PIP Query... After assessment

Thank you Dixi what a useful site that is - not just for my issues. I'm hoping someone may be able to advise on their experience of this centre.
Many thanks again

We have got to visit Winton house next week which is where the stoke on trent office is. There is hardly any parking at all and there are extremely heavy doors also apparently. The walk from the door to the office is also over the allowance on a pip form also so take that into mind if you are able to walk at all. There is a local group called STAND that has done a assessment on the CAPITA building at winton house and it basicly just came up terrible for being wheelchair friendly but i understand that these have recently been taken into consideration and they have made it accessible. Ours is next thursday and we are dreading it but we have requested a home visit so with a bit of luck we will get that and wont have to go but i dont hold out any hope.

Hi mrsoptic,
Mine too is at Winton house, I'm a wheelchair user and my husband is taking me so hopefully we will manage to get in - the parking situation is still dire I believe.
I'm dreading mine too and haven't slept properly since - my sleep pattern is bad enough as is!
I just pray that we get a decent assessor - I will be sure to let you know how it goes. All the very best xxxx

Assessment done and dusted - I was extremely grateful to have my husband and my sister also accompanied us and she took notes throughout. The Assessor was lovely, and seemed to have a genuine empathy for the state I was in. She asked every question under the sun, I was almost frustrated because it felt like she hadn't read the report at all. But I tried to answer, and my hubby spoke quite a lot too. At the end she said we could get a copy of the report afterwards, she kept a letter of support that my employer had written and said she will send it to the DWP. Back to a waiting game now I guess.
Good luck for Thursday - if you don't get your home visit the corridor is extremely long, parking was on street as we used my blue badge and typically there are cameras everywhere. I didn't know till we came out and my husband said there was a camera right above my head in the waiting room!!!
All the best xx

I hope your assessment gives you the result you want. We are dreading it to be honest. Haven't slept at all really the last week or so and my husband is in a right state about things. He's bi polar nothing wrong physically but he doesn't go out and they haven't accepted the referral for a home visit so we have no choice but to go. My dads taking us and dropping us off as we can't be sure parking is availble and my arthritis is flaring due to the stress of this so I don't fancy dealing with roads and my husband panicking also about being out. You will have to keep us updated with how your assessment turns out X

Hi all,

Just spoke to Pip helpline to find out when we might hear/current waiting times etc… and they advised that my report is with DWP (in the mailroom it seems) waiting for allocation to a Case manager. When I had my assessment the assessor advised us that due to my poor health and the pain I am in that she would recommend that they don’t see me again, she also asked what my current award of DLA is and she also said they would keep it the same. The chap I’ve just spoke to says this has no bearing on my case and that it basically doesn’t mean anything – I did think at the time that its not really her decision and haven’t allowed myself to get too hopeful as it could all change! I was frustrated that the assessor she said was only allowed 10 mins to read all my file – we spent so long ensuring there was sufficient info – not to mention having the deadline extended twice because my conditions were flaring constantly throughout. It’s such a stressful time for everyone L
Do you think I am right not take what the assessor said too seriously? I’ve read so many awful posts about having a ‘nice’ assessor and then the report turned out to be the complete opposite – I have experienced this first hand from a DWP Dr who did a home visit back in 2007 and the report was a complete lie when I requested a copy L

Huge thanks to all for the amazing advice and support so far…


Maudy


_________________________________________________________________