Atos PIP home visit 7th Jan

fizzwizz wrote: I had the home visit yesterday and I'm pleased to say it seemed to go well obviously I don't yet know what will be in the report itself but the assessor herself couldn't have been nicer and seemed very sympathetic - so hopefully that will reassure people that there are nice assessors out there!

I was accompanied at the visit by my sister and my 20 year old daughter.

Before the assessment I'd heard all the horror stories and had worked myself up into a terrible state of anxiety worrying about the whole thing, plus there was a mix up with my I'D which sent me into a panic, so pretty much the first thing I did was have a huge anxiety attack and burst into tears. I was terrified that this would make me seem uncooperative or unfit to be assessed and that the appointment would be cancelled, leaving me to face weeks or months more anxiety waiting for a new assessment.

However the assessor was lovely and very reassuring and gave me time to calm down and get a grip of myself. She then informed me that she was previously a CPN and so had experience of mental health issues. She stated that she had read through my PIP2 form and the supporting letter from my CPN, which she stated had been detailed and helpful. She outlined what would happen during the assessment - she would take details of my medical and social history, ask me about the daily living and mobility activities, followed by a brief medical if necessary.

She explained that she would record the information on a paper form, which had headings for each area and an area for the assessor to write about what had been said. She was open throughout about what she was writing down and kept the form in full view.

She then asked about my diagnoses (recurrent depression, anxiety disorder and in the process of assessment for borderline personality disorder), medical history, who diagnosed what eg GP or psychiatrist, medications and therapies.

She then asked about work - I explained that I work full time but am only able to do this because I had built up good relationships with my colleagues before the latest bout of depression /anxiety became overwhelmingly severe, & my colleagues and employer are extraordinarily supportive. Due to this the work environment itself is much better than staying at home where I would otherwise not leave the house and would work myself into a suicidal frenzy. Even with an excellent work environment however I still struggle to get there of a morning and frequently only manage to get out the door by convincing myself that I'm actually just making myself presentable enough to get served with paracetamol...

She then asked about who else lives in the house with me and my general home / family situation, which brought up several issues which I don't need to go into, but which cause considerable distress.

The next subject was good days & bad days. I explained that at the moment I have bad days and worse days. I gave some brief examples of normal 'good' days before the current storm hit, comparing it with my total breakdown of normality since.

We then moved on to the daily living activities. She asked about each one in turn in the order that they're listed in the PIP2 form. Again she was open about what she was writing and she recorded what I was saying accurately.

Then it was the mobility activities. I'm aware of the guidance given to assessors in this area and that mental health problems are generally dismissed. However I made my case for 'cannot plan and follow the route of an unfamiliar journey' (& in fact I struggle with familiar ones, & frequently have to pull my car over to wait for tears to stop so I can see, or shaking to subside so I can steer. But I have to press on due to necessity. I would be unable to get to work via public transport however).

Anyway again she made an accurate record of my account, but agreed that this was a somewhat controversial descriptor and stated that she would need to discuss this with her supervisor.

As I clearly have no physical problems (evidenced by my unfortunately dramatic entrance - so embarrassing ) she agreed that we did not need to carry out a physical examination.

And that was it! To be honest, she had been so sympathetic and kind throughout, and I'd 'bared my soul' to such an extent, that I felt I'd bonded with her and I really didn't want her to go!! As she was leaving she said that she never hears about the outcome of her assessments, and now I'm really regretting stamping on my impulse to give her my number, I was that attached! Although it would of course have been very inappropriate and may have made her uncomfortable, so of course it was better that I didn't.

Before my assessment I compulsively read any post I could find about other people's assessments and was very grateful for their posts, and so I sincerely hope that this is helpful to other people waiting for their own assessment now.

My next area of concern is how long it will take to receive a decision - I realise that the answer is really 'how long is a piece of string' but I would still be very grateful to hear your experiences. & I will of course let you all know when the DWP advise me of their decision...

I'll spare you all the paranoia and catastrophising I will inevitably experience in the meantime...!

Hi fw,

I am really pleased to hear that the assessment went well !!!

Thank you very much for taking the time to give us such in depth feed back regarding your experiences at the assessment.

I am sure that this will be helpful to other members.

Please do let us know when you hear regarding what we sincerely hope will be a positive decision !!

bro58

Hi fw,

Regarding how long it may be before you hear, you are correct, 'how long is a piece of string'

It is totally dependent on the workload of the PIP office that is dealing with your claim.

You could contact the PIP Helpline for updates, I would certainly give it 2 or 3 weeks before you do so.

PIP helpline :

Telephone: 0345 850 3322

Textphone: 0345 601 6677

Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm.

Cheers

bro58

I'm panicking so much now. It really feels like this decision will be life or death and the wait is already unbearable, getting through the next however many weeks will be an incredible struggle and I'm not sure I can cope with the stress

fizzwizz wrote: I'm panicking so much now. It really feels like this decision will be life or death and the wait is already unbearable, getting through the next however many weeks will be an incredible struggle and I'm not sure I can cope with the stress

Hi fw,

I know that it is easier said than done, but try not to worry to much !!

If you happen to receive a decision that you are not happy with, we will do are best to help with an MR/Appeal if that is what you wish to do.

Hopefully, you will receive a positive decision, sooner rather than later !!

bro58

Good news!! I got my dwp letter today (dated 14/01/15) - I've been awarded enhanced daily living (15 points). I was only awarded 4 points for mobility, which I expected as it's in line with the DWP guidance to assessors for mental health issues - although I don't believe the guidance correctly reflects the wording of the descriptors or the purpose of the benefit. I'm not sure I'll have the strength to challenge that though, & for now I'm delighted with the enhanced daily living!!

The last few years have been relentlessly grim but I'm really hoping that this good news is a sign that things are looking up at last. The award letter states that my entitlement will be reviewed in January 2017. Hopefully by that time I will no longer qualify!

I realise I've been fairly lucky, I had to wait 5 months for the assessment but many people have had a much longer wait. I was fortunate to be offered a home visit without asking for one, & I also had a very kind and sympathetic assessor, and a very short wait after my face-to-face for the decision. I hope that my experience is of some reassurance to people who are thinking of applying or still going through the process, that it can sometimes work out relatively well.

Good luck to everyone still waiting, and thank you bro58 for your kind replies to my posts.

fizzwizz wrote: Good news!! I got my dwp letter today (dated 14/01/15) - I've been awarded enhanced daily living (15 points). I was only awarded 4 points for mobility, which I expected as it's in line with the DWP guidance to assessors for mental health issues - although I don't believe the guidance correctly reflects the wording of the descriptors or the purpose of the benefit. I'm not sure I'll have the strength to challenge that though, & for now I'm delighted with the enhanced daily living!!

The last few years have been relentlessly grim but I'm really hoping that this good news is a sign that things are looking up at last. The award letter states that my entitlement will be reviewed in January 2017. Hopefully by that time I will no longer qualify!

I realise I've been fairly lucky, I had to wait 5 months for the assessment but many people have had a much longer wait. I was fortunate to be offered a home visit without asking for one, & I also had a very kind and sympathetic assessor, and a very short wait after my face-to-face for the decision. I hope that my experience is of some reassurance to people who are thinking of applying or still going through the process, that it can sometimes work out relatively well.

Good luck to everyone still waiting, and thank you bro58 for your kind replies to my posts.

Hi fw,

No problem at all !!!

I am glad that you have received a positive decision, so quickly !!

Congratulations !!

Thank you for your comments and for letting us all know.

bro58