esa reassessment

hi i have a reassessment due i have letters from my consultant the most recent dated sep 7 2015.As i have had lots of test since being in hospital last may.the letter confirms i am stage 4 copd.My next appointment with my consultant is the end of march.But my esa50 has to be back before the end of march.Do i need a more recent letter from the consultant or from my G.P? As i could use the information i have ,and then send further test results when i get them in march.Not sure what to do .

eve wrote: hi i have a reassessment due i have letters from my consultant the most recent dated sep 7 2015.As i have had lots of test since being in hospital last may.the letter confirms i am stage 4 copd.My next appointment with my consultant is the end of march.But my esa50 has to be back before the end of march.Do i need a more recent letter from the consultant or from my G.P? As i could use the information i have ,and then send further test results when i get them in march.Not sure what to do .

Hi e,

You may remember that I posted the information below to a member regarding PIP which you thanked me for : Here , but you could use the same type of evidence for ESA to show that you could not "Mobilise" 50 metres.

"Regarding COPD, it is a Chronic Progressive condition i.e. "Chronic" Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

It is a : "Chronic" condition/disease, and the term chronic is usually applied when the course of the disease lasts for more than three months.

COPD sufferers also generally suffer from : "Acute" flare ups and: Exacerbations such as respiratory infections.

Besides obtaining a letter from your G.P. or Consultant other good evidence that may help would be copies of print outs from any : Spirometry Tests that you have had, your grading on : The MRC Dyspnoea (Breathlessness) Scale, 5 being the most severe, the "Stage" of COPD that you are at (Stage 1 Mild, 2 Moderate, 3 Severe or 4 Very Severe), and your : Peak Flow Reading (PEFR) and : FEV 1. "

You can use older evidence, but a current letter from one's G.P./Consultant/COPD Nurse confirming that your condition remains the same or has deteriorated further, should help !

Have a read through this topic where I have made two posts : Here and Here that should be helpful, and Here where I advised on returning your ESA50 with additional evidence.

You should Bookmark/Favourite this page in your Internet Browser now. That way you can return to this topic easily to pose any further queries that you may have by replying to the topic.

See : This Topic also !

Thanks in anticipation of your future co-operation in keeping all your ESA related queries to this topic !

bro58

eve wrote: I suffer from copd stage 4,i have got my esa reassessment due.On the esa50 form regarding moving around it states 50 metres 100 metres 200 metres.I find this difficult to answer as i get very breathless even after a few metres at my worse time of day and at best is not much better about 10 or 15 metres .I walk slow compared to other people my age and can some times do a bit better like this but it is no where near 50 metres.Should i answer N/A .An use the box to explain? regards eve

Hi e,

See my response above and the information from the links to other posts therein !

If you feel that none of the tick box options are a true reflection of the imitations that you suffer in trying to carry out an Activity, you do not have to tick any of them.

So "Yes" you could write in the text box that none of the available tick box options are applicable, then go on to give details of the limitations that you suffer personally.

bro58

hi thanks ,even though i can walk 50 m i get very breathless around 15 metres at best time of day.At my worse time (mornings) i can only manage a few metres.I t takes a long time getting about ,and all ways less then half then the 50 m stated.I went to my clinic to get a spirometry test but machine did not work.So i will explain on the esa50 form i will send them ,when the hospital do them in march.I have a letter from my consultant with my MRC score calculated at four.My G.P thinks the letter from the hospital ,even though dated in september 2015 and the results of any test next month should be enough information to do an assessment.I hope his right as i would have been more at ease ,if i could have sent a more recent letter and a recent result of spirometry test with this esa50 form.