Health Assessment Appointment - Health Worsened

please can someone help.

My friend has a a face to face health assessment for ESA next week and she had a major mental health relapse about a month ago where her condition has deteriorated and hence her health assessment form is out of date and her answers are out of date and would be different if completed now. is there anything that can be done?

Many thanks

Hi 1540,

Your friend should either complete another ESA50 or write about the changes and how they affect her in relation to the ESA descriptors. She should take this document with her to the assessment and ask that it is read before the assessment starts.

Using The PDF Version Of The ESA50 Questionnaire

If she wants to take a 'belt and braces' approach she can also send a copy to the DWP Decision Maker at the address at the top of the most recent ESA communication from DWP.

Sending Documents to the DWP or ATOS

As usual, please will you keep all questions and comments relating to this lady's claim in this topic? You will find it easily in future if you bookmark/favourite it on your web browser now

Thank you for so much for your response, you say to send a copy to the Decision Maker at the address on top of a recent ESA letter, this address is a post handling site address? Is this the correct address and would you suggest that you address it to the Decision Maker at the Post Handling site?

Thank you for your reply and for this forum.

My friend had her f2f today, when arriving this morning, she was told the Doctor had phoned in sick so the appointment could not proceed, but because she was so distressed the Receptionist offered her an appointment either this afternoon or wait until the end of January. She took the offer of the appointment that afternoon.

She was supported by a Support Worker from a local mental health charity, she took with her a letter that had been typed up by a friend which described her up to date condition and also how that applied to each of the descriptors. The Assessor commented on the letter asking who the friend was and how they knew the regulations so well, didn't seem too happy with the letter as it was so well written and her circumstances applied to each of the descriptors.

My friend was in such a state trembling and sobbing mostly throughout the interview that the Assessor concluded the interview after 25 minutes saying I'm going to let you go, I assume because of the seen distress.

The strange thing that happened was that the Assessor a nurse said as she concluded the assessment, that she felt that my friend should be referred to a Psychiatrist by her GP, she said that my friend could self refer, she then asked my friend to sign a consent form which she said was to get further information from her GP, however, since then my friend has realised that the DWP already have consent in the ESA 50 Form to get information from her GP and already have a report from her GP albeit before my friend was able to visit her GP about her condition worsening . The consent form was signed and the support worker supported this. Any ideas, My friend had talked about a referral by a local Health in Mind service to Specialist Counselling?

The Assessor asked really distressing questions about self harm and suicidal thoughts, which my friend found extremely distressing, anyone would, has anyone heard of a mental health referral by an Assessor? when there was a Mental Health Support Worker present?

This does not make sense, any ideas, to put my friend's mind at ease.

Thank you.