Waiting for first E.S.A medical assessment

I had a accident on 25th july 2011 resulting in open fracture of the right tibia which resulted in four bouts of surgery.
This included complex plastic surgery at first followed by a exterior fixator fitted on 16th Nov.
I filled in form E.S.A50 in Aug 2011 but have heard nothing since, by my reckoning I should have had a medical assessment some time after 1st November 2011.
1 have called D.W.P and ATOS healthcare repeatedly over the last month with no joy,
they are always very helpful but cannot give me a reason why I am still waiting for an appointment.
I was told that my ESA at the higher rate would be back dated to the thirteenth week if I met the critera at the assessment,is eleven weeks the standard waiting time now?, I would be interested if anyone has waited longer for a first assessment after making a new claim.

Bit more info I have emailed local MP and asked her to pass on my concerns to the DWP,if I get any sort of answer I will post again on this board.
Another point over the next three to six months I hope to be fit enough to return to work,if I have an assessment during this time how will that have any bearing on my fitness in Oct/Nov,and can my ESA be back dated at the higher rate even though in three months time I could be shown to be fit for work.
I have applied to have the higher rate paid in advance due to financial hardship.

Mr Campbell,

Thank you for your e-mail. I apologise for the delay in progressing
your referral. Atos Healthcare are attempting to arrange appointments
as quickly as possible.

I am afraid that I am unable to provide you with an exact time scale of
how long you will have to wait. However, if you are experiencing
financial hardship as a result of the delays, please advise us and we
will contact Jobcentre Plus in order that they can consider releasing
your case for an urgent appointment.

Kind regards,

Sarah Cookman
Customer Relations Team
Atos Healthcare

Thanks Gordon,
My case seems to have slipped through the cracks, I seem to have been forgotten completely,I have sent sicknotes from my GP regularly and have recieved my ESA at the standard rate no problem,I just wondered if any other new claimants had encountered the same problem.

thanks

steve

I mentioned in my first post that I had contacted my MP, I duly recieved a reply within three days,time will tell if our democrocy really works.

Just to prove democrocy really works, I emailed my MP on the 9th Jan and today I got the brown envelope placing me in the WRAC with the extra payments being back dated to 1st Nov.
All this without having to go through a WCA, I will how ever have to attend a WFI
at a local job centre but at least this is only two miles away.
I would encourage any one who is having problems with late assesments or sixty eight weeks wating for tribunal to contact their MP and hopefully get a result, I'm afraid that nowadays to get anything from the welfare system or the NHS it is a case of who shouts loudest