Healthwatch Kirklees Campaigns for a PIP Assessment Centre in Kirklees
What’s the issue?
Healthwatch Kirklees recently sent out a press release regarding people with disabilities being sent to inappropriate locations for their Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessments.
We’ve heard stories of people from Kirklees being sent as far as Stockport, Oldham and Rochdale. The response from Atos is that they currently have no plans to open a PIP assessment centre in Kirklees- we find this response unacceptable. In response we are now taking the following three steps and would encourage other organisations to get involved.
1. Writing a letter to the DWP
We have now written a letter to the Secretary of Work and Pensions, Ian Duncan Smith to bring to his attention the unfair treatment experienced by PIP claimants in Kirklees. We would encourage other organisations and individuals to get involved and share their experiences/stories by using our template letter .
Healthwatch Kirklees Template Letter to the DWP
Please let us know when you have posted your letter.
2. Twitter Campaign to help Atos find a suitable building to use for PIP assessments
Follow Healthwatch Kirklees on Twitter (@HWKirklees), re-tweet our Atos campaign tweets or simply tweet the name and image of accessible buildings in Kirklees which Atos could potentially use for assessments. The hashtags that you can use are #HowAboutHereAtos? #PIPassessments #Atos.
3. Survey of PIP claimants
To gather more experiences of PIP claimants having to travel to distant assessment centres we have created a short survey. This is the link to the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PTPPF5H. We would be grateful if you could help us promote this survey by adding it onto your website, social media and newsletter.
The following people and organisations are supporting us by sending sent out letters to the Secretary of State:
- MP Paula Sherriff
- MP Jason McCartney
- MP Jo Cox
- Councillor Masood Ahmed
- Councillor Cahal Burke
- Councillor Gemma Wilson
- Councillor Cathy Scott
- Councillor Andrew Copper
- Councillor Musarrat Khan
- Councillor Marielle O’Neill
- Councillor Darren O’ Donovan
- Councillor Nosheen Dad
- Azizur Rehman- Indian Muslim Welfare Society
- Nick Whittingham- Chief Executive at Kirklees Citizens Advice & Law Centre
- Carol Haigh- Chief Excecutive Mencap
- Shahed Mayat- Milen Care Batley
- Fiaz Rashid- Director of Pakistan & Kashmir Welfare Association
- John Mc’Kernaghan- The Brunswick Centre
- Kath Woodhouse Chair of North Kirklees Autism Support Group and Friends