Audio recording PIP assessment

UPDATE

so today has been a nightmare!!

UPDATE

today has been a nightmare!

the Hp was due to come to my home between 10.30 & 12.30 - so Im sat waiting and at 11.48am I got a phone call returning my call from 16th, I obviously took the persons name and details, he said he was calling as my phone call has been escalated to him, he asked what was my understanding of what is happening - I said I was waiting for the HP to arrive as I hadnt been told otherwise - he asked what I had been told so I explained about being told I had to give 7 days notice if I want to record, but I can find nowhere in any literature referring to this, he said he doesnt know why I was told that! I asked if the HP was still coming, he said he 'thinks' its all ok and they fine with being recorded but he was just going to make a phone call and if he didnt ring me back in the next half hour then it was all ok to go ahead ....
1 hour later and Im still waiting, so by now its 1pm (appointment time was 10.30 - 12.30) so I rang theem and asked to speak to the manager that rang me before, I was put on hold for a while then they came back and said it has now been passed to the CRT (customer relations team) and I should expect a call from the shortly, I asked if the HP was actually coming or not but he was very evasive about giving a definate asnwer, I said I wanted it confirmed that the appointment today wasnt put down as a 'failure to attend' as I have sat in waiting for the HP to arrive since 10.30 (by now nearly 3 hrs), he said he would make a note and CRT would ring me shortly .... I am still waiting!!

I do understand that I have no legal right to require that the assessment is recorded and the DWP will not accept the recording being refused as Good Cause for your refusing to participate in the assessment but I was not told that the HP was not attending for that reason
This whole thing is stressful enough and they really have caused me so much stress today!

do you have any advice how to deal with this situation please?

its ATOS
I will be putting in a full complaint to them once this is sorted.

I hadnt heard anything by 4.30 so I called them and was assured I was on the system for a new home visit but no date had been made yet, they said they would find out and ring me back and they did, very apologetic but they cant get a date until monday when they can find a HP willing to be recorded, so they will now ring me monday!! its all turning into a bit of a nightmare, wish it was all over!!

thank you for the advice about the 7 days notice, can you tell me please where that guideline/rule is stated?

many thanks

Lynn wrote: its ATOS
I will be putting in a full complaint to them once this is sorted.

I hadnt heard anything by 4.30 so I called them and was assured I was on the system for a new home visit but no date had been made yet, they said they would find out and ring me back and they did, very apologetic but they cant get a date until monday when they can find a HP willing to be recorded, so they will now ring me monday!! its all turning into a bit of a nightmare, wish it was all over!!

thank you for the advice about the 7 days notice, can you tell me please where that guideline/rule is stated?

many thanks

Hi L,

Here are The PIP Regs that stipulate that you must receive at least 7 days written notice to take part in a face to face :

PIP Reg 9. (3) (a) & (b)

The above is Legislation which must be adhered to as opposed to Guidelines/Guidance which does not !!

bro58

I just typed a MASSIVE reply as I recorded my PIP F2F and then deleted it by mistake!!

OK, in short:

1) Send a Recorded Letter stating you will tape the interview *today*. Email them and call them, a few times if necessary. Drum it home that you will be recording it. Over the phone get names and write them down. Nag them and assume anyone you talk to will be incompetent/ poorly trained. It will serve you well. Seriously, you cannot nag these people enough.

2) If you have a smartphone record calls made to/ from them. Tell them straight off the call is being recorded, ask their name and say aloud the date and time. That is just smoke and mirrors though. It just makes it sound more formal. Tell them you're recording even if your not!! You will get far more concise replies.... ie it dissuades them from lying.

3) Test the recording equipment before the F2F!! Tape decks are mechanical and by nature potentially unreliable.

4) Be aware that you recording the F2F (particularly if you set the deck up, press record etc) can go against you. It can be interpreted that you have good dexterity and cognitive abilities. Even so, record it!

5) Dont assume that the HP will pass the tapes onto ATOS as they are meant to. My tapes were effectively lost for over 2 weeks until the HP confessed he still had them but didnt know the procedure to send them off. The procedure is on ATOS own website! The reply to my initial complaint was that it was the first time this "highly trained Disability Analyst" had had to work out how to use Royal Mail Recorded... Basically I was told it took him nearly 3 weeks to find out who he should send it to. If he couldn't handle that stressful task I wonder how competent he is to assess people.

6) Think before you reply to ANY question. "Do you say hello to a neighbour when you see them?" By saying yes it can be interpreted that your out and about every day partying and having a wonderful time. You think Im being paranoid? I assure you Im not. Nothing you are asked will be "innocent". Everything from the second the HP sees you will be noted down. Dont let smiles and an empathetic exterior fool you.

7) Dont do what so many ill people do. I mean try to minimise your difficulties, "I dont like to complain" etc etc. Give it to him/ her right in the face as it were.. You tell them about your deepest, darkest days. Play nothing down. Be truthful but adamant. Dont be guided or bullied in your replies. Its their job and training (lol) to listen to you.

8) Look at my topic here as it details my experience right from the first PIP letter, recording criteria, complaints made, pit falls, gathering information from DWP if you are declined PIP and a whole bunch of stuff if your so inclined to read it all.

I have OCD so I tend to be a stickler for detail but that can be handy sometimes when dealing with the likes of ATOS. Currently waiting for a reply to my 4 A4 paged complaint detailing how they (ATOS)and the HP went against numerous DWP and their own(!) guidelines for a PIP F2F assessment. Sent to them recorded delivery and by email. As I said, you can never tell them enough times. Big companies/ agencies are all the same. They love stating rules you must comply with but are incompetent at following their own rules and guidelines. They can be their own worst enemy.

I havent even got the letter yet saying if my PIP was rejected or not, but having read what the HP typed on his PA4 form... I suspect the worst. So I straight away started to gather information and get detailed complaints off to them. If they need to be told how to follow their own procedures Im quite happy to tell them. Via Recorded mail.

Unfortunately OCD leads to long threads to read.... sorry.

Good luck!!