A Sheffield woman who is battling a debilitating condition which leaves her struggling to walk and in constant pain has said securing financial security through the government targeted PIP process was one of the hardest battles of her life. 

It took Rachel Wood, who has stage 4 endometriosis, 18 months and a court appeal to be granted Personal Independence Payments. 

She now fears other people, in her position, won’t be given the financial aid they desperately need. 

“I wouldn’t wish it on anyone” she says, “my hope for future generations of girls is more support, so that they don’t suffer like I have.”

The Department of Work and Pensions’ announcement last week outlined a proposal of £5 billion cuts, which will make PIP even harder for many to access. 

Green Party Councillor for Broomhill and Sharrow Vale, Angela Argenzio, has called the cuts “ethically and morally unjust for the people affected”, and suggested the government are “cowardly.”

Personal Independence Payments have historically provided financial aid to people with a long-term physical or mental health condition or disability, and are intended to help cover the additional costs of being disabled. 

Rachel, 41, from Sheffield, understands more than most how endometriosis, a condition where cells including the womb lining grow elsewhere in the body, causing pain, inflammation and scar tissue, can leave a sufferer unable to do the most simple of tasks. 

“It impacts everything,” she says. “Even, like going to the toilet. I can’t walk very far at all, and it affects you mentally a hell of a lot. I would have pain three out of the four weeks [of the month]. My first marriage even broke down, as he just didn’t understand the condition.

“It can be atrocious trying to go to work. Sometimes it all just gets on top of you, and if it’s a really bad day work just kills me.”

Endometriosis is a fluctuating condition, and has resulted in eight surgeries for Ms Wood, including the removal of part of her ureter and bowel, a bowel resection, and a hysterectomy. 

Rachel first applied for PIP at the end of 2023, but despite her daily challenges, and 192 pages of medical evidence, she was initially awarded 0 points in her PIP assessment.

“I had the evidence, including a letter from my consultant that I walk with a stick, and that it affects me daily, but it still wasn’t enough,” she says.

A combination of the condition and Prostap – a monthly injection used for endometriosis management that induces a state of menopause – resulted in Rachel having trouble using the bathroom, mobility issues, and the need for more medications, such as antidepressants, HRT and blood pressure tablets. 

As a result of her symptoms, Rachel, who uses a mobility aid, has struggled with managing the condition alongside work.

PIP is awarded to claimants on a point-based-system assessing two main components – a daily living part – if you need help with everyday tasks – and a mobility part – if you need help with getting around. 

To access the standard rate, someone must receive eight to 11 points for daily living needs, and more than 12 points for daily living or mobility for the enhanced rate. 

Rachel appealed the initial decision and went to court to fight her case.  “The judge was lovely,” she says. “I was awarded nine points straight away. They took me seriously.” A complete contrast to how Rachel had been initially treated. 

But she believes if she wasn’t having a bad day when she went to Court, she might not have been believed. 

“It was a bad day when I went in, which was a good thing. I can see it being different going on a ‘good day’, as we call it, or as normal as we can get.”

Receiving PIP has allowed Rachel to lower her hours at work, and better manage her conditions. 

“It’s been a fight to get PIP, and it shouldn’t have to be,” she says. “When you’re that poorly, to have to go to court is just awful. I felt like I’d done something wrong.”

Ailish McMillan, 31, received zero points in her PIP assessment, despite suffering from severe depression and endometriosis, and claimed the application process was dehumanising. 

The fluctuation of her debilitating symptoms mean that she can go from working her busy hospitality job one week, to being unable to get out of bed the next. 

At her worst, she shared that there were only three days of the month that she could function without thinking about it. “How can a person feel that much pain, and still be alive?” She says. “It’s horrendous”.

But despite her health conditions, Ailish was told she was not eligible for PIP, causing her to feel as though the people assessing her application thought she was lying.

“The process of the application is scary and quite harrowing,” says Ailish, from Sheffield. “It was almost like I wasn’t believed. I would crawl to the bathroom seven days a month, you don’t just snap out of that. It’s depressing, really.”

Although Ailish was shocked to see her score, she was not surprised, and is worried about what it means for other people in a similar position. 

“To take away the only help targeted at disabled people boggles the mind,” she says. “It’s still sinking in. It just leaves us all out in the cold, and what are we supposed to do?”

Personal Finance Expert Fiona Peake said that PIP is a ‘vital lifeline’ for millions of disabled people across the UK, and that, for many, it’s the difference between keeping the heating on, affording accessible transport, and being able to access the essentials.

Despite misconceptions, PIP is not an out of work benefit. The extra support allows people to order grocery deliveries, make their living space more accessible, purchase mobility aids and medication, and use taxis services, which would otherwise be unaffordable. 

Changes to the PIP assessment outlined in the Green Paper propose the payments should be “focussed more on those with higher needs”, and only those who score a minimum of four points in at least one daily living activity will be eligible for the daily living component of PIP.

This creates challenges for many currently eligible for or receiving PIP, that make up their points across different components of the assessment.

“Many people find that assessors just don’t fully understand their conditions, or how fluctuating conditions impact daily life,” says Peake.

“This leads to unfair decisions, forcing people into often lengthy appeals”. 

Peake outlined these cuts will impact not only claimants, but also have a knock-on effect on their families, placing more pressure on them for financial and practical support. 

“Not everyone has family who can step in,” she says. “And for those who don’t, the impact could be devastating.” 

Peake argued if the Government wants to support people into work, simply cutting PIP and other welfare support isn’t the answer.

“They should be looking at ways to make employment more accessible, offering better workplace adjustments, tackling discrimination, and providing better support financially,” she says.

“Without this, [disabled people] could be left choosing between their health and trying to hold down a job that doesn’t accommodate their needs. That’s not fair, and it’s not realistic.”