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Assessors & Their Expanse of Condition Knowledge

  • Sheila 966
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7 years 3 weeks ago #183530 by Sheila 966
Can anybody enlighten me with regard to either;

* the training Assessors have 'across the board' ie in both mental & physical conditions, or

* their experiences of Assessors knowledge of their conditions.

I appreciate that the Assessors have been trained to complete the computer generated assessment guide, and that they are going to come from a diverse 'medical based background' but are they trained to ask the questions in the correct way, taking into account a claimants condition?

For example my daughter has significant cognitive language problems - would the assessor be knowledgeable enough to keep questions, short/simple etc? If not, would it be appropriate for me to interject or would I be considered to be interfering?

We have the face to face assessment on Thursday and I don't want to appear intrusive but do need them to understand that my daughter needs help to understand some questions if not worded simply.

Thank you, in advance

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7 years 3 weeks ago #183569 by Gordon
Sheila

Without any context to the two quotes, not least what they are from, it's very difficult to offer any comment.

Assessors are not required to have knowledge of specific conditions, the DWP view is that they are looking the limitations that result from the claimants conditions rather than the conditions themselves.

If you are your daughters appointee then you can speak on her behalf.

If not and she has a lack of understanding of her conditions and how they effect her, or her cognitive problems mean that she would struggle to understand or respond to questions then you should be allowed to provide help to the assessor.

IN either case, speak to the assessor at the beginning of the assessment.

Gordon

Nothing on this board constitutes legal advice - always consult a professional about specific problems
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  • Sheila 966
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7 years 3 weeks ago #183624 by Sheila 966
Replied by Sheila 966 on topic Assessors & Their Expanse of Condition Knowledge
Sorry, I probably rushed my question, but do feel you have answered it.

The point I was trying to ascertain was do the assessors have knowledge of a claimant's condition, are they 'matched' to a claimant in area of expertise? You have answered this above, as a no and this brought up an observation;

Obviously we only have our own skills base to draw on at any time and the more I read about this PIP application process, the more I see it as being morally wrong:

I am a SHEQ Auditor, (Safety, Health, Environment & Quality)

I was bought up and trained in the Construction Industry and can confidently walk into an office or on a building site and audit the people on site, procedures etc

If I am assessing how someone is carrying out a task - I have the skills base to ask pertinent questions and appreciate any limitations even if the person I am interviewing has not.

I would not feel qualified, morally, to assess someone outside of the construction industry, despite having the SHEQ qualifications to do so.

Basically the point I am making is that, there are a lot of people out there undergoing generic assessments held by people who have no real idea of the limitations the claimants condition might have on them.

Many of us fall into the trap of forgetting those limitations, as we have been used to taking them for granted for so long - and especially if we are feeling pressurised to reply.
An assessor with a condition pertinent medical would know which questions to ask, would get a better picture of the claimant and their needs - thereby putting the claimant at ease, getting a more complete view and maybe negating the need for so many appeals?

I appreciate that many claimants can have more than one condition, but do feel that there is a need for a fairer assessment system.

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  • Sheila 966
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7 years 2 weeks ago #184170 by Sheila 966
Replied by Sheila 966 on topic Assessors & Their Expanse of Condition Knowledge
Well, what can I say, we struck lucky - Our Assessor was a nurse who had an excellent occupational health background and had a Son with Dyspraxia - She couldn't have been more considerate of my daughters needs.

She concentrated, in the main, on my daughters formative years from birth - as she quite rightly pointed out - It would be useful as it shows the DWP that she was born with, and was treated for these conditions as soon as they became apparent. My mistake was not mentioning all the hospital visits and therapies that she had had between the ages of 4 and 16 years. (I filled the form in as present day) I should have included this background in Question 14/Additional Information. All I had done was included a few records of appointments during that time.

I was happy to be able to talk to someone who knew the problems we faced on a daily basis. I know that this does not ensure that my daughter will continue to receive her DLA/PIP. But having an assessor with a good knowledge of the condition/s made the whole experience one whole lot less stressful for both of us.

So, I can only say that the outcome, good or bad for my daughter, will have been dependent on a very qualified assessor and the evidence we have supplied with invaluable help from this site.
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