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A kidney patient has said his claim for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) benefits was refused because he was “not sick enough” while on a dialysis machine.
James Sweat, 28, from Stockport, Manchester, was a healthy and active footballer when he was suddenly diagnosed with kidney failure at the age of 24.
His condition worsened and at one stage his kidney function decreased to just 4%, requiring dialysis to stay alive.
Sweat said her condition was so exhausting that she couldn’t even walk to the end of the road without gasping for breath and had to be assisted to take a shower.
However, when she applied for PIP, the benefit for people with long-term illness or disability, she was turned away and told that she was “not too sick” to qualify.
Mr. Sweat said: I He has appealed the decision twice, but it has also been rejected and he now plans to challenge it at a court hearing.
He believes the current PIP system is already “draconian and inhumane” and the government’s plans to overhaul benefits and introduce a six-tier system are already facing difficulties. He said it would make people’s lives even more difficult.
“In the case of PIP, I feel like we’re already waiting for people to lose hope,” he says. “They reject you right away, almost as if they are begging you to give up without appealing.
“Tightening the system even more would be detrimental to many people and, from the government’s point of view, inhumane.”
Sweat explained that the diagnosis was made after she started experiencing cramps and headaches and went to see a doctor. She noticed that her blood pressure was very high and was prescribed medication to lower it. However, a subsequent doctor’s visit revealed that the levels were even higher.
He was admitted to the hospital, but tests revealed that his kidneys were not functioning properly, with only about 11% functioning. He was given medication and a subsequent examination told him he would need dialysis and a kidney transplant to survive.
When the kidneys are not functioning properly, they are unable to cleanse the blood, and toxins build up in the bloodstream. The kidneys also produce less urine, so excess water and waste products remain in the body.
Mr. Sweat began peritoneal dialysis, which purifies the blood in his body. This involved him being hooked up to a machine and injected with fluids for eight hours each night.
However, after seven months, this form of dialysis was no longer effective and he was hospitalized for two weeks before being switched to hemodialysis. This involves sending your blood to an external machine where it is filtered and then returned to your body. Sweat had to undergo the treatment, which lasts about four hours at a time, every other day in a satellite unit of the hospital.
“My quality of life was zero,” he recalled. “I’m a big soccer fan, but I can’t go watch soccer anymore. I couldn’t even walk down the street without being out of breath.
“When I woke up in the morning, I would sometimes have someone help me take a shower, then I would walk downstairs, have someone make breakfast, and then I would just sit there with no energy to do anything. I was always wiped out. I was just doing it.”
After undergoing peritoneal dialysis, Sweat, who works as a surveyor at a real estate company, was able to return to work doing light work three days a week, with someone helping her get there and back.
However, he was hospitalized with the coronavirus and his kidney function worsened, dropping to just 4%. He was out of work from June 2022 until March 2023 when he received a kidney transplant, so he is expected to return to work in stages in September 2023 and full-time in November 2023. did it.
Mr. Sweat originally filed a PIP claim in January 2022, but it was denied. He appealed twice, but the case was dismissed. He has filed a lawsuit in court and is awaiting a date. He said that although he had a court date, he asked for the court to be adjourned because he did not have the necessary documentation from the DWP regarding his claim.
“When I applied, the DWP said, ‘We don’t think you’re sick enough to qualify for PIP benefits,'” he said. “I don’t understand how something like this could happen when I rely on machines to survive my daily life. I was so tired that some days I couldn’t get out of bed.
“I filed a PIP claim two years ago and have yet to receive one. I have now received a positive decision in court and am backdating my return to work in stages from January 2022 to September 2023. I hope we can.”
Sweat was on the waiting list for a kidney donor, and his family was undergoing tests to donate his kidney. But he received an organ transplant from a deceased donor last March, and he said the difference in quality of life was instantaneous.
“I’m lucky because I’m back to work now and I’m doing much better than I was after the transplant,” he said. “But he was denied PIP when he needed it. I don’t know what would have happened if he hadn’t lived with his parents.
“There are so many people struggling to get PIP, including people who suffer from kidney disease. It would be cruel to make this even harder.”
Fiona Loud, Policy Director KAidney Care UKsaid: “Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is a lifeline for people with chronic kidney disease (CKD) in the UK.
“This is an incredibly complex and stressful system, and the current assessment process frequently fails, leaving CKD patients upset. This means that the majority of initial decisions are overturned on appeal. As you can see, it upsets CKD patients.
“Kidney patients understand that this process, frequent denials and appeals, are extremely stressful and how kidney disease impacts a patient’s functional ability, including dialysis and multiple hospital visits. The evaluators say they seem to lack the knowledge, experience, and skills to understand, and the effectiveness of the drugs they simply need to stay alive.
“Our patient support and advocacy services and PIP helper tools are in place to support people through the process, but we need better systems.
“Reforms are desperately needed, but the focus should be on ensuring people get the support they need to thrive, rather than cruel cost-cutting measures that make life with kidney failure even harder. I have to put it down.”
A DWP spokesperson said: “We support millions of people every year and our priority is to ensure they receive the support services and benefits they are entitled to as soon as possible.
“Our disability evaluators are qualified medical professionals, and decisions are made using all information available at the time. If someone disagrees with the decision, Mr. Sweat will file this lawsuit. You can ask for reconsideration and appeal to an independent tribunal, as we did in .
The DWP added that a court hearing against Mr Sweat was scheduled to take place in March 2024, but Mr Sweat asked for it to be postponed as he was out of the country on holiday. A public hearing was then scheduled for April 2024, but Sweat asked for another postponement.