PIP IAS phone ‘consultation’ experience

Had a look for a thread re this and couldn’t find it, so I apologise for creating a new post.
I had my telephone ‘consultation’ on Friday afternoon, and in case my experience can help anyone, here’s a few bullet points of info:
- I was telephoned from a Brighton number the day before.
First call I ignored because I didn’t know the caller. No voicemail was left. Second call that afternoon I answered. It was to check that the appointment date and time were still convenient and to let me know the name of the person calling. He also checked that my mobile number was the correct one to phone on.
I was also told that if the clinician (I think that was the term he used. But I’m so anxious my already rubbish memory is patchy) hadn’t rung by 10 minutes of scheduled time to call the number on the letter with my appointment time, i asked for him to confirm the number, which is an 0800 number that’s IAS customer service. This was also the number to ring if there were any technical difficulties during the call. The person was...well the word that springs to mind is ‘obsequious’. Almost nauseatingly polite, and ended the call by telling me to “take care”. This isn’t a complaint. Obviously I prefer that to brusque and rude! He also advised that the call should last ‘about an hour’.

- my appointment was 2.20pm At 2.05pm I received another call from the Brighton number. The clinician had informed them that she was running an hour behind due to a complex case. She would now be ringing at 3.15pm
- 3pm I received another call from the same person on the Brighton number, same message as previous, but now the clinician would be ringing no later than 4pm.
Obviously by this point i’m pretty much a nervous wreck. The caller apologises but clearly there’s nothing else they’re prepared to do under these circumstances.
- At 4.10pm I realise that if Brighton person calls again I’ll meltdown. Mum advises me to request they find someone else to do the consult because I’m at breaking point.
- At 4.15pm the house landline rings. I’m not near it so have a moment of panic. Manage to answer it. It’s the clinician. Unusually for me I ask if she can please ring me on my mobile number. I forgot to explain why. (The speaker is clearer than the landline). She says no problem. I start recording using voice memo app on my ipad (which I’ve muted the sound/notifications on) before my mobile rings.
- The call lasts a little over 2 hours. Part of the reason for this is that when I’m anxious the side effects of my various neuro meds cause me to stutter and find speech difficult. I had explained this in the copious number of additional info that I sent with my PIP AR form.
- This the third review interrogation I’ve had. Previous two health ‘professionals’ hadn’t seen my form, let alone the supporting info. This OT had all my paperwork.
- She was friendly, took time to explain what would happen and that if any questions seemed insensitive or repetitive it was either because she had to ask them or it was to ensure she understood what I meant.
- The questions asked were pretty similar to the information given in the B&W members guidance document.
- About an hour into the call I made sure she was aware that I was exhausted and approaching a point when i would be unable to cope any longer. She asked if I wanted to end the call and complete the consultation at another time. It was a Friday and as it’d been a whole day of high anxiety i told her that as i just wanted it to be all over I would continue.
- At the end of the call she explained what would happen next. This reinforced something that was stated in the appointment letter I received - but that contradicts the guidance from B&W. If i want a copy of the clinician’s report I MUST WAIT UNTIL THE DECISION LETTER FROM DWP ARRIVES before ringing to request it.
- She ended by apologising again for the length of time it had taken, for the amount of time I’d had to wait and hoping that i was able to “enjoy the rest of the evening and have a relaxing weekend.”

One point that concerns me. She asked me how long I could walk for. Not how far, but how long. Because that was “how she thought about it”. I said that I couldn’t manage to think like that and expressed it using meters. Explaining that as I walked so slowly the distance i can cover compared to a healthy person in one minute would vary massively and be impossible to compare.

As I’d told her that I have no appetite any more, she asked me what I’d eaten that day. When I said a bowl of cereal and hours later a piece of toast she asked “and can you manage to make yourself a piece of toast?” No doubt that’ll translate into her concluding that I can prepare myself a hot meal, despite anything I said to explain why I can’t!

Lordy I wish I lived in Canada and only had to go thru all this once...
my consultant actually wrote me a “to whom it may concern’ letter stating in no uncertain terms that both my illnesses are incurable and that no other treatment measures exist. No doubt they’ll ignore that like they ignore everything else.