Pip assessor

Hi

Hope I can get some advice please. My son (18) has ME and few other conditions, applied for PIP last January, he finally had a home assessment yesterday (ATOS)
The experience was awful, the assessor was rude, insensitive and to be honest everything about her attitude stunk. I was there as his companion, he suffers dreadfully from cognitive effects, this was explained by myself at beginning to be rebuked by her.
The effort for him to listen, understand and reply to best if his ability, will probably cause enormous payback.
Her questioning was very misleading....he's essentially housebound, goes in a wheelchair if does go out. She asked many tricky and misleading questions, so I can only imagine her report.
Just example of her atrocious behaviour......he was trying to tell her what and when he ate...her reply " no wonder you have no energy and feel ill, I'd feel like you if I only ate that"!! This dismissed his illness, showed total lack of knowledge of his condition...the reason his appetite is poor is because he's so nauseous.
Another very emotive question
" if it was a matter of life and death and your mum would die if you didn't go to shop and get her something to save her...how long would it take you?"
The shop is about 5 min walk....he replied probably take him over 45 mins but in all honestly he couldn't do it...she laughed and said "oh you could I'm sure, you could just stop and hang into something before you start again"
I just know she will report that the claimant says they could walk a distance of 5 mins in 45 mins.

I'm outraged, we were expecting the worse, but this was beyond dreadful.

Should I complain about her? Nit just for us, but for other folk that have misfortune to have her. She's entering people's homes, whose lives have been ripped apart by illness and behaves like this!!!!

Thanks in advance

Sarah wrote: Hi

Hope I can get some advice please. My son (18) has ME and few other conditions, applied for PIP last January, he finally had a home assessment yesterday (ATOS)
The experience was awful, the assessor was rude, insensitive and to be honest everything about her attitude stunk. I was there as his companion, he suffers dreadfully from cognitive effects, this was explained by myself at beginning to be rebuked by her.
The effort for him to listen, understand and reply to best if his ability, will probably cause enormous payback.
Her questioning was very misleading....he's essentially housebound, goes in a wheelchair if does go out. She asked many tricky and misleading questions, so I can only imagine her report.
Just example of her atrocious behaviour......he was trying to tell her what and when he ate...her reply " no wonder you have no energy and feel ill, I'd feel like you if I only ate that"!! This dismissed his illness, showed total lack of knowledge of his condition...the reason his appetite is poor is because he's so nauseous.
Another very emotive question
" if it was a matter of life and death and your mum would die if you didn't go to shop and get her something to save her...how long would it take you?"
The shop is about 5 min walk....he replied probably take him over 45 mins but in all honestly he couldn't do it...she laughed and said "oh you could I'm sure, you could just stop and hang into something before you start again"
I just know she will report that the claimant says they could walk a distance of 5 mins in 45 mins.

I'm outraged, we were expecting the worse, but this was beyond dreadful.

Should I complain about her? Nit just for us, but for other folk that have misfortune to have her. She's entering people's homes, whose lives have been ripped apart by illness and behaves like this!!!!

Thanks in advance

Hi S,

Welcome to Benefits and Work

This ATOS PIP Assessor does sound truly awful.

However, can you prove what they said ?

Was the assessment audio recorded ?

Did you record it covertly ?

If not they may well refute any accusations that you make as unfounded.

You could make an official complaint to ATOS now :

E-Mail : This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Citing PIP Assessment, date and time for your son, name DOB and NI number.

Or you could request a copy of The PIP Assessors Medical Report now by ringing The PIP Helpline, read through that and then decide what to do.

If the actual decision made by The DWP PIP Decision Maker (DM) (Case Manager) turns out to be adverse, you could challenge that as a separate issue by requesting a Mandatory Reconsideration. (MR)

You could cite any discrepancies with The ATOS Assessor's Medical Report within the MR, but any complaint regarding their quality and standards when carrying out the assessment should be made to ATOS.

Please keep us updated, and if when you receive the decision from The DWP it is adverse, we will advise further on how to challenge it.

bro58

Thank you Bro58

Funnily enough we had thought of recording on our mobiles but thought better of it. I later read that you are entitled to record the interview, but you have to inform assessor and only use proper recording equipment.

My husband, who was ousted out the lounge as she said only 1 of us could be present, was sneakily listening in from kitchen, out of sight.

He too was disgusted in her behaviour, after she'd left I said to him she obviously refused a drink ( hubby ALWAYS offers them to all and sundry). He said her attitude was appalling the minute he welcomed her in, so didn't offer her one!! He is a CPN and has sat in on many assessments with his clients - he was taken aback by her behaviour.

Just upset and so very angry that she was trying to dupe my poor son...I can't just sit back and let this sort of thing happen to others!!

Will request the report, thank you. Though do think me and hubby will compile some sort if complaint for what it's worth.

Thanks again

Sarah

Sarah, I'm sorry that your son was subjected to such appalling behaviour

On the subject of recording assessments - if the claimant wishes to openly record the interview they must first request permission and use equipment that can be verified. On the other hand, there is nothing to stop the claimant covertly (secretly) recording for their own records - but the assessor will stop the interview if they find out.