Salus & PIP assessments (Argyll St, Glasgow)

Has anyone had experience of PIP assessments with Salus at the Argyll St. offices in Glasgow?

Friend has just returned from her "review" assessment (she was awarded two years, called back after one). Her condition is primarily around mental health issues.

She is in tears. The assessment lasted two hours, from 3pm to 5pm. She described it as being like a police interrogation. She speaks English as a second language and the assessor used three different interpreters, dismissing the first two. She went alone and describes the assessor as being aggressive, haranguing, asking the same questions again and again, being rude to the interpreters, demanding exact dates and times for things like when she last ordered a takeaway, last had a bath etc

I understand that Salus are NHS owned company, subcontracted by Atos, and I have seen others say the staff have been pleasant and polite during assessments.

This was certainly not the case here. Does anyone know if Salus is the company being used by the Scottish Social Security agency for PIP assessments when they take over? If so this does not bode well for those hoping for some respite after Atos and Capita were taken out of assessments by the SSS.

I had experience with them at St Vincent, Glasgow. It’s not a coincidence lots of us feel like we’ve been interrogated. I have major physical problems and anxiety, yet they only have one way of perceiving anxiety and I seemingly don’t display it. Gordon covered the timing of devolving PIP to Scottish Government in another post, it’s in that pipeline we hear so much of, don’t hold your breath. Sadly and this is just my personal opinion only, I don’t believe it will make any difference.

Regarding SSS, Ive been part of their online panels discussing their mission statements regarding assessments, how claimants are treated etc and it all sounds very good in theory, but like yourself Im not convinced how much will translate into reality when it is finally rolled out. Time will tell.

As for Salus, my friend mentioned the assessor using three interpreters, and the reason the interrogation lasted two hours was because she want over the entire assessment questioning from the start with all three.

Should also add, the assessor told all three of the interpreters my friends full name. She comes from a minority that is a very small community in Scotland and is very concerned this is a potentially damaging breach of her privacy as of course all three interpreters were made privy to very detailed personal information. Surely this is not allowed?