I think doctors are being asked to minimise people being referred to claim benefits due to the economic state of this country & the government want unemployment rates to fall its all related to politics and money

You are entitled to your medical records now for free if that helps

Hi

Yes that's correct its all to do with new NHS guidelines thay are also no longer doing letters to say you are entitled to Disabled bus pass or companion pass.

DWP unfortunately are braking no rules when not requesting information from Medical Professionals .

It states if we need further information we will contact GP or Specialist and if thay do thay send them a form to complete and thay pay for this .

You are better to put down Care Manager ,CPN or Support Worker as often these are the ones that thay telephone for further information

Hi kingdom it is not good when you hear this it id down to personal choice with surgerys and gp i know lots who get told the same as you and lots where doctor writes tremendous letter .a lot of docs in our area are giveing a computer printout there and then that helps .do put on form where asks a profession to contact who ever that is the .say I would like you to contact this person for more information if you need anymore anyone I know put doc or hospital specialist. You can get 2or 3 letters for whoever helps as well carer family or support worker if you have one .some people have their family for that their preference and some docs and mental health team prefer that as well

What about pain clinic Dr?

Kingdom1914 Yes I had this, in all fairness he was new as unfortunately I had just moved house when I had to apply for PIP.My doctor of 3O years had retired. The new doctor believes in Fibromyalgia but he said that whatever he put he had no influence over the decision like he did when it was DLA. He said he had patients confined to a wheelchair who ended up at tribunal and be prepared to have to attend. He said he was now rarely asked by the DWP for any information. The specialist I saw at the pain clinic also retired and his clinic disbanded so I can honestly say I felt that the world had conspired against me so you have my sympathy.

In the end in desperation I printed off information from the Patients Access and unlike what they said about not wanting appointment cards etc I explained situation and showed details of letters from the physio department etc appointment cards for acupuncture so they could see K was doing everything I could to help myself.

If you have had no specific treatments for the last few years perhaps you could list things that you had tried in the past and why they did t work, drugs you had tried and why they didn't work!. Send a copy of the green and white repeat prescription form to prove what meds you are on.

All I can say is good luck.x

I'm going to ask my adult services worker for one and see what she says

The DWP very rarely contact your GP for any information - although many GP's think that they still do, like they did when it was DLA, but that has all changed now with the introduction of PIP. The onus is now on the claimant to gather as much information as possible. A bit hard when you don't have any information and your GP won't write a letter supporting you - but even people who do have a good GP who will write a good supporting letter are being turned down. It's a difficult situation.

Hi,

Yeah I was in the same position and I also had a breakdown due to the stress of everything. I’m so sorry to hear that you’ve been through this too because stressful is an understatement. And like you, what specialists?! I certainly don’t have any either. Instead they’ve doped me up so much that I can’t even leave the house anymore.

In the end, I managed to get a home visit which was so much easier. She was lovely and could see straightaway I couldn’t work. I could barely walk or look after myself. After that there was no mention of a Drs letter. And you’re completely right, most Drs don’t believe in fibro let alone understand it. And the people who do the assessment have no medical training as far as I was told.

I think the fact that I had a home visit made all the difference. Because she was taking notes mentally from the minute she walked through the door and my stairs are very steep and that’s one of the first things she said about the stairs being dangerous in my condition. So I really liked her and she signed me off straightaway and she managed to get it back paid for the last 18 months.

I don’t know if this helps but I think the more info we all share the better.

Take care hon

Thanks for your experience. It's good you got an understanding lady, not many around. I take 11 tablets a day and although they help pain they too wipe you out, as well as the Fibro.

You Take Care too.

On the benefits and work website there are forms you can print off for your dr to fill, could you try this instead? Maybe give him one filled in by you as a template? Could you try taking it above his head to the practice manager? My dr did me a letter requesting a home visit as it would be too hard for me to attend an assessment centre due to pain and anxiety. I was refused the home visit, I paid for the dr’s letter. X

Hi. I didn’t send in gp letter or specialist letter. The assessor seemed to concentrate on the meds I was taking to support what I was saying. Go to the benefits and work website for detailed information about how to phrase your answers. That is very important. There are certain keywords or descriptors that they look for in your application. There’s a lot you can do if you ask the people on that site how to structure your answers etc. I do have specialists but it’s my gp who deals with my meds now. There is hope for you Kingdom. The website is brilliant and will help you. X

Hi, yes recently my doctor said he wasn't able to do a letter for me. He just told me what to put on my UC50 form. I know what you mean about the tribunals, court etc. I went to ne tribunal, but I vowed never to go to another, They said my hand eye Co ordination was ok, as I had lipstick on and did my nails!! I am waiting to hear about the disability premium of universal credit, but I don't hold out much hope!

