Action for M.E.'s full consultation report and response to the Welfare Reform Green Paper is now available to view.
Thank you to everyone who contributed, either by commenting on draft surveys, completing surveys, participating in the online discussion forum or commenting on the draft report from which we have drawn our response.
Our surveys also informed the responses of the Disability Alliance and The Princess Royal Trust for Carers, who worked with us on the consultation.
The huge amount of data and qualitative feedback received resulted in a report which is quite long at 45 pages - however, there is a 10-page executive summary, p 6-14.
Despite the length of the report, it was impossible to include everyone's individual story in our response. We received hundreds of pages of feedback. We hope that the range of experiences included will give the DWP an insight into people's experiences overall.
Our press release, posted yesterday, focused on the number of people who have relapsed in work or as a result of the existing benefits process, to draw attention to the potential implications of the new proposals. However, it is important that people get informed rather than get too worried at this stage. Most people already on Incapacity Benefit or Income Support because of incapacity will not be reassessed for Employment and Support Allowance for quite a while yet. It will only affect new claimants in the first instance.
We are currently producing a guidance pack to help people complete the new ESA form. Further information will be made available on this site next week.
Campaigning on the Welfare Reform Green Paper will now begin in earnest. Your consultation responses will form the basis of our work as we plan our campaign strategy for the coming months.
