Press release: Sense response to Spending Review
26 June 2013
Sense response to Spending Review
National deafblind charity Sense today (26 June) responded to the publication of the Spending Review. Sense Deputy Chief Executive, Richard Kramer, said:
“The new welfare cap risks unfairly penalising disabled people. The Government must realise these benefits often play a vital role in helping disabled people to support themselves in seeking and staying in work. We call on government to think again as exempting disabled people from the welfare cap would show the right values and approach.”
On increased funding for integrated health and social care services, Mr Kramer added:
“The announcement of increased funding for integrated health and social care is a welcome boost for a social care system that has been teetering on the brink of collapse. Together with the Care Bill, it provides the platform for a fairer and more effective care system.
“However, while the focus of integrated care is often on older people coming in and out of hospital, it is important to remember that increasing numbers of working age disabled people are currently going without the care and support they need.”
Notes to editors
Sense is a national charity that has supported and campaigned for children and adults who are deafblind for over 50 years. There are currently around 250,000 deafblind people in the UK.
Sense provides specialist information, advice and services to deafblind people, their families, carers and the professionals who work with them. We run services across England, Wales and Northern Ireland and employ 2,000 people most of whom work in services directly with deafblind people. Our patron is HRH The Princess Royal.
Deafblindness is a combination of both sight and hearing difficulties. Some of these people are completely deaf and blind, but others have some remaining use of one or both senses.
Causes of deafblindness include premature birth and exposure to rubella during pregnancy, which can cause babies to be born deafblind. Sense therefore supports MMR which has proven to be the most effective vaccination programme against rubella. Some genetic conditions such as Usher syndrome can also result in deafblindness. People can also become deafblind at any time through illness, accident or in older age.