I would hate to think how much waste and how many unnecessary trees were felled in the delivery of these brochures, leaflets and booklets. Just information “over load”. But, often with little else to do, we did plough through this mountain of well intended but highly generalised stroke information. Did we ever find any practical help on perhaps, how to apply for a disabled parking pass or how to find local physio support? Absolutely not. And the disabled parking application is another story around Stockport MBC’s ideas on custerom service!
But during the stay in the hospital, we came across a group of people who had faced similar neuro traumas with their family and we found we were often drawn into listening to animated conversations about the challenges of applying for post neuro support – be this any of the well intended allowances or grants.
Now, I pride myself at overcoming bureaucracy and being able to fill out even the most complex of forms and so I tended to listen and observe. Little were we prepared for the governments “Disability Living Allowance” scheme – sometimes referred to as “DLA”. The DLA is a tax-free benefit for children and adults who need help with personal care or have walking difficulties because they are physically or mentally disabled.
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/DisabledPeople/FinancialSupport/DG_10011731
There are a vast array of such support schemes and I am delighetd our society can provide the opportunity to help the less fortunate.
Well, we received this form and I was shocked. A large A4 booklet which upon opening is just daunting - just a mere 39 pages of form filling!
I now understand just why we heard so many long conversations in the hospitals about applying for allowances and the annoyance at this type of form! Is this really about just do the right thing? Certainly not…….. Why it takes 39 pages of forming filling to determine whether a person is eligible for an allowance is madness in my eyes – especially for those who have been so seriously ill to need this service in the first place! The common theme of those overheard conversations was the way such bureaucracy actually puts people off applying (perhaps that is the underlying idea?). Or, in our domain of service improvement and efficiency improvements, I can imagine the paper chain of applying for the allowance through this form, incoorect completion of the form and the sheer wastage of corecting the application!
What makes me even more angry is that one of my friends works at the DWP and there is a common understanding at the DWP that this form is a nonsense and obstacle to patient support. Come on government – do the right thing!
Simon tees off 2012
