Thank you everyone, from the bottom of my heart...

Thank you, thank you, thank you – to all the advisors & others who give really good, useful, advice on this forum. I am so glad I paid for a year’s membership; this has given me the advice needed and courage to enable me to ‘take on’ the DWP (and Atos) with a successful outcome without having to go to Tribunal.

Firstly I obtained a copy of my PIP Assessment; then I filed a complaint about my (Atos) medical assessment, enclosing a copy of it to DWP with my Mandatory Reconsideration application. There were 7 (yes, seven) breaches of the PIP Assessment Guide Part 1 which I outlined to Atos. I relied on old DLA reports to challenge the (Atos) report, being; one (5-year-old) GP report, one 10-year-old & one 5-year-old EMP (Examining Medical Practitioner) reports.

I concentrated on 5 sections where the advice from the Paramedic from Atos conflicted with the evidence given in the older DLA reports. All three reports stated that I have multiple medical conditions which impinge on each other and would continue to decline as I aged.

With my husband’s help, we went through the Atos report paragraph by paragraph, pointing out what was wrongly stated, together with any breaches of the guidelines. Even my medication was incorrect with 4 items having the wrong dosage. My husband was very concerned that Zomorph (slow-release morphine) 60mg twice a day, was written as 600mg twice a day; and Oramorph 10mg/5ml up to 4 times a day as needed, was written as 100mg/5ml.

You do not need a PhD to work out that both forms of morphine were TEN TIMES the correct dosage. I did show my Atos report to my GP who said: “That dosage could be fatal! Who is this report about? It in no way resembles you and your disabilities or problems.” Fortunately my husband and I have the sense to go by the dosage instructions on the bottle/packet – I shudder at the consequences if someone thought the Paramedic had amended their medication.

I have now received the result of the Mandatory Reconsideration – my PIP has changed from daily living 9 points to 16 points; and mobility from 10 points to 12 points. This has reinstated my money to what I was receiving under DLA: high care/high mobility.

I have today received a 7-page letter full of apologies regarding my PIP Assessment. Some of it is obviously standard text but it is interesting to note ‘Unfortunately the HP is no longer employed by us and therefore unavailable to speak to’ and ‘On discussion with the DWP amendments have been made to the recommended scoring of some activities’.

Once again, my heartfelt thanks to everyone on the Forums and the excellent guidance leaflets you produce.