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No Home Visit for PIP Medical

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7 years 2 weeks ago #182995 by hoops78
Replied by hoops78 on topic No Home Visit for PIP Medical
Yes, I specifically emailed Atos customer services as soon as I received the letter to inform them I would be unable to attend the medical booked for the following week due to ill health. I received an email telling me it had been passed on to c.relations.
I heard nothing further so I chased up again the following week , a day before the assessment I think as well as asking if my claim or DLA would be affected by being unable to attend? My son also posted two letters with my email and GP print out recorded delivery which was received by both Atos customer services and the medical centre where assessment wa due.

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7 years 2 weeks ago #183020 by Gordon
Replied by Gordon on topic No Home Visit for PIP Medical

Hoopsh wrote: Yes, I specifically emailed Atos customer services as soon as I received the letter to inform them I would be unable to attend the medical booked for the following week due to ill health. I received an email telling me it had been passed on to c.relations.
I heard nothing further so I chased up again the following week , a day before the assessment I think as well as asking if my claim or DLA would be affected by being unable to attend? My son also posted two letters with my email and GP print out recorded delivery which was received by both Atos customer services and the medical centre where assessment wa due.


I would certainly question the DWP about why a second appointment was not offered, all claimants should be entitled to two providing they notified the Assessment Provider that they would not be attending the first.

Gordon

Nothing on this board constitutes legal advice - always consult a professional about specific problems
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6 years 11 months ago #185054 by hoops78
Replied by hoops78 on topic No Home Visit for PIP Medical
I contacted my MP to explain how the whole process of this had affected me. I took your advice.
My brother contacted DWP on 20 February after Atos sent a letter saying my claim had been returned. The guy my brother spoke to was really nice and helpful. He said I shouldn't worry and my DLA claim would not be stopped. He said my claim would be sent back to Atos.
So while I've been waiting all this time, I received an email from my MP with a response from Atos stating that my complaint I made on 8 February was at stage 2. I complained to Atos that despite requesting a home visit on my claim and sending appropriate evidence with diagnosis of my pain, agoraphobia and other conditions as well as medications side effects, the assessor disregarded and ignored. If this assessor was qualified and experienced in the fields affecting my conditions then she would have granted me a home visit. I also provided the gps consultation report.

Anyway if this wasn't bad enough, I received a letter from the CSA about my son's child maintenance to say it would be ending on 4 April. Couldn't believe it and thought it was a mistake only to find out, I had to reclaim through the governments new Child Maintenance Service.

Both this and PIP has caused me so much ill health and sudden breakdown, along with everything else and my home causing me sickness. I missed my hospital appointment at the eye specialist which I had been waiting for months and my GP appointment due to being too unwell.

I was surprised when I received two letters on Saturday. One from Atos and the other from DWP.

Letter from DWP dated 16 March states that DLA would be ending 4 April, same as CSA. I did not qualify for PIP as I did not attend the medical and they don't think I gave a good reason for this! How can they say that when I emailed Atos on 8,15,20 February.

I am devastated to say the l sat. My son is away on a school trip so luckily he cannot see me and the state I'm in. I have not slept in two days, I can't keep food down. Since returning home yesterday I haven't stopped vomiting.

What am I going to do? It's a shock and disbelief as when my brother spoke to DWP he said I shouldn't worry and my DLA wouldn't end,with my claim being returned to atos.

Atos letter dated 17 March states that a taxi would be approved. I don't remember anything like that and even if I was I was still unable to go as I was bleeding heavy and unable to sit up, let alone sit down. She says she understands that I emailed to query my appointment but couldn't see any record that I called to discuss a home complaint nsultation. I have no clue where this came from as all my contact was via email with clearly enough details explaining I needed a medical to be carried out at home. I also requested a female to assess me for personal reasons. there was no call ever mentioned before so where she made this up I don't know, knowing I emailed them 3 times in which I received a reply on 9 and 14 feb.
She says upon initial view I did not meet the criteria for a home visit and that I could attend the assessment centre. My complaint investigation was concluded after my scheduled appointment, appointment.

