Bad PIP face2face Assessment

This week I had my face2face PIP assessment. I do not think it went well.
I was being reviewed by the DWP and therefore only completed an abbreviated form.
I think I psyched myself into thinking they would focus only on my reported changes. Wrong!

What happened was that the HCP approached this as if I was applying for PIP for the first time. She kept going on and on about conditions which are ongoing but quite historic. The sort of thing you wouldn't elaborate on much on the form itself.

The HCP approached questions in a very formal, stilted way like: "Can you do sums? Can you do budgets?" These kind if questions threw me a bit. I just looked back puzzled.

Then, regarding the most important questions in my mind, regarding mobility issues, they just plainly asked how far I thought I could walk, and ignored whilst tapping away the reasons and elaboration I gave.

And on the really vexed question on managing journeys, which I can't, and on which I supplied much evidence, she just asked whether I came alone. How can that possibly score anything other then zero points?

And then they kept going on about "intellectually" being able to do things. When I stressed my conditions affects memory, concentration and attention span, they seemed to brush this aside.

I feel dissatisfied and short changed,, and the HCP only had a (crib?) sheet of paper in front of them.

I really want to impress on those of you already receiving PIP and due to be reviewed, to forget the idea of a review. Imagine again and again that you are applying afresh and prepare your form and for the interview in the same way. Don't be put off by having to explain in detail the origins of something you probably have forgotten about.

Also, I firmly believe they train HCP's to approach every assessment with a fresh pair of eyes, and not be taken in by the fact that someone has had such and such condition for 10 years etc. And they also seemed a bit irritated with some of my answers, which led me to think they had preconceptions about me which I wasn't adhering to.

And as far as that wretched review form goes, I think even where you mark unchanged, add some comments in the box like "please see attached sheet x of x for further information." That way, if an HCP is minded to suppose (and most of their opinions are supposition, let's face it) that what you stated as no change is in fact an improvement meriting zero points, you have some explanation to fall back on and build upon.

I would like to ask the panel whether I should complain in advance about how this interview was conducted. Or best leave it until the inevitable MRecon. Also, ATOS rang me at home on interview day, snooping, asking where I was twice, whether I had a mobile, and who was speaking to them etc etc. I am not happy about this either.

Sorry for the tone of this post but ATOS never ceases to surprise me. And had I been able to take control of the interview and forcibly put my case across, the inevitable supposition would have been, "What on earth is this person doing here? He seems fine to me. Zero, zero, zero."

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Thank you Gordon
As far as sight of tbr previous PIP2, well they raised historic issues, but whether from reviewing that or just my list of medications on the AR1, I don't know. All I could see is a single page sheet in front of them.
That could have been prepared by DWP and sent over. I mean, when a file is referred to ATOS by DWP, exactly what paperwork is sent over?
My instinct is to complain because there is no way my explanations were noted, and just asking how far you think youcan walk (period) doesn't seem good enough to me.

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