Help! Phone call from ESA after medical

Hi,
Just writing in the hope that someone might be able to reassure me.

In 2012 I was put in the WRAG after a medical. It was reviewed a year later and I was then put in the support group without another medical (only had to fill in the ESA50). I have been in the support group for the past 3 years.
Recently I had to complete another ESA50 assessment form. This resulted in a medical (face to face as they are called now). That took place on 21st June.

Today, 1st July, while I was at a dentist appointment, my mother in law (who was babysitting my son who was off school ill) answered our house phone. She said it was someone calling about a "health assessment" asking when I would be back so they could speak to me. They didn't leave any more details but said they would call back.

Now, my anxiety is on overdrive and I'm feeling constantly sick waiting for the phone to ring. I' didn't have a phone call following the first medical I had in 2012, and the ESA guides from benefitsandwork.co.uk talk about phone calls from decision makers as being a bad sign.

Firstly I don't know that it is the decision maker calling but I can't understand why the heath assessment department (maximus) would actually need to call me after the medical.

Has anyone got any experience with phone calls following assessments and any advice? Also, I am not good at speaking on the phone to people and it shoots my anxiety sky high. I hardly ever even speak to friends on the phone. We have caller display and I only ever answer the phone to places or people I recognise and know. My husband will answer if a private number (as this was) rings and hopefully he can speak to them instead of me, or at least with me.

Thanks for reading.

Hi Natasha,

I received a phone call from a DWP decision maker telling me that a decision has been made to stop my ESA entitlement as I have been found fit for work, and advised me to claim JSA.

Strangely, he didn't ask me if I have any further evidence (there wouldn't have been any point if the decision has already been made) but claimed in the appeal submission that I did not have any further evidence to give.

If you can, it may be a good idea to record the phone call when he phones back.

Good luck,

Derek

Thank you Derek and Gordon for your kind replies.

That is what we feared and doesn't really make any sense. Given that I qualified for the support group 3 years ago and nothing has really changed it's hard to see how they could find me fit to work (even the Health Assessor didn't ask me to do any of the physical checks since she knew it would cause too much pain). There has been a change in my mental health diagnosis (neither for the better or for the worse) so they may now not deem me "ill enough" to be in the support group on mental health grounds, so I have been worrying that they may find me fit for work-related activity. They wouldn't be calling just to tell me they'd put me back in WRAG rather than support group or would they??

Anyway, since I have lost 3 nights sleep over this mystery phone call (answered by my mother in law) my husband rang the Health Assessment Customer Service number to ask if they had rung me regarding my assessment. She just told us that it was unlikely after a medical so told my husband to ring DWP. Which he did. Thankfully someone helpful answered the phone and allowed my husband to speak on my behalf - all they could tel him was that there was no record of a phone call, i.e. no notes on the system so he could only presume there wasn't a problem (they would leave notes if there was a problem). He also said there was no new decision entered yet so everything was still the same for the time being.

It's a worrying mystery and I really wish the call hadn't been answered so that an answer machine message could have been left. I cannot think who else would use he phrase "health assessment" but I am going to try and put it out of my mind (easier said than done) until we are telephoned again or the brown envelope arrives.

In the meantime, when I next see my new GP this week I am going to make sure they understand the impact of my health conditions in case I do need more evidence. It's so difficult when I have had to change GPs and consultants in the last two years so I have no-one looking after me who fully understands the impact of my illnesses. (((sigh))

Thanks again and I will update this thread if I get any news.

Natasha

hi normally dont post i just reading the posts but if it helps you in anyway i had my esa in 2013 with out a f2f was phoned up and told i was put in support group esa for 2 years hope it helps you to stop worrying i hope you get the same result as me

Thank you, bullwhip, that is encouraging. I do keep trying to have an open mind that there may be other explanations.