supporting medical evidence for mobility

Hi poppylouise32

I understand your frustration - this is a typical PIP tactic. Even if you were able to suddenly pay for a consultation (which I wouldn't advise people to do), the DWP often disregards information from private health care providers, believing that the claimant has paid for the advice and, therefore, it can't be trusted.

Many people don't have specialist mental health input at the current time, but that doesn't necessarily mean they don't need it. There is a well-known chronic shortage across the country. Many people have been discharged from services, when they have had a certain amount of support - because of this shortage - but it doesn't mean their health has improved.

I don't know your circumstances, and I don't know what you wrote on your form. If at some point you have had a mental health diagnosis, if you take any medication related to your mental health, and if you have had any contact with your GP - I would emphasise all or any of those points to say that you have ongoing mental health difficulties which impact your daily living and mobility. I would make sure that you have broken down what exactly stops you from being able to plan and follow an unfamiliar journey. You might feel that you have already done this - but you need to refute anything they have said, and fight back.

Do you get confused and muddled? Experience panic attacks? Struggle to even leave the house? Find yourself having to return home almost before you have left etc etc. How do you feel.? Do you need the support of others? etc etc. Go back and reread pages 78-86 of the Guide to PIP claims and reviews and see if there's anything that you didn't say - that might strengthen your case. There are sample answers in there.

I would finish by adding what I said at the beginning. Just because you are not currently under the services, doesn't mean that you don't struggle. For instance - if you have anxiety - it doesn't disappear just because you're not seeing someone from the local mental health team. And even if you were, it's unlikely that you would ever have held a conversation about your ability to follow an unfamiliar journey!

Best of luck

BIS