Concerns raised as Carstairs patients receive hundreds of pounds in cost of living crisis payment

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Patients at the state hospital in Lanarkshire are receiving £650 handout payments from the Department of Works and Pensions that are intended to help people struggling with the cost of living crisis.Those patients who are resident at Carstairs, the high security hospital which houses some of the country’s most violent people, and receive Universal Credit are automatically entitled to the payments from the UK Government.But the decision to make the payments have been criticised, as those being held there don’t have to pay bills – such as energy or for food – but can claim benefits unlike those being held in Scotland’s jails.The Lanarkshire Live app is available to download now.

Get all the news from your area – as well as features, entertainment, sport and the latest on Lanarkshire’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic – straight to your fingertips, 24/7.The free download features the latest breaking news and exclusive stories, and allows you to customise your page to the sections that matter most to you.Head to the App Store and never miss a beat in Lanarkshire - iOS - Android The cost of living financial payments are intended to help people on low income meet the rising cost of living.Carstairs, which has 140 beds in high-secure units, houses a number patients some of whom have avoided prosecution for alleged acts of violence, and subsequently prison, due to their mental health.”Patients who have been found not guilty due to mental health and illness can still claim benefits unlike prisoners in mainstream prisons or patients who have come to the hospital for treatment from prison,” a source at the hospital told the Daily Record. “Many of the patients gets benefits and because they don’t have any bills to pay and