similar to the children's disability benefits system. The child DLA system, is always a paper based decision, you are always required to back up what you are saying with letters from relevant professionals and if you do not you do not get awarded. PIP assessments are too subjective, and you also have the real possibility of assessor bias as they are working for a private company who have targets to meet. Also I think it is hard for the assessors who do the telephone appointment assessments, when you have someone clearly struggling and really upset, would you really want to not award them even though in your opinion they might respond to treatment and get better? I know I would choose to award them. Adult PIP system places too much subjective responsibility onto the individual assessor, it is also too rigid and creates a culture of fear in claimants as it places too much responsibility on claimant for understanding and reporting of their medical conditions. This is problematic as the claimant might not fully understand and be able to convey a complex medical condition. Also with regard to employment there are not so many companies offering work from home, so if the government thinks they can get people off sickness benefits by getting them to work from home this is not plausible. If the government really wants to keep disabled people in work, they should make it mandatory that companies allow work from home if it is possible.

PIP has become another reason for society to show prejudice.

Many do not understand that PIP can be claimed when in employment.

Mental health is played down by the UK Government and they have provided the idea poor mental health is an excuse not to work and be lazy.

There are no considerations for side effects of antidepressants and anti psychotic medication that can cause drowsiness, making concentration difficult.

Unseen illness is still frowned upon and viewed as fake.

The prejudice whipped up by politicians who scapegoat benefit claimers, causes mental health to decline in claimants as shunned by society.

I do have an anxiety that the PIP review will be aimed at targeting people with invisible disability such as neurodivergence and mental health. There is already brewing propaganda around this from various angles but including the BBC Panorama programme about the rise in health benefits. There clearly is little understanding of the real life difficulties involved with invisible disabilities and the real life impacts that it can have on your ability to work, care for others and care for yourself. PIP is one of the few ways that a person on a low income also with invisible disabilities can get financial support for basic help that others may take for granted. I'm guessing it's also fairly self selecting with those who can well afford the extra support they need being able to just provide it for themselves. My PIP supports me to have therapy, not as regularly as I actually need but it has changed everything for me. Unfortunately PIP also tops up incomes for basics like food and heating. The impact a lack of these has on mental health is enormous so in a sense it does still help but it's not what I would wish to spend it on. Ideally people wouldn't be in a scenario where their basic living costs aren't met and then PIP would actually improve lives beyond just surviving. I fear a kind of Victorian scale collapse if this last (still not enough) nugget of help is removed for people with invisible disabilities.