Rubbish I have had 2 separate letters by 2 different Drs The first charged me £80 the 2nd did it for nothing so I bought her a large bunch of flowers. It really depends on the Dr

I have always asked any specialist that I see to CC me in all letters regarding my many conditions. These all are scanned and filed away for when ever I need them. I am one of 7000 in the UK that also have Pulmonary Atrial Hypertension! Which even well educated Doctors look at you with a glazed look sometimes?

I have found by doing this, adding all the info I have had not so many problems!

Be Well

Hi Kingdom1914 just to say im sorry to hear this its a really difficult situation when been in illhealth for a long time and no other updated medical report can be retrieved its as if the dwp think we have miraculously recovered after all the years have passed...i wonder if you could get a second opinion from an alternative gp i understand you see the same gp but another gp can listen more to situation and go by your medical file too. . I was seeing a certain gp for a long time coz she advised me to stick with 1 to form a relationship her words not mine to get to know me properly and my problems so i did this with her shes not the one who diagnosed me but when in the long run she seemed to of gotten a little frustrated with me and made me feel uncomfortable so i went back to the original gp who diagnosed me many years before but i hadnt seen him in a long time but turned out it was the best decision id made voz hes the only one who actually listened and cared and helped an he actually wrote me a perfect letter of support so i just wonder if maybe its worth visiting another gp and explain everythin and see if that helps in retrieving some kind of updated report on yr illhealth...just a thought...Good luck 🍀 xx

Thanks but this was the Doctor I changed to because he seemed to have some understanding of the different problems associated with Fibromyalgia! I do feel when you mention Fibro normally they raise their eyebrows and just give out what they normally prescribe not putting it down to Fibro. Few Drs understand it.

Hi kingdom you can ask for a printout of your medical visits (file)with all the information no charge a lot of docs giving that out now .are you pip

Thanks. I should be on a higher PIP but can't cope with going through it again. I was trying to get a Blue Badge but almost impossible without a higher PIP status (Mobility). Expecting a ESA review soon though. Yes a print out is the last resort, thanks will do that. Just hope he actually wrote down what problems I was having with Fibro. That tend to listen and not write as you explain. Thanks for all your Help.

I had to provide more details for a review to receive the NDIS in Australia. My GP was reluctant to write a letter even after I presented him with a report that I wrote detailing my conditions and how they affected my life on a day to day basis. But he relented and asked if he could use my report. I left it with him and he used it in his report. I think it's a time issue for the GP. It took me a couple of hours to write up the report and no GP really knows the fine details of how our lives are affected unless they are willing to give a patient the time needed and willing to listen. I think my GP has a very limited understanding of fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue and has no idea how to treat it. For example he knows if I exercise I end up with a flare up that leaves me bed bound for weeks yet he advises me to exercise while agreeing with me it causes flare ups when I remind him. I have to do my own research and try different things until I find what works for me and what doesn't. Fibromyalgia treatment is in the dark ages.

Hi I have a great doctor maybe change your doctor some are more understanding than others..

After so long I have to ask myself who diagnose you with fibromyalgia?

If I was you I would be asking to be referred to a specialist who can confirm your diagnosis, there is plenty of them about now, then you have a full back up, I think that's the only way.

When I went for my PiP my letters appointments treatments I had had were only 12 months old and was asked for more up to date reference.

I was lucky or you could call it unlucky I had been in hospital several times and my doctor did write a letter she had no problem with it at all cost me £15 but at least I got one.

Having said that with all I had gone through I still lost the full rate of PiP my car and a lot of money.

I have now got cancer and still refused full PiP as I will hopefully live, but I can tell you these past 12 months have been very hard and I have another 2 years of treatment to go.

So wishing you all the best but go see a specialist your doctor can not refuse to do this, especially if you have never seen one.

Xxx

Ps read benifit rules and regulations 29/35 that's what they were when we needed them.

It states that if your disability makes you a dangerous to anyone at work or yourself.

We used this when my husband was diagnosed with CFS and had funny heads couldn't concentrate and so weak he kept passing out at work, they told us he was fit or work, but we found these rules on there own web site,

So he got ESAS but that was it from £450 a week wage to £99.10 a week.

Can't get and PiP nothing more, obviously it's £122.50 now we have had to cut back so much, just about manage bare min internment and phone no Tv nothing.

I hope reading through there own rules you might find a rule to help you.

I still think seeing a specialist your best option