JUST HAD MY PIP MEDICAL ASSESSMENT

Hi Everyone just thought i would share my medical assessment with you all.

I know lot of people have horror stories but mine was a good one.

i attended Capita at Walsall yesterday. There is no parking on site, there is a parking if you can get a space about 30 seconds driving away or a carpark about a minute driving away.

The entrance to the building has 2 steps and a ramp, the buzzer is low down but I presume this is for wheelchair height,It wasn't a problem as i had someone with me who buzzed it. There is a camera outside. The door is automatic so no problems there either.

Once inside I sat down and and the lady behind the desk came over which was nice. I did not feel at any time that I was being watched and it was a hive of activity anyway.

The lady came over to greet us and we followed her to the room, no heavy doors, no watching how I walked, no asking me if I wanted to take my coat off.

The assessment started and the lady who was a psychiatric nurse asked me questions, she said I had put ALOT of information in, ( which is because of researching on this site) and said she would condense it, although there was enough proof there already. I did not feel that she was watching my every move, the strip lighting was causing me a few problems so she turned the light off. I answered some of the questions my husband answered some as I could not remember all of them. It is basically everything that is in the booklet and she just asked why I couldn't do them. She gave me some really good advice and said she wasn't supposed too but foremost she is a nurse and worried about me.

Nothing was hard, as i said she asked everything the questions asked. At the end she said I am not going to give you the physical exam, not to worry about it, it was her decision and she could see i was in pain and did not want to inflict any more.

I waited in the waiting room while my husband fetched the car, I was told he was here and even helped down the steps till my husband got to me

Like i said she was lovely, I don't know what will happen. I have ready loads but you can never tell.

I will of course keep you updated.

I am entitled to The Daily Living at the rate of £55.10 a wk until September 2018
I am not entitled to either rate of Mobility. (not really happy with the decision, i know i am probably lucky to have got this far but believe i should be entitled to more, i don't want to sound ungrateful, it is disgusting the hoops we have to jump through to claim a bit of money, i did not ask to be ill, I had a good career and loved my jobs, it makes me feel like i am a scutter begging for money

Decision Maker's Reasoning
I made my decision using information about your illnesses and disabilities including details of any treatment, medication, test results and symptoms.She told me what i had sent in was ALOT, i said i had a few more things to add but she said she did not need any more its more than enough proof for your claim
I consider this information is the most suitable available and enough to decide how much help you need.
You said you have difficulties with preparing food, washing and bathing,toilet needs or incontinence and dressing and undressing. I agree you have difficulties.
You said you have difficulties with taking nutrition. At your consultation you were observed to have no difficulty picking up your scarf, handling it and putting it on.What the bloody hell does this mean, because i can throw a scarf round my neck suddenly now i can propare a 16 course meal i suppose??? This demonstrates adequate dexterity. I have decided you can manage this activity unaided.
You said you have difficulty with a therapy or monitoring a health condition, communicating verbally, reading and understanding signs, symbols and words, engaging other people face to face and making budgeting decisions.
At your consultation you had no cognitive impairment, you conversed and engaged with the assessor. Your memory was normal(no it was not, also i have heard of people being asked questions for a memory test- i didn't and you had a good insight(thats because i have short term memory problems, although i could not remember all the tablets i am on but she had the list as she read it out and i answered yes. I have decided you can either manage medication or therapy or monitor your health condition unaided,(no i can't) or you do not need to, express and understand verbal information unaided, read and understand basic and complex information no i can't understand complex and i thave alot of trouble if there is any noise whilst being told, i could go on and on)either unaided or using glasses or contact lenses, engage with other people unaided(no i cant as i would not leave the house on my own, i keep cancelling my appointments for wellbeing and talking with other people who are experincing the same as me, i dont go and see my own family, so i definetly am not going to talk to strangers or budgeting decisions unaided.(see below

You said you have difficulties with planning and following journeys. At your consultation you had no cognitive or memory impairment and no sign of anxiety( so crying your eyes out at the meeting and asking me if i had thought of suicide has nothing to do with anxiety???. I have decided you can plan and follow the route of a journey unaided.
You said you have difficulties with moving around. At your consultation you were observed to walk at normal pace and gait with the support of your husband. see moving around below. I have decided you can stand and then ove more than 200 meters aagain see below only go out once a week otherwise its just pottering arond the house.. This is consistent with your medical history, your description of a typical day,(which is pottering round the house or in bed informal observations at your consultation(only saw me walk about 5 feet), how you engaged with the assessor(i cried all the way through, forgot words for things, could not remember things so hubby had to step in,asked me if i had thought of suicide, said yes asked my hubby if he knew as she had a duty of care to me and would have to inform my doctor, the available evidence, the information you provided about how your disability affects you and the findings of your mental state(again cried all the way through asked if i was seening a CPN said yes and i am diagnosed with depression and anxiety and musculoskeletal examinations.(SHE DID NOT EXAMINE ME, she said she could see how much [pain i was in and her first priority is the patient and did not want to put me through it I have limited you award as your needs may change.

