The difference between voluntary work and a favour

Thanks lainie, I still say its stupid you have to do things to keep yourself occuppied. I too have back trouble (discs and facet jonts and arthritis) my consulant and the pain management doctor told me to try and keep on the move as and when possible. Could you not see your MP with regards making some kind of complaint against the DWP. Or at least get him/her to get some feedback,? it may be worth a try. Good Luck

I asked what I was supposed to do all day - read books and watch television? - and she said yes!

That's so you can conform to the officially prescribed stereotype (wot, no cheap beer?) of what incapacitated people do in between bouts of all-in break dancing and making thousands of tax-free pounds on the black market.
How dare you deviate!

New Horizons the 10 year strategy in mental health advocates the personalisation agenda. So people in contact with secondary services mental health and those who social services have a duty to provide social care under the NHS & Community Care act 1990 will be offered personal budgets with the express aim of social inclusion, the past year as a pilot in Sussex there was around 30 people who signed up and given a personal budget with the aim that this would be rolled out and offered to all within the service, (don't know how that will pan out with cuts to social services) many people chose gym membership, how will this be viewed for people with enduring mental health problems when assessed by ATOS I dread to think. ie, if you can go to the gym you are fit to work, can see it coming, I have tried to raise this issue with commissioners, from their point of view they are discharging their duties and trying to foster a more inclusive and recovery orientated service I can see many problems and a lack of joined up thinking. I can also see how there will be many people discharged from the secondary services as a way of getting as many people of the books as possible thereby reducing the numbers eligible for personal budgets, i fear very much for people. I also think this will be false economy as there will be people coming back into the services via the back door. And many more who will be badly serviced as the number of inpatient beds is also to be vastly reduced, take care folks.
Carole