Some of the most affluent areas of England have had the sharpest rises in the proportion of young people claiming disability benefits for ADHD and autism since the pandemic, according to new research. Claims for the personal independence payment (Pip) benefit for these health conditions were typically proportionally far higher in deprived areas with higher rates of poverty, low educational outcomes and insecure employment.
As my co- blogger James at ‘Orphans..’ pointed out on Sunday morning, this is a recipe for disaster that we are hurtling into as a country….
However, the fastest growth in ADHD and autism-related Pip claims has been in some of the country’s most prosperous areas such as Wokingham, Warwick, and parts of Hampshire and Surrey. This trend probably reflects swifter access to ADHD and autism diagnoses in more affluent areas, say the researchers, in part highlighting the ability of wealthier families to skip long NHS waiting lists and pay privately for clinical diagnoses.
And the propensity for middle class affluent areas to be infested with the sort of people driving this . The fifth horsewoman of the coming economic and societal apocalypse.
They say the relative gap in Pip claims between rich and poor areas is shrinking, with growth rates in wealthy places such as Runnymede in Surrey outstripping the likes of Blackpool and Stoke-on-Trent. The research also found that Pip claim rates for ADHD and autism were higher among white people than other ethnic groups.
Note they are all the fashionable ‘isms’…
The researchers say this shift is counterintuitive and unique to ADHD and autism. There is no evidence of similar trends in learning disability, depression, anxiety or physical conditions.
Told you!
Sally Gainsbury, a senior policy analyst at the Nuffield Trust, which carried out the research, said the findings probably reflected “substantial inequality in access” to private and NHS diagnostic services, meaning “people with better resources and more support are often able to get to the front of the queue quicker”. It may also reflect the ability of more privileged individuals to navigate a notoriously difficult and unpredictable Pip claims process, Gainsbury said. Obtaining a clinical diagnosis is likely to increase the chances of a successful Pip claim.
Then make the process harder and far more auditable!