PREPARING FOOD
you need an aid or appliance =2 points
basically i dont, get blisters and arthritis and are being investigated or carpal tunnel.i drop pans because i cant hold the weight with the water in them, i forget i have put food on and have not actually lit the gas and have not realised so i am banned from the kitchen
TAKING NUTRITION
you can eat and drink unaided =0 points
no problems here
MANAGING THERAPY OR MONITORING A HEALTH CONDITION
you can either manage medication/ therapy or monitor your health condition unaided or don't need to = 0 points
my husband has to order it, collect it, put it in a dosette box, my daughter has set an alarm as i am on morphine and i have to take it every 12 hours, physically put it in my hand and watch me take it, as i forget or get distracted. Monitors if i am taking any extra tablets for the pain so he can tell the doctor when we go.
WASHING AND BATHING
you need an aid or appliance to wash or bathe. = 2 points
when i decide to have a bath which is not as often as i should i stay in there for hours with a neck pillow, its such a rigmorole to dress and undress i make the most of it as when i am in its lovely, my husband has to help me in and out, stays with me in the bathroom as he worries, has to wash my hair and bottom half.
MANAGING TOILET NEEDS OR INCONTINENCE
you need an aid or appliance = 2points
no problem with this
DRESSING AND UNDRESSING
you need an aid or appliance = 2 points
I can not dress my bottom half at all and i need help with my top half when my shoulder hurts, stay in same clothes for days, where loose fitting clothing like tracksuit bottoms, dont care what i look like as i am in too much pain.
COMMUNICATING VERBALLY
you can express and understand verbal information unaided =0 points
again a trick question because you have to go to the meeting. i choose not to do this activity for loss of self confidence and isolation. i wont answer the phone and have anxiety when anybody else does.
READING AND UNDERSTANDING SIGNS, SYMBOLS AND WORDS
you can read and understand basic and complex written information either aided or unaided using glasses = 0 points
no problems here
I told her i used to be an avid reader but can longer do it as i have to keep rereading it to take it in which is to much hard work so i have given up
ENGAGING WITH OTHER PEOPLE FACE TO FACE
you can engage with other people unaided = 0points
to me this is a trick question, i did not want to go, i made me bad leading up to it, you have to tell them what is wrong with you, my husband also talked to her. Again i don't go out and socialise, i told her i had no friends and that i am isolated due to my condition and that it has had a knock on affect with my confidence.
MAKING BUDGETING DECISIONS
you can manage etc unaided = 0points
told her that my husband and daughter are now doing this as i have been medically retired so have little income it has put a strain on our finances and that they are working with a debt charity

8 POINTS FOR DAILY LIVING

PLANNING AND FOLLOWING JOURNEYS
you can unaided = 0 points
i don't remember her asking me this question as such but i did tell her there was no way i would ever leave the house alone, for confidence reasons, for safety reasons as i am on so many drugs most the time i am high.
MOVING AROUND
you can stand and then one more than 200 meters either aided or unaided = 0 points
My husband dropped me off at the side of the building which was about 15 foot until i sat down inside.
I was not observed going in as she walked in front of us, sat down and then started working on her computer.
I told her my typical day was just pottering from one room to another. I told her about 3 days were spent in bed recovering from taking my mom to a supermarket and that I only leave the house once a week.
My daughter drops us off outside the doors and i walk about 20 feet and wait inside the cafe whilst they go shopping and my daughter phones to say they are at the till, i told her i have to put a front on for my mom as she would not want to put me out or cause me pain and would take her shopping trolley to do her shopping if she though otherwise and then I spend about 3 days recovering from it.
I moved around alot in my seat as it was uncomfortable, and also stood up at one point.
Upon leaving the lady stayed sat at her computer, so if she did watch me walk it was only about 5 feet to the door with my husband holding me, I then sat in the waiting room whilst my husband fetched the car. The security guard told me he had pulled up and the generously help me another 15 feet back to the car.

i know i have written a lot so image how much went into my PIP form It took me nearly 6 months of researching and help form my daughter as i could only do it while i was conscious or awake.

I am going to ask for a mandatory reconsideration, do you think i have a case?
I can't phone up as this is one of my problems so will have to write to them.
I am not seeing my doctor until the 3rd of feb as i thought i would get her to write something for me.
Which points should i put down on the form?
I think i then have to ask for pa4 form( this is what the assessors have written in full i believe as the bit on the form is just a condensed version is that right?
So i have a month to ask for reconsideration and then if i am turned down i have another month in which to appeal is that right?

Again many thanks to all the helpers out there, i could not have got this far without your help

Hi

I think you should definitely appeal.
She says she saw you walk a few feet so decided you could walk more than 200 metres.
Thats NOT how it works!!!!
Its supposed to be based on evidence as well which did not show you can walk more than a few feet.
I bet you're not as happy now as you were at the assessment. These People are trained to suck you in and I think you were a bit.

Yes I totally agree I was.

Thanks for replying

Hi
You need to get the assessors report and see what she wrote. The info above is from the decision maker who isn't the same person.
You have 28 days to ask for the MR. You can make submissions to the MR so go through the assessors report and see what she put and challenge anything that is untrue. She may have made up things, we get a lot of people on here saying the assessor makes things up or doesn't note what they say.
The MR usually just rubberstamps the initial decision so if this happens you have another 28 days to appeal and get to go before a proper independent panel.

Thank you for replying

Just wandered can i get the assessors report before i file for mr. that way i will have a bit more time to get things sorted and not ask for mr for about 2 weeks, if you know what i mean then i will have 6 weeks before making sure it gets in as i am not going to the dr's till the 4 th feb.