PIP Phone Assessment (IAS)

I've just received a letter from IAS saying they've written to the people involved in my treatment and care for further information (without saying who they've contacted). This is the first time this is happening to me although I know it's happened to thousands of other claimants. Most of my treatment is private but I did provide my NHS GP's details saying they know little about my body/illness, that they're not specialists in my illness and aren't trained to deal with complex severe illnesses like mine, with the last date I saw and spoke to them. I'm currently between private practitioners which I explained in detail in my PIP2. I'd provided all previous medical reports (which are obviously not that recent) and letters by people who have cared for me incl an updated one by a main person. Considering the mountain of evidence they have it's illogical that they "need" further information.

Is it likely that it's just my NHS GP they've written to?

Is my knowledge correct that although IAS or DWP may tell the person that they should complete the form without contacting me, that this is illegal and I am fully entitled to update the person with my accurate disabilities before they compete the form so that they can complete it accurately and fully?

I'm planning on phoning my Surgery to ask if they've received this form yet and to see the GP asap to update them with my disabilities. In the past my Surgery has said that apps cannot be used to discuss benefits!?!? Is this legal...when their NHS GP contracts include having to write reports for the DWP etc?

bis, thanks for those answers.

My second question was not about if it's illegal for IAS/DWP to contact the people I listed on my form without telling me; I was asking if it's illegal for IAS/DWP to tell the person (when requesting further information about me) to not contact me before the person completes the form?...because I'd heard or read in the past of them doing this with claimants' practitioners/carers. (The implication with supposedly forbidding the practitioner/carer to not contact the claimant is that hopefully for the DWP's sake the person writes little or incorrect information resulting in the assessor/DM not awarding the claimant what they're entitled to).

Hi
I could be wrong here, but by signing the pip form you are giving consent to DWP IAS to gather information from medical Doctors/ physio s ect listed on the form.
Equally I do not believe a Doctor on said list has any duty to inform patient of details given apart from mentioning they had completed a IAS questionnaire. In the same way a GP wouldn’t send a patient a copy of a letter sent to a consultant referral. Best of luck on your journey.

Hi Devon idil, I try to request copies of everything so I'm the kind of patient/client that would ask for a copy of that referral in your example for my records. If (as I've heard/read in the past) IAS/DWP do tell the practitioner/carer to not contact me before completing their form - when they could well have insufficient updated info about my body/illness, this is a different context than one of the people we've listed in our PIP2 (that we have consented to IAS/DWP contacting for further information) not volunteering to me that IAS/DWP have asked them for further info and they gave it to them or they didn't. I'm talking about the legitimacy of IAS/DWP expressly requesting the people we've listed in our PIP2 who they contact to NOT be in contact with us, the claimant, before completing the form. Most of my practitioners are private and I'm sure all would volunteer to me first that they have been contacted by IAS/DWP. One, last year, was adamant that they wouldn't be providing any of my info to anyone without clear written consent by me. The issue about my NHS GP is that I understand it's in their contracts to provide info on us to the DWP etc. A friend
in a similar boat to me was fortunate enough that when her NHS GP was sent this form they contacted my friend and asked her to come into the Surgery for an appt to discuss the relevant info so that the GP had updated full info to then complete the form.