Lincolnshire woman with cerebral palsy shares fears over plans for conversion of PIP payments to vouchers​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Natasha Gollop, 44, from Sleaford, was officially diagnosed with cerebral palsy, a lifelong condition affecting movement and coordination, when she was a toddler — but says it stemmed from being born prematurely.

A primary cause for the onset of cerebral palsy is hypoxic brain injury at birth, in which a newborn child’s brain is starved of oxygen.

It affects around 1 in 400 children in the United Kingdom, and it leaves those diagnosed with lifelong challenges around cognitive impairments, speech and walking, as well as hearing or vision loss in some cases.

Despite this, Natasha has always strived to find positive outlooks on life, but admits this can be difficult as there is still somewhat of a societal taboo around disability.

“A lot of able-bodied people avoid us like the plague because they might feel we slow them down,” she said. “It makes me feel isolated and hurt.

“You are what you are and have to get on with what you have been given.”

Financially speaking it can be a headache also, with Natasha unable to enter into full-time work as a result of her condition. She receives just shy of £600 per month through PIP benefits, but with Department for Work & Pensions eyeing up changes to convert this cash into vouchers, Natasha worries the problem could yet get worse.

“The cost of living has been hard, it’s basically meant we just cut down on what we can do, which unfortunately impacts my mental health too.

“People think when you get PIP you earn loads of money and that just isn’t true. I have to pay for all the essentials, as well as a cleaner for the house because I can’t do it. I can’t pay the cleaner with a Tesco voucher, can I?”

However, Natasha had nothing but praise for the way North Kesteven District Council have aided her needs, saying they not only helped provide the home she lives in, but also answered calls for ramps, handrails and an easy-access toilet at the property.

She said: “The council have been awesome with me, I feel very supported by them.”

It is support that she says is rare from authorities, saying she has been sat on a waiting list for almost a year for hydrotherapy on the NHS — something she says she was entitled to up to the age of 16.

Indeed, the challenges around treating cerebral palsy, living with it, or even identifying it at an early stage, are represented in a recent Freedom of Information request by specialist medical negligence law firm Lime Solicitors.

Data reveals that United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust has paid out more than £37 million over the last eleven years, across eleven cases of cerebral palsy clinical negligence.

Nationally, though, it reveals that just one in 14 cerebral palsy cases could have been avoided, despite the £3.5 billion payout across the country for cerebral palsy clinical negligence cases.

United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust Medical Director Dr Colin Farquharson said these payouts are settled by NHS Resolution on behalf of NHS trusts, and the funds are covered by the “premium” paid each year to NHS Resolution for this service.

“While we are not able to comment on the specific detail of the claims referred to in this Freedom of Information request made to NHS Resolution, we acknowledge that any failure to provide care to the high standards we expect can impact upon our patients and their loved ones.

“This is why we take every opportunity to listen to those receiving our care and to learn from our mistakes, acting openly and honestly when those standards are not met.

“We remain committed to continual improvement in the care and support offered to everyone using our services.”

Natasha hopes reports and figures like this can help raise awareness and understanding around conditions like cerebral palsy, but also invite others to treat disabled people with compassion and the other fundamentals you’d expect of human beings.

“To anyone who has not experienced it, go up to someone and just say hi to us. You’ll be shocked that we do actually have a brain.

“I recently joined a gym just to keep myself active and moving, and I go to the church quite a lot as well; and it’s amazing to feel like you are part of a community where there are no barriers around my condition.

“Attitudes like that make such a difference to me feeling ‘normal’, if you will.”