Patricia Anne, a full-time carer from Berkshire, tells us how she has been hit by the bedroom tax

I found Patricia on Facebook, consoling another woman who said she was depressed, and that her life was “basically over”, after her benefits were cut and she was hit by the bedroom tax, despite being too ill to walk let alone work. Sometimes only the people who have experienced something similar are the ones ready to understand. This is something we need to change. Here Trisha tells us her own story:

 

In my mid fifties I had an okay job as a bridal consultant. Then, my father sadly died and I had to become a full-time carer to my now 90-year-old mum and leave my job. I visit my mum daily to care for her, helping her with meals and chores.

I receive £62 per week for caring for my mother, saving the local authorities and government thousands. I also get £80 every two weeks top up. Minus £12 in council tax and I was left with approximately £91 a week.

Three years ago my girls’ dad died and I had to move into a small 2-bedroom flat. My youngest of 20 was living at home, but left to go to New Zealand travelling, where she met her partner. On her return, after a while she moved in with him. My daughters and my grandson often stay over night, as does my mum—for a small change of scenery.

I have now been hit by the bedroom tax, which is £20 a week out of my £91. I thought that at my age I was safe and secure in my own home, but now, due to this, I am scared and may be forced to move out. But a) there are no 1-bedroom places available, b) it’s much needed company having my family stay over occasionally and c) what if one of my girls needs to return home, or my mum were to need more closely looking after?

I did not foresee having to claim benefits but life doesn’t always go to plan. Not everyone is a benefit ‘scrounger’. I worked from the age of 15, so I have paid my dues to society. Benefits should always be there as a safety net for these uncontrollable occurrences in life.

 

Our Questions for Trisha

 

1) If you were forced to move out would that mean being further from your mum?

Maybe as there are no 1-bedroom properties. It would not be sustainable to move from near my mum, in case of emergencies.

 

2) Do you worry for your own future, and how you will be looked after when you get old?

Yes I worry as the older you get it seems you become a burden.

 

3) How does it make you feel to be punished by the government now after having done everything right and worked all your life?

After having worked since 15 I am totally disillusioned by this government. Private sector carers would cost thousands, yet I am punished.

 

4) What would you say to people who voted for more cuts and/or support the bedroom tax, to try and change their minds?

I would say spend a day in my shoes and see how hard it is to sustain yourself daily. If life’s traumas ever happen to you, you will know the truth then.

 

After working in her field for 30 years, this psychiatric-nurse-turned-counsellor knows the danger of austerity

I have worked in the health and social care sector for over thirty years. Throughout this period, I have witnessed first-hand the steady decline of health and social care provision in my locality. Worryingly, this observed deterioration currently appears to be accelerating at an alarming rate.

My first encounter with health and social care began when I trained as a psychiatric nurse in 1984. At this time, there was a radical shift in mental health service provision with the aim of transferring people with long-term mental illness from institutions into forms of care in the community. This ideology has failed on many levels. There are large numbers of people with mental health conditions who are not able to access the services and treatment that they need. Individuals with severe mental health issues are ending up in A&E wards because of “system failure”.

Everyone should be able to get access to a hospital bed close to home whenever they need it. This should be viewed as a human rights issue. However, because there are a lack of beds in mental health wards, people are being transported to different areas of the country in order to be admitted.

The unfortunate consequences of such inadequate service provision means that the most disenfranchised people in society are now more at risk than ever. They do not get the care they need, and thus they are often a danger to themselves, and sometimes to others. The gradual move away from a more collective society is resulting in punitive outcomes for many of its people.

Following my psychiatric nurse training, my next period of learning involved studying for a BSc Hons degree in Public Health. This is where my political activism really took hold. The content and direction of this subject covered the impact of “health inequality” and highlighted how systemic failure of health and social care service provision impacts on the very poor and disadvantaged.

Since obtaining my degree, I have worked in the community for many years, holding several jobs that have involved working in moderately to severely deprived ward areas. Wolverhampton is a city made up of 20 wards and many of these are severely deprived, so I have witnessed the plight of the disadvantaged continually. Income inequality acts to disempower individuals and families by way of stigmatisation and alienation, as well as materially. This was, and still is, visible on a daily basis in this city.

The less wealthy are more predisposed to societal problems, such as increased teenage pregnancy, unemployment, mental health issues, crime, etc. The list goes on and on. My observations since the inception of a Conservative-led government have led me to conclude that the problems encountered by the dispossessed are increasing exponentially and becoming more prevalent in areas of severe deprivation.

On a day to day basis, I witness further societal fragmentation and decline. I understand the complex facets of mental health because my training has equipped me with this understanding and knowledge. The increase of mental illness is, in my opinion, unprecedented. Many people do not seek medical treatment for a variety of reasons; homelessness, stigma and disempowerment are all contributory factors along with many other variables. Ultimately, this is having a catastrophic impact on individuals, families and communities, with inadequate public service provision being the main culprit. Public service provision has been diminishing for many years and cuts to services are more austere now than they’ve ever been. This is having a devastating impact for those people who are caught up in a cycle of poverty and neglect.

To conclude, I feel that while austerity measures are becoming ever more severe and further cuts are being made, the overall impact for those most in need is absolutely shocking. Societal breakdown is a very provocative term to use but it seems to me now, that while we are living under our current governing system, this outcome is inevitable. It will have dire consequences for everyone but particularly for those who are most disenfranchised. These findings are not the result of rigorous research but are based on personal experience.