IB/ESA - ATOS/DWP HELP

Can I just ask for a bit of support and advice please?
My sister was due to have her ESA Medical in May 2011 but we had to cancel, on the advice of her GP, due to her ill health/mental illness. Her GP faxed ATOS in May, and we also sent a letter, asking if they could either offer a home visit or put her straight into the support group on the evidence already supplied. We did not hear anything from either ATOS or DWP until the end of October where a home visit was arranged for early November. As the home visit was fast approaching my sister was at crisis point and on the appointment day, even though it had been cancelled, she would not believe us and she disappeared for hours and we were frantically looking for her. We eventually found her hiding in the garden shed curled up in a ball saying she cannot let a stranger into her house as this is her only safe place. Her GP has now made an urgent appointment for her to see a consultant psychiatrist this week. Her husband wrote to ATOS apologising for her behaviour but also asked for some compassion regarding her wellbeing as she also has physical disabilities as well and her coping mechanism is non existent.

All this has been going on since April and her GP is not happy that we have had no correspondence from them at all since and all this is causing her condition to worsen and I appreciate everyone has to go through this ordeal but everyone deals with things differently and I am afraid she can't.

So, can somebody offer some advice on what to do?

Many thanks
Ann

Hi katyana

I was sorry to read about your sister's problems. It is very difficult to advise you on a forum such as this on how best to handle this on behalf of your sister.

May I suggest that you consider getting advice from such as an Advice Centre, who can go into the background of this case and advise you accordingly. They may be able to act as intermediary for your sister and the DWP, or advise you where you could get further help.

Please see -
Where to get advice?

Kind regards

Michael

I'm sorry that you and your sister are going through this. You might find that 'MIND' can offer you some help and/or advice.

Mrs Hurtyback wrote:

I'm sorry that you and your sister are going through this. You might find that 'MIND' can offer you some help and/or advice.

Hi KA,

See link to MIND webpage, if you wish to make enquiries :

www.mind.org.uk/

bro58

Thank you will look into it now.

When i read cases like this it deeply saddens and angers me that a system processing the sickness benefits of vulnerable people is totally void of any cris management procedures (or common-sense for that matter.)

Ann, I would make sure that Jobcentre Plus/Atos are kept informed of the fact that your sister has had an urgent referral to a psychiatrist due to her intense fear of the assessment process (I would put it in writing.)

When that referral takes place, I would make sure the psychiatrist is made fully aware of your sister's extreme phobia and also the eligibility criteria for the support group. There is always the exceptional circumstance criteria if none of the other support group descriptors meet your sister's needs.

Hopefully the psychiatrist will write a letter/report that can be sent into the decision-maker/Atos, if a favourable decision has not already been made based on her GPs report.

Making contact with Citizen's Advice/Mind is also very good advice.

What an immense worry for you all, but at least your sister has been referred for specialist help - it sounds like she has a very supportive GP too. Hopefully it will be resolved soon.

Best wishes