A £340m package to help families looking after disabled children has thrown the spotlight on the difficulties faced by carers. Parents at whom the funding is aimed described the challenges they confront every day.
The parents of an eight-year-old girl with cerebral palsy have raised the money needed to send her to China for a revolutionary new treatment. Kishor and Priti Tahiliani, from Bournemouth in Dorset, want to take Vaishnavi to Beijing to have stem cells injected into her spinal cord. They needed to raise £18,000 for two months of the treatment, which is not available in the UK.
A former lord mayor of Bristol who has osteoarthritis has criticised the city council for not granting her a parking permit for disabled people. Councillor Brenda Hugill applied for a Blue Badge because she suffers severe knee pain and has difficulty walking. But she said she was told her condition did not entitle her to a pass.
Commenting on today's Government announcement of extra funding to help families with disabled children, Liberal Democrat Children and Family Spokesperson, Annette Brooke MP said:
30,000 disabled people had sensitive personal information including bank account details stolen last September, Liberal Democrat research has revealed.
The NHS is probably using too many expensive treatments, according to health economists and managers. New drugs are generally only used if they cost under £30,000 for each year of good health they provide. But some claim this is too high and forces potentially more effective care to be ditched due to limited funds.