Help please, problems with Jobcentre Plus

The day after Jobcentre Plus sent me the letter about my successful medical(IB to ESA Support group),I sent a letter,by recorded delivery,asking for a copy of my ESA85,ESA85S AND ESA65. This was on Sept 14th.I heard nothing so on October 1st I re-sent the letter with a covering note requesting the documents plus the ESA113 if available.I sent this letter by special delivery.I heard nothing so I and other family members have spent three days making over 30 attempts to get through by phone at different times of the day but they are too busy to take any more calls and there is no waiting in a queue you just have to call back later. In desperation I pressed the IB option and got through to someone who said that she would get someone to call me back within three hours. No one has!
Tomorrow I am in hospital for a day of treatment.
If they don't answer letters, don't take calls and don't ring back what can I do next to get these documents? Even the ATOS doctor told me at the medical to send for them to help me next time round with the ESA50 so that"someone in your postion doesn't have to go through this medical again when your condition so obviously prevents you from work".
My MP thinks that ESA is wonderful and the system is good so I don't think he will help. How do I complain?

sheleo wrote:

The day after Jobcentre Plus sent me the letter about my successful medical(IB to ESA Support group),I sent a letter,by recorded delivery,asking for a copy of my ESA85,ESA85S AND ESA65. This was on Sept 14th.I heard nothing so on October 1st I re-sent the letter with a covering note requesting the documents plus the ESA113 if available.I sent this letter by special delivery.I heard nothing so I and other family members have spent three days making over 30 attempts to get through by phone at different times of the day but they are too busy to take any more calls and there is no waiting in a queue you just have to call back later. In desperation I pressed the IB option and got through to someone who said that she would get someone to call me back within three hours. No one has!
Tomorrow I am in hospital for a day of treatment.
If they don't answer letters, don't take calls and don't ring back what can I do next to get these documents? Even the ATOS doctor told me at the medical to send for them to help me next time round with the ESA50 so that"someone in your postion doesn't have to go through this medical again when your condition so obviously prevents you from work".
My MP thinks that ESA is wonderful and the system is good so I don't think he will help. How do I complain?

Hi S,

See here re : DWP complaints. :

www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/dwp1018.pdf

And here to contact your M.P., he may think ESA is wonderful, however, this is a complaint regarding the service given by the DWP.

www.writetothem.com/

You can make a Subject Access Request, also, see here. :

www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/request-for-personal-information.rtf


bro58

sheleo wrote:

The day after Jobcentre Plus sent me the letter about my successful medical(IB to ESA Support group),I sent a letter,by recorded delivery,asking for a copy of my ESA85,ESA85S AND ESA65. This was on Sept 14th.I heard nothing so on October 1st I re-sent the letter with a covering note requesting the documents plus the ESA113 if available.I sent this letter by special delivery.I heard nothing so I and other family members have spent three days making over 30 attempts to get through by phone at different times of the day but they are too busy to take any more calls and there is no waiting in a queue you just have to call back later. In desperation I pressed the IB option and got through to someone who said that she would get someone to call me back within three hours. No one has!
Tomorrow I am in hospital for a day of treatment.
If they don't answer letters, don't take calls and don't ring back what can I do next to get these documents? Even the ATOS doctor told me at the medical to send for them to help me next time round with the ESA50 so that"someone in your postion doesn't have to go through this medical again when your condition so obviously prevents you from work".
My MP thinks that ESA is wonderful and the system is good so I don't think he will help. How do I complain?

bro58 has made some good suggestions. If you decide to make a subject access request it's worth sending it recorded delivery and phoning a week later to confirm that it's been received.

I've made an SAR to the DWP and with the 40 day deadline approaching I've so far had as much success at obtaining documents as you.

I thought it was supposed to be a 14 day deadline?

I've managed to bypass the DWP no one to take your call, try later message by adding a couple more digits to their phone number - you then get to enter a queue rather than be cut off.

I have no idea if the digits matter but pretty sure I used their number+13 - I only discovered this through using redial after I had been cutoff and it had stored the extra digits I entered for their menu system, and so far (half a dozen calls in teh last month or so) I havent had the ring back later message - could just be coincidence but might be worth a try.

Still havent got my ESA65 out of them yet tho.

Thanks everyone. I am going to do everything you suggest(including contacting my M.P!) and will let you know the outcome. Before I do this, please could someone clarify what the law says the claimant is entitled to receive and what the regulations say about the timeframe? If I quote a regulation they might take more notice.I understood that I had 28 days following the receipt of the letter detailing the outcome of the medical to request documents and both of my requests have been within that timescale.
Thanks!