Atos medical despite serious mental/physical ill

Thanks bro58. Definitely good.

Hi Cat
Is there an assessment centre nearer you that is easier to get to?

You can ring and request an appointment here if relevant.

Thank you foss27. Yes, there are 2 centres in Middlesbrough listed. I'm not even confident I could cope with that, or a home visit. Health issues are really serious, and tbh I think they're just deliberately being unkind. I'll be calling STAMP advocacy in the morning and have realised I can ask them to speak to Atos, but need to know first how long a GP letter and MP response would take, before being able to rearrange an Atos appointment ... with the view to the letters removing the need for that. Thank you for advising.

Hi Cat

I think it may be detrimental to your claim to try to force a paper assessment as they may be more inclined to award you less or nothing as they can't see you and ask questions or for clarification.

It may be best to go for a home visit and see if STAMP can provide someone to be there when the visit takes place. It seems from their website that they would provide such a facility.

Hi foss27, thank you, and that is really good advice. I was a bit concerned about exactly the point you've made, and will definitely need STAMP there with me, as I cannot cope otherwise. I'll make sure I ask them. Thanks again.

I contacted STAMP advocacy, and they called atos, who were unpleasant. The 8 dec appt was cancelled, and they said to the advocate that a nurse practitioner would look at my case and decide if a home visit could be done. I heard yesterday that they've refused and are sending an appt for medical at local centre when that becomes available. Shattered, and the advocate is very shocked too ... she immediately said she wonders what data they are looking at, if they're even reading what I've said. Anyone could see I'm not fit for a medical/going out/coping with any of this. Andrea, the advocate, has said that fighting them further on this may mean they dig their heels in, and she will travel with me in a taxi and assert on my behalf first regarding how distressing this all is for me. I will have to write down everything and hand it to them [again, after filling in pip form the same], as I am entirely unable to go into all the trauma, or cope with this. I'd explained the lengths I'd gone to for the last 2 years to get mental health help, and the abuse I suffered and subsequent complaints, ongoing. When the mental health system, pals, and the state, are all equally as cruel as each other, change is overdue.

Thank goodness for me being able to have advocacy; I'd be dead otherwise, and have nothing but utter contempt for the deliberate cruelty of the dwp. I did 10 years of genuine carework, and god knows how much else of overtime/caring, for very low wages, before health began to fail, and that doesn't count to the likes of them.