Please can anyone help me

[tramelia]

Hello to everyone.

Please, I was wondering if anyone can help me. I am currently receiving DLA, and have been for many years. I am fully aware that at any time, I will have to apply for PIP. Please, can anyone tell me, does everyone applying for it have to attend a medical. So far, I have read that people have had to attend one, and in a few instances, people have come to there home to do the medical. But my question is, does a medical always have to be done? Does being in receipt of ESA Support Group help at all?

I would be most grateful for any help that you may be able to give me.

Very best wishes

Tramelia

[Hidden]

Hi

This is a very stressful time for all those that are having to go through this system & especially when you have anxiety I totally understand you fear

I have copied & pasted the following for you which does say that in most cases a medical is required but gives some tips , I know it may not be the answer you wanted but may help

Also if you have a case worker who could support you , GP if you were called for a medical it all helps

PIP face-to-face medical assessment FAQs

Will I have to have a medical for PIP?

If you claim PIP you are extremely likely to have to attend a face-to-face medical assessment, unless you have a terminal illness.

According to the DWP, at March 2014 around 98% of PIP claimants were being asked to attend a face-to-face assessment.

This is much higher than the 75% that the DWP had expected, mainly because neither Atos nor Capita are succeeding in getting enough medical evidence from claimants health professionals to be able to make decisions on paper evidence alone.

How long does a PIP medical take?

Medical assessments for PIP are taking twice as long on average as the DWP had expected them to. Instead of taking an hour to carry out the medical and write it up afterwards using PIPAT computer software, Atos and Capita health professionals are taking two hours on average.

But the length of time you personally will spend at an assessment will depend very much on what conditions you have and how good at their job the health professional is. We have seen medicals where the claimant was only with the health professional for 20 minutes and others where it was almost two hours.

How long will I have to wait for an appointment?

The result of the very high proportion of claimants having to have a medical, and the length of time they are taking, is that a massive backlog has built up. In March 2014, Atos and Capita began warning claimants that they might have to wait up to 6 months before they got a medical appointment – let alone a decision.

Who carries out the medical assessment?

The majority of health professionals carrying out PIP medicals are physiotherapists with very little knowledge of mental health issues, learning difficulties or more complex physical conditions. There are also some occupational therapists, nurses and, very occasionally, doctors doing assessments.

All health professionals receive around a week’s training in how to carry out assessments, but much of this is about how to use the computer software and how the points system for PIP works.

What happens at the assessment?

Although the DWP claim that PIP medicals are not at all like the work capability assessments for employment and support allowance (ESA), they do seem to be remarkably similar, including the fact that they are computer led.

The medical consists of several parts.

First, the health professional should read any documents relating to your case.

Next, they ask you a series of questions about your condition and about your everyday life. As with ESA, they use drop down lists, multiple choice answers and text boxes to record information on a computer as they go.

Then they may carry out a brief physical examination, checking things like your eyesight, your blood pressure and the range of movement in your limbs, if any of these are relevant to your condition.

Whilst all this is going on they will be making informal observations about the way you look and behave.

Finally, after you have gone, they will list which descriptors (points) they consider apply to you and justify their conclusions.

Will I have to travel far for my assessment?

That depends on which company does the assessments in your area. If you are in a Capita area then you are very likely to have your assessment in your home. If you are in an Atos area then you will only get a home medical if you can convince Atos that there is a strong medical reason why you cannot attend an assessment centre.

How can I best prepare for a medical?

Read our guides, consider how you are going to travel to the medical, think about what evidence it’s vital for the health professional to hear and, if it would help you, write some notes about the most vital issues and take them with you to ensure that you don’t forget anything.

There is also a link here to another Anxiety support group on HU

healthunlocked.com/livingwi...

Love

whywhy

xxx

[tramelia in reply to Hidden]

Hi whywhy

Many many thanks for the information you have given me, it was very helpful.

Best wishes

tramelia xx