Good News!

I’ve just had what feels like a disastrous PIP Telephone Assessment, or rather the beginning of one as they cancelled it mid call, with the aim of rearranging it for a future date.

I suffer with both mental and physical conditions. At the moment I’m receiving Enhanced Care and Standard Mobility, but in the 6 years since this award I’ve dramatically declined so am now pushing for Enhanced in both categories. I am currently in the Support group for ESA too.

I received and filled out my PIP review back in August 2020 and used the guides here to give a huge amount of evidence. I enclosed additional evidence from multiple doctors, some very recent and other evidence. In the past, the amount of evidence I’ve submitted has been enough for them to make a decision without needing an assessment, but for some reason this time it was not.

The assessment call came through this morning and due to anxiety I was emotional and very nervous. She asked me is I was ok to do the assessment or if if would be better to rearrange for another time that I was calmer, but after I explained that I am always like this with my anxiety and I would prefer to just get it over with she continued. However, whilst going through my illnesses she became concerned when I mentioned self harming and suicidal thoughts. She asked me if I had self harmed recently and I said yesterday due to the stress of this assessment. Then she asked me if I had thoughts of self harming or suicide at the moment and I said yes, again due to the stress of the assessment. At that point she went quiet and consulted her guidelines. She told me that she needed to seek advice and would call me back. When she called back 10 minutes or so later she advised me that for my safety she was going to end the assessment and I would get a new assessment date in the post. Her reason was that I was at risk of suicide or self harming and I had informed her that although my son, who is one of my carers, was currently in the house, he would be leaving for an interview about an hour after the appointment time. I gave her this information when she asked if I had someone with me for support. I tried to explain that it would be better for my anxiety if I could get the assessment done and over with and that my son would only be gone an hour, but it made no difference. The assessment was cancelled. She also said she would like to contact my GP and have a talk with them and advised me to contact my GP after the call also.

Be assured that although I am very upset, I am ok, but I am waiting on a call from a GP just so they are aware of the situation.

Although she said that this wouldn’t effect my PIP, I can’t help feel that due to this going disastrously wrong, it’s going to mess it up somehow. Has anyone else ever had or heard of this kind of thing happening?

Sadly, I feel at a loss of what I should do now, in relation to my claim. Here's an update:

Back in October 2020 I was told via telephone that due to the risk of self harm and suicide, a Paper Based Assessment had been authorised by Capita. However today, I suddenly receive an appointment in the post from Capita for another telephone assessment at 8am Monday morning! That's 4 days from now!

I called Capita to query it, who told me that they had contacted my GP for more evidence and my GP had said that I was well enough to have a telephone consultation. They then told me to call the DWP for more information as to why. After waiting 40 minutes in a call queue, the DWP told me that they had no information that they could give me, it was up to Capita how they did their assessments and told me that it sounded like they wanted to do another Telephone Assessment for the money as they get paid for doing them. The DWP advised me to contact Capita and ask to speak to a manager and put in a complaint. I spoke to a GP at my practise, because by this time I was in a terrible state and the GP said that there was no record of Capita speaking to them, so it was probably a medical form that they had to fill in and get back to them. Finally I called back Capita and asked to speak to a manager to complain.

Instead of passing me to a manager the man I spoke to went through the whole situation with me in detail. He confirmed that they did indeed send a medical evidence request to my doctor but when it returned, Capita decided that it wasn't enough for them to use, so they have no option but to do another Telephone Assessment.

So to recap. I had a telephone assessment, but it was cancelled mid call by them, due to risk of self harm and suicide. Then I was told they would do a paper assessment, but they didn't feel that the doctors evidence was sufficient. Now they want to do another Telephone Assessment. All this even though I had sent in pages and pages of extra written evidence on my review form and multiple GP evidence letters dated from this year and the previous few years.

I've no choice but to do the Assessment of course, but nothing has changed since the last one. I am still at risk of self harm so the appointment is likely to go the same way with me that anxious that I cry all the way through it and them cancelling it again if they stick to their policy. However, the man at Capita said that if they can't do it this time, it will probably be sent back to the DWP uncompleted, which won't be good either.

I honestly don't know what else to do.

I just wanted to post an update about my claim.

Sadly, despite contacting my MP by phone and email and never ever getting a reply, the telephone assessment went ahead. The assessor continued despite knowing that I was at risk of self harm and the assessment was completed.

Today I received my decision letter. I have been downgraded to Standard rate Care and my Mobility has been kept at the Standard rate.

To say that I am devastated is an understatement. In the 6 years since my last award my health has deteriorated to the point that I barely go out and when I do I have to use a wheelchair or mobility scooter. As well as physical illnesses, I also have severe anxiety, depression and OCD and find it very difficult to leave the house or be away from the house without the support of another person. Regardless I was awarded with 0 points this time in the Mobility Planning and Following A Journey section, whereas last time I had 4 points. They awarded me 10 points for the Moving Around category when I can only walk a few steps even with crutches. Likewise in the Daily Living they awarded me less points in pretty much every category that I scored points last time.

Reading the written notes on their decision has left me distraught. What is the point of giving pages and pages of written evidence on the form and going through the distress of giving verbal evidence during an assessment, if the assessor is simply going to dismiss it. For example, I gave them a detailed written evidence about my severe anxiety, OCD and depression, especially when leaving the house and going out, anywhere, let alone in an unfamiliar place, yet the Decision Maker said "There was no indication that you would suffer overwhelming psychological distress if you were to leave the house on your own".

Honestly, this assessment since the day the review form arrived, has been one stress after another one. I feel like I don't know where to turn for help with this. My regular doctor that I had for years, has left my surgery and none of the other doctors there know me, which makes it harder too. I was hoping I would get enhanced in both Daily Living and Mobility this time, because I feel I do qualify for it but I don't know how I go about proving it to them.

I am about to start looking at the Mandatory Reconsideration section to see how I start that as the decision letter is very vague about it. I just don't feel too hopeful at the moment so any extra advice would be appreciated.