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ESA telephone medical looming
- rocco1504
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1 week 6 days ago #290282 by rocco1504
ESA telephone medical looming was created by rocco1504
Hi My Partner M, suffers from Body Dysmorphic Disorder and has been on ESA/incapacity benefits for a long time now. Just before Christmas she received a self assessment form, which I duly helped her fill out and sent back, and copies kept. Today she has received notification of an upcoming "Telephone call /medical". In the past she's always had a face to face medical and it's always had to go to appeal in the past. I just wanted to ask does anyone have any advice, as Body Dysmorphic Disorder is fairly difficult to explain to someone who has never had experience of it. Also, is there a DWP description of BDD anywhere that gives their medical staff a run down of symptoms etc. Many thanks for your time
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- Catherine
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1 week 6 days ago #290291 by Catherine
Nothing on this board constitutes legal advice - always consult a professional about specific problems
Replied by Catherine on topic ESA telephone medical looming
Hello rocco1504,
At least in my experience telephone assessments have become the norm since Covid - really good news for most people, although not so good for some. Don't worry about the change of format, it is not indicative of anything.
I would advise you to prepare for the assessment in exactly the same way as you have done previously, but you have the advantage of not having to travel and possibly both of you being able to sit in the comfort and privacy of your own home.
If you can spend some time with M thinking about how the disorder affects her and how she feels in certain situations that might help. I know it sounds obvious, but sometimes it is hard to verbalise emotions, particularly painful ones which other people find hard to associate with. It can also sometimes help to have verbalised aloud before the assessment then you are not hearing yourself saying the words afresh.
You mentioned you have been through appeals before – is there anything you can draw from your experience of those to help with this assessment? If you made points at the appeals which you thought were significant why not say to the assessor at the end when they ask if you have anything else you want to say something along the lines of ‘I have had 3 previous assessments for ESA and they all had to go to appeal because I did not make it clear that I cannot face strangers because…. ‘. Hopefully they will take note.
Certainly don’t assume the assessor has any idea about BDD. They may or may not have a list of conditions and symptoms, but they certainly don’t all know all the conditions on it. I work with someone who had an assessment and he had to explain what Cerebral Palsy was.
Wishing you a calm and successful assessment
Catherine
At least in my experience telephone assessments have become the norm since Covid - really good news for most people, although not so good for some. Don't worry about the change of format, it is not indicative of anything.
I would advise you to prepare for the assessment in exactly the same way as you have done previously, but you have the advantage of not having to travel and possibly both of you being able to sit in the comfort and privacy of your own home.
If you can spend some time with M thinking about how the disorder affects her and how she feels in certain situations that might help. I know it sounds obvious, but sometimes it is hard to verbalise emotions, particularly painful ones which other people find hard to associate with. It can also sometimes help to have verbalised aloud before the assessment then you are not hearing yourself saying the words afresh.
You mentioned you have been through appeals before – is there anything you can draw from your experience of those to help with this assessment? If you made points at the appeals which you thought were significant why not say to the assessor at the end when they ask if you have anything else you want to say something along the lines of ‘I have had 3 previous assessments for ESA and they all had to go to appeal because I did not make it clear that I cannot face strangers because…. ‘. Hopefully they will take note.
Certainly don’t assume the assessor has any idea about BDD. They may or may not have a list of conditions and symptoms, but they certainly don’t all know all the conditions on it. I work with someone who had an assessment and he had to explain what Cerebral Palsy was.
Wishing you a calm and successful assessment
Catherine
Nothing on this board constitutes legal advice - always consult a professional about specific problems
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- Gaddy
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1 week 6 days ago #290301 by Gaddy
Replied by Gaddy on topic ESA telephone medical looming
Hi rocco1504
I had a review late last year and have an eating disorder that is not very well known so I sent a couple of information sheets I found on reputable sites which explained the condition and how it can affect someone who is diagnosed with it.
So maybe you could add something similar to your evidence and have a copy to hand when your partner has the telephone assessment. I would think it unlikely whoever is on the other end of the telephone will have any insight into the condition.
When I read my own information sheets it was like a prompt as to how to explain my difficulties and how many of the symptoms I actually had!
Hope it goes well and you can avoid a tribunual.
Gaddy
I had a review late last year and have an eating disorder that is not very well known so I sent a couple of information sheets I found on reputable sites which explained the condition and how it can affect someone who is diagnosed with it.
So maybe you could add something similar to your evidence and have a copy to hand when your partner has the telephone assessment. I would think it unlikely whoever is on the other end of the telephone will have any insight into the condition.
When I read my own information sheets it was like a prompt as to how to explain my difficulties and how many of the symptoms I actually had!
Hope it goes well and you can avoid a tribunual.
Gaddy
The following user(s) said Thank You: Catherine, rocco1504, Gary, C
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- rocco1504
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1 week 5 days ago #290327 by rocco1504
Replied by rocco1504 on topic ESA telephone medical looming
Thank you so much both Catherine and Gaddy.
You both have given me some excellent ideas for things I can do to get ready for the assessment.
I had a look at DWP handbook of medical conditions and even that said that BDD is a condition that the sufferer can never fully be "Cured" of and so the 2nd award should be an indefinite one, which is why I find this assessment so strange as she hasn't had one for at least 7 years .
I think the biggest problem we have is that she doesn't have any current medical backup because years ago she used to go to a day centre about 3 days a week when she was really bad, but all of those sorts of places were closed, and it was always pointless going to the GP because all they would offer was CBT and Anti depressants neither of which M has ever got on with, so she just stopped seeing the GP, but it's difficult to explain these things to people.
Anyway, thank you so much both of you for some really good pointers.
You both have given me some excellent ideas for things I can do to get ready for the assessment.
I had a look at DWP handbook of medical conditions and even that said that BDD is a condition that the sufferer can never fully be "Cured" of and so the 2nd award should be an indefinite one, which is why I find this assessment so strange as she hasn't had one for at least 7 years .
I think the biggest problem we have is that she doesn't have any current medical backup because years ago she used to go to a day centre about 3 days a week when she was really bad, but all of those sorts of places were closed, and it was always pointless going to the GP because all they would offer was CBT and Anti depressants neither of which M has ever got on with, so she just stopped seeing the GP, but it's difficult to explain these things to people.
Anyway, thank you so much both of you for some really good pointers.
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- axab43
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1 week 5 days ago #290329 by axab43
Replied by axab43 on topic ESA telephone medical looming
Hi. I hope you get through your telephone assessment successfully. Can you tell me how your partner was diagnosed with BCC as my Community Health team refuse to acknowledge it and just say they don't "cover" that. Mine is extremely disabilitating, as Im sure you know BBD can be, so would be grateful how you got diagnosed. I've been advised by others to go for diagnosis through specialist centres, and asking my doctor to refer me to them.
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- Gaddy
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1 week 5 days ago #290331 by Gaddy
Replied by Gaddy on topic ESA telephone medical looming
Glad my response was useful, just another pointer, MIND have some good information as it comes under their umbrella of mental health conditions as did my condition. They would probably offer support too if that would help, services have been cut to the bone I know but it could still be worth asking.
All the best,
Gaddy
All the best,
Gaddy
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