× Members

Medical friday making me ill

More
7 years 5 months ago #172382 by tracie hargraves
Medical friday making me ill was created by tracie hargraves
Hi i am new on here and dont know what to do. I have a medical assessment on friday and i just can not go. All this is making me so poorly i can not begin to explain. I suffer from anxiety, adhd, chronic co morbid depression, fibromyalgia, arthritis and spinal stenosis.
The thought of having to be questioned and examined by a stranger who i know their sole purpose is to find anything that will disallow my claim makes me physically sick.
Since i opened the letter i have been shaking and crying and then getting angry and lashing out at everyone. I am a complete mess. I havent been like this in years. The only way i could possibly attend this assessment is if my doctor gave me a very strong sedative drug to make me numb. However if i was sedated i could not answer any questions at all. I wanted a home visit but dont know i have a good enough reason to be allowed one.
They will think because i manage to go to my gp and psychologist and therapist that i can go there. But they dont understand that i am fine going there because it is my choice and i know these people are trying to help me which is why i go and no one is forcing me. But with this it is a completely different scenario they are forcing me to see a stranger who is going to interogate me and test me and try and trip me up so that my benefit will be stopped.
I just cant go through with it and dont know what to do. Please help thank you.

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
7 years 5 months ago #172407 by Gordon
Replied by Gordon on topic Medical friday making me ill
TH

Welcome to the forum, you might want to have a look at the following FAQ which explain where everything is

Welcome to Benefits and Work

In case you are not aware, your real name appears to be showing in the forum, if you want to change this then follow the instructions in the following FAQ

My full name is showing, how can I stop it?


I'm sorry to hear that you are finding this process so stressful.

First, at the risk of adding to your anxiety it is important that you understand that your claim cannot progress unless the Assessment Provider is able to make a recommendation on an award to the DWP.

Not attending is likely to result in your claim being closed.

Would a home assessment be more achievable for you? If it would then you need to ask your GP to write to the AP to explain why you cannot attend at their office.

You can try an push for a paper assessment, where no face to face is required, but the AP may not be able to do this without further information that you may not be able to source.

You should definitely get in touch with your MP, they can be of real assistance in situations like this.

Contacting your MP

Whatever you decide to do, you should talk to your GP about how this process is making you feel.

Gordon

Nothing on this board constitutes legal advice - always consult a professional about specific problems
The following user(s) said Thank You: tracie hargraves

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
7 years 5 months ago #172625 by tracie hargraves
Replied by tracie hargraves on topic Medical friday making me ill
Thank you Gordon that has really helped me a lot. I am seeing my gp tomorrow and hopefully she can help. I did warn her this was going to happen but she told me not to worry as they would write to her first and she would send them a letter and i would not have to attend the assessment. I believed what she said but now ut seems she really doesnt have a clue what she is talking about. Now the worst has happened and the assessment is friday and the only appointment i could get with my her was tommorrow which is the day before. So i dont know what my gp could do so near to the time. I am also unaware of what powers my gp actually has with persuading these people i need a home visit or paper interview. Can you advise what i should expect from my gp and if she can do anything at such short notice. My appointment with her us at 9am in the morning. Thank you

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
7 years 5 months ago #172646 by Gordon
Replied by Gordon on topic Medical friday making me ill
TH

The most important thing to make clear to your GP, if they still have any doubt about the matter, the AP is not now going to contact them, secondly, there is a very narrow window for them to help you out with regard this assessment.

Your GP needs to pen a letter explaining why it is impossible for you to attend at their offices and it needs to be faxed to the AP tomorrow.

You do have a fall back position although I would not mention this to your GP, providing this is the first appointment you have been given then you can cancel Friday's appointment and make a new one for a later date, most likely in the next two weeks.

Gordon

Nothing on this board constitutes legal advice - always consult a professional about specific problems
The following user(s) said Thank You: madmaria

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
7 years 5 months ago #172672 by TheHud
Replied by TheHud on topic Medical friday making me ill
We had this with our son. His GP was insistent that they would write and ask if he put it in his application.

The biggest part of the joke is that my sons request was written on his notes and the notes went with the application. Of course no home assessment was provided.
We then contacted the GP and he did a letter very fast which we collected and then sent recorded delivery to Atos. We had called Atos and informed them about the letter. The new appointment for a home assessment came through 2 days later upon them receiving the GP letter.

This was, however, 4 working days prior to the schedules F2F at a centre. GPs seem to be playing hard ball with the DWP regardless of the effect on their patients. They all know they will not get a request from Atos/DWP for a letter or even for patient records.

Good luck, you can do it :)
The following user(s) said Thank You: madmaria

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
7 years 5 months ago #172679 by madmaria
Replied by madmaria on topic Medical friday making me ill
Thank you Gordon i am on way to gp now i can not tell you how much your support has meant to me. Just having someone who knows the procedure has helped with my worries thank you. I will let you know the outcome. Tracie
The following user(s) said Thank You: Gordon

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

Moderators: GordonGaryBISCatherineWendyKellygreekqueenpeterKatherineSuper UserjimmckChris
We use cookies

We use cookies on our website. Some of them are essential for the operation of the site, while others help us to improve this site and the user experience (tracking cookies). You can decide for yourself whether you want to allow cookies or not. Please note that if you reject them, you may not be able to use all the functionalities of the site.