At ESA medical, told I need appointment with Doc

I have just been to my ESA medical and am still suffering from the trauma. Having waited 8 months from completing the questionnaire, and 2 further medical appointments cancelled by Atos, I eventually went today. I had to wait 45 mins from my appointment time. When I eventually got in there, I mentioned that I had had a TIA 2 years ago and she said immediately that the medical would have to end and I would be sent a new appointment to see a doctor. I am devastated as the trauma of the hours journey to the assessment centre and now having to wait again. I wonder if this has happened to anyone else?

Gordon

I am sorry that you went through such an ordeal. I have heard someone else on another forum who went through the same thing.

I went to my medical assessment last week and i was kept waiting an hour and five minutes past my appointment time, and the person after me had to have another appointment made because the doctor was running so late, by the way i had to see a doctor because i had a RTA i know if you,ve had a head injury you do have to see a doctor.

CV

People with certain neurological conditions have to be seen by a doctor - but I am not sure that the exact conditions have been made public. The other person who was sent away was told it was because she has dyspraxia.

Mrs Hurtyback wrote:

People with certain neurological conditions have to be seen by a doctor - but I am not sure that the exact conditions have been made public. The other person who was sent away was told it was because she has dyspraxia.

As far as I understand it - remembering posts from Jim and stuff read elsewhere - ATOS is contractually obliged to provide a doctor to assess claimants with neurological problems, but only for DLA assessments. The circumstances under which they have to use a doctor (rather than a nurse or a midwife) are less tightly specified for ESA assessments.

However, it looks as though their internal procedures make it necessary for them to call in an MD for anything neurological for ESA as well.

See my post

www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/forum?func=vie...mit=6&start=12#85383

With the caveat that the difference between DLA assessments and ESA assessments controlled by LiMA is not made clear there.

I am intending to try to contact ATOS before they have made an appointment for me to point out

[1] they will probably need a doctor to assess someone with MS

and

[2] I will want the assessment recording, so they had better find a doctor who will use the equipment and one of the country's 17 recorders and put them together in the same place at the same time.

Let's hope it's not in my carer's annual week off!

I believe there's several conditions where you need a specialist to examine you, one of them being musculoskeletal problems. As noted above, having a neurological problem's another one. Do the mods (or anyone) know where there's a list of these please?