She says she's sorry my gp doesn't write letters and they write to gps on a regular basis to request information so why not do it with my claim? Even though my gp dated, signed and stamped his consultation with my on February 7 that I would need a home visit.
She says due to failure to attend on 15 Feb, my claim was returned for DWP consideration. She mentions what I said of what DWP told my brother to return my file and she confirms Atos have NOT received no new request to review me. And that now I would need to contact DWP again.

I'm lost for words and don't understand how this is happening. DWP assured my brother now Atos are saying this. I'm so tired, hungry and weak. I don't know how I'm going to get through this double blow.

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6 years 11 months ago #185075 by Gordon
Replied by Gordon on topic No Home Visit for PIP Medical
Hoopsh

If a Decision has been made then you have two options going forward;

Make a new claim for PIP or challenge the Decision to close this claim. Technically you can do both.

You haven't confirmed whether the missed appointment was the first appointment you had received, but on the assumption that it was and you notified ATOS in advance that you could not attend then they should have offered you a second appointment, although it is likely that this would still have been at their offices, but this does not matter at this time.

By contacting ATOS by email and not by phone it is possible that your cancellation email was received by a different department than that dealing with your appointment and that is why no second appointment was issued.

I would make this the basis of your MR. That this was the first appointment that you have been requested to attend, that you properly notified ATOS that you could not attend in advance of the date of the appointment and normal procedure in these circumstances should have been to offer a second appointment but that this did not happen.

Gordon

Nothing on this board constitutes legal advice - always consult a professional about specific problems
The following user(s) said Thank You: hoops78

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6 years 11 months ago #186856 by hoops78
Replied by hoops78 on topic No Home Visit for PIP Medical
I haven't managed to post a reply as I've been so unwell and bedridden.

I received an email from my MP's assistant who had been in touch with someone from pip that deals with parliament people. This man seemed very helpful saying he was not happy with DWP and requested my claim to be sent back to Atos for another assessment. He went on to say that my DLA would continue until I had the assessment. It was such a relief but all that suffering and stress could have been avoided if Atos had listened to me. Instead they are blaming DWP.

I received a letter confirming my home visit next week. I emailed Atos to ask if I could record the medical and asked for the name of the assessor. I was told the next day that I could record it if the assessor agreed and she asked med if I wanted to go ahead which I confirmed I did. But she did not give me the name of the assessor. Fast forward four days later, I was eventually given the name of the assessor who we looked up but wasn't registered on HCPC and GMC. I emailed again and asked if she could give me details of the assesors profession but she refused. I emailed the MP but not heard back.

We then checked NMC and found the assessor to be a registered learning disability nurse with no other qualifications. While I appreciate that all HP are trained by DWP, the nurse has no qualifications in my conditions. Even if a nurse has no qualifications, knowledge or health superinfection in complex and dual conditions, how can a nurse assess a disabled person with so many conditions they know nothing about? I would have been more at ease if they had some qualifications in mental health, arthritis, fibromyalgia, spinal injuries and gynaecology.

I have been reading more horrro stories of patients being treated like trash at assessments. Worst of all I have read that suicidal sufferers are being asked inappropriate questions which is harsh and really heartless. They drive people to the brink where you can't take no more suffering.

I'm so unwell, so sick and ill that I don't know how I'm going to get through this on Monday. I have yet to buy th recording equipment. I've seen on Argos they are £25 times 2 plus cassettes I have to buy. Hopefully I will be able to buy it online or get my brother to get them for me. I hate burdening my brother and son. It's bad enough they have to help and care for me. Is this the cheapest option as some of the reviews are not good about the recording quality. Is there a section that gives details on how to prepare for home visit? Thank you.

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6 years 11 months ago #186859 by Gordon
Replied by Gordon on topic No Home Visit for PIP Medical
Hoopsh

I'm afraid you can't make any assumptions about the capabilities of the assessor until you have seen their report, they will be interested in the limitations that you have in completing the PIP activities rather than your conditions specifically.

Gordon

Nothing on this board constitutes legal advice - always consult a professional about specific problems

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