Make Painful Bladder Syndrome (Interstitial Cystitis) a recognised disability.

Rejected 21 signatures

What the petition asks

Painful Bladder Syndrome is a severely debilitating condition which causes excruciating pain as well as other symptoms that affect the sufferers ability to work and go about their normal day to day lives. Yet we are unable to qualify for certain benefits that could help us live a normal life.

We want the condition to be recognised as a disability. We deserve more. The condition needs more recognition; The NHS website currently states that PBS is very difficult to diagnose. It is usually diagnosed as a UTI, sufferers are then given antibiotics; to no avail. Many of us are prescribed strong painkillers which cause drowsiness along with other negative side effects. People with PBS often suffer with depression due to the pain they suffer day to day. We ask that sufferers are listened to.

Why it was rejected

It asked for something that is not the responsibility of the UK Government or Parliament.

The Government's guidance on disability under the Equality Act 2010 states that you’re disabled if you have a physical or mental impairment that has a ‘substantial’ and ‘long-term’ negative effect on your ability to do normal daily activities. Similarly, eligibility for disability benefits is based on the impact a disability has on a person's life.

It is therefore already the case that people who have bladder pain syndrome (interstitial cystitis), where this has a a ‘substantial’ and ‘long-term’ negative effect on their ability to do normal daily activities, would be protected under the Equality Act, and entitled to relevant benefits.

Decisions about whether someone is eligible for a particular benefit are a matter for individual health assessors.

Timeline

1 Apr 2022	Petition opened for signatures
6 Apr 2022	Rejected by the Petitions Committee

Key facts

Signatures 21

Status Rejected

Rejected 6 Apr 2022

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