Man kept alive with dialysis machine because of 8% kidney function told ‘you’re not sick enough’ for PIP benefits
A man being kept alive by a dialysis machine was told “you are not sick enough” after he applied for a benefit to help with the cost of living.
Adam Briggs, 39, applied for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) when his kidney was working at eight percent. He had to reduce his working hours as a sports therapist from full-time to a maximum of four hours a day, but the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) told him he did not meet the requirements.
Adam had a kidney transplant three weeks ago and is now terrified about how he is going to live. They told I He has not reapplied for PIP since his request was denied in February because he is very depressed and needs to focus on recovering from his surgery.
Fiona Loud, Policy Director for Kidney Care UK, which provides advice, support and financial support to patients, said I One of the biggest issues affecting the lives of kidney patients apart from treatment and transportation is the constant fight to get benefits.
“Patients have told us that there were significant inaccuracies in the assessor’s report,” Loud said. “From our own research surrounding 21 cases, only two people were awarded the standard rate daily care in the initial evaluation. After appeal this increased to 13 people being awarded the standard rate, and increased to six. rate awarded.
Adam, who had a heart transplant as a child, had applied for a PIP in October last year following a suggestion from a nurse. At the time of application, he was undergoing dialysis four times a day.
The 39-year-old, who lives in Cockermouth and was a keen runner in the Lake District until his deteriorating kidney gave him any energy, he told I He is shocked at being classified well enough to do the job when he relied on a machine to keep him alive.
“I don’t know how they make these decisions and who makes them,” he said. “If you only have eight percent kidney function and rely on a machine to keep you alive, I don’t understand how it deserves to be cured. They believe that if you come off dialysis, your Passes have about two weeks before they die.”
Adam was born with a congenital heart defect and had a heart transplant at the age of nine, when his heart was working just three percent. The transplant made a big difference in his life.
“Before the transplant, I wasn’t even able to go up without being carried,” he recalled. “But five days after the heart transplant, they put me on an exercise bike for an hour. The change in my life was incredible and it just happened from there.”
Adam was determined to live his life to the fullest after the heart transplant. He became a keen runner in the Lake District and at one time ran 40 miles a week. But the anti-rejection heart medicine took its toll on his kidneys and by the beginning of 2020, his efficiency deteriorated by eight percent.
He began peritoneal dialysis, which is given four times a day at home through a tube in the abdomen. He applied for PIP and said that he tried his best to keep working.
“I had to go back and forth constantly — traveling to a client, then going back home for dialysis and then back out,” he said. “I just did my best and had to cancel when I didn’t feel like it. Luckily, my clients and the rugby club were very understanding and helpful.
After a series of tests it was revealed that Adam’s sister Lucy, 36, was a match and could act as a kidney donor for her brother. But as the family prepares to go down that path, Adam receives news that a match has been found from a deceased donor.
Adam underwent a transplant at Newcastle’s Freeman Hospital in the first week of May and is now back home recovering, which is expected to take three to six months. He is mostly on bed rest and is not allowed to walk more than a mile or lift more than two kilos for the first six weeks.
Adam, who moved back in with his mother during the coronavirus pandemic to save money, says that although he is grateful to have saved her life with a second transplant, he is worried about not being able to work, especially with food and energy. With the increase in prices. His friend of 10 years, Jazz Starkey, has set up a fundraiser to help cover the cost of living.
“Being self-employed, I really don’t know what help I’m qualified for,” he said. “I cannot function at all at the moment as I am on painkillers. I am saving whatever little savings I have after covid.
“What must have been a joyous time trying to recover from a transplant that saved my life is turning into a worrying time financially.”
“We would like to send Adam the best of luck for his speedy recovery,” Loud said. I, “Dialysis treatment is relentless and challenging and people are often exhausted, full of pain and chills.
“A benefit like PIP is based on one person’s experience with their condition and we want to extend our support to Adam for appealing against the initial denial of benefits because it is difficult to understand why it was turned down in the first place.
“Our patient support and advocacy team regularly hears from people who are turned down for benefits. The impact of dialysis, multiple hospital visits, and drug use are some of the issues faced by kidney patients Those are often overlooked by evaluators.
“They may need help with the most basic human needs, such as eating, washing, getting dressed and just moving, yet will not be accepted for PIP.
“Patients have told us that there were significant inaccuracies in the assessor’s report. From our own research surrounding 21 cases, only two people were initially awarded standard rate daily care at the initial evaluation. After appeal this increased to 13 People are being awarded the standard rate, with six being awarded the enhanced rate.
“Our benefits system needs to be rapidly improved, assessors appropriately trained to understand kidney disease and help people receive the benefits they deserve, and financially support them. Without putting the extra burden of crisis.”
A spokesperson for DWP said: “Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessments are performed by health care professionals who are trained to consider the impact of one’s health condition or disability and how they relate to an individual’s long-term health condition or disability. They focus on the functional needs that arise, not the health condition or disability itself.
“Our priority is to ensure that the millions of people we support each year receive the benefits they deserve and to ensure that they receive a supportive and compassionate service.”
The department said that if someone’s condition has changed, got worse or has new health conditions, he can claim a new one.
They also noted that all health professionals receive extensive training in disability analysis, which includes evaluating how medical conditions affect claimants in day-to-day activities and that assessment providers assess claimant satisfaction based on independent research. The goals are consistently exceeded and in the vast majority of cases the right decision is made the first time.
