ATOS Assessment for PIP

Hello,

I'm not sure if anyone will be able to help me with this but sheer desperation has finally convinced me to ask anyway.

I suffer from a range of long-term physical and mental health illnesses, including poorly-controlled Type 1 diabetes, asthma, IBS, gastroparesis, borderline personality disorder, severe depression & anxiety and EDNOS (eating disorder not otherwise specified). I also have a long history of self-harm and suicide attempts going back more than a decade.

At the end of Aug. last year I was notified by the DWP that as my DLA claim which I'd been in receipt of since Jan. 2010 was due to expire at the beginning of Jan. this year, I would need to make a claim for PIP. I made the initial phone call on Sept. 17th last year and received the form to fill in one week later. I had to ask for an extension (they gave me two extra weeks to fill it in) because I was struggling so much with it that I knew I wouldn't be able to get it completed on time. I signed up for membership here and used your exceptionally helpful PIP guide to help me fill the form in. I finally returned the form to the DWP on Oct. 27th last year.

I had a lot of difficulty with collecting medical evidence and in the end was only able to submit a letter from my GP confirming the health conditions I have, and a copy of my repeat prescription list. The reason for this is that due to my anxiety, I am unable to leave my flat at all, even to attend appointments, and always miss the ones I am sent in the post for that same reason, to the point now that my local hospital have stopped sending appointments to me altogether. I haven't seen any health professionals apart from my GP in nearly a year, and I have only seen my GP once. I am also completely unable to speak to or communicate with people, including people I know, due to the distress this causes me. This includes all types of communication, including face-to-face, on the phone and by email or letter - it has taken me nearly two months to get up enough courage to write this message today.

I was under the 'care' of my local mental health services until April last year when I discharged myself, and have since refused to have any contact with them due to the neglectful and stigmatising way they chose to treat me, which caused me a lot of emotional harm that I am still feeling the effects of today. I am also not taking any psychiatric medication because nothing I have been prescribed has as yet helped my symptoms, and I found the side-effects so debilitating that I had to stop taking the medication.

I explained all of this - and much more - in my form but I have been called for a face-to-face ATOS assessment, in a town 20 miles from where I live, which I have never been to before. The assessment is on Monday 23rd March. I have tried to commit suicide twice since receiving the appointment letter (this is actually the fourth assessment date that has been sent to me since Jan. 15th, as the prior three assessments have all been cancelled by ATOS at fairly short notice) because I have been so terrified at the thought of attending this assessment. Neither attempt was serious enough to need hospital treatment and as such, my GP will not have any records of them. I have also been too scared at the thought of speaking to anyone from the DWP or ATOS to phone them and try to explain how badly this is affecting me.

I live alone and have no friends at all, I don't know any of my neighbours, and my family live 350 miles away and they all work full-time, also I have very little contact with them. This means that there is literally nobody who could accompany me to the assessment and bring me home again afterwards, also nobody to make phone calls, write letters etc. on my behalf. I don't drive and due to a number of unexpectedly expensive bills over the past few months I don't have the money I would need to pay for a taxi to take me to the assessment centre and bring me home again. I would have no option but to travel there and back using public transport, which is simply impossible for me - the last time I set foot on a train or bus was over three years ago. I realise that I have to attend this assessment - assuming it isn't cancelled at the very last minute again - but just the thought of it has already scared me to the point of trying to end my life twice.

I am also terrified that due to a lack of medical evidence and the fact that I will be attending the assessment alone, I will not be awarded PIP, and if that happens, I will become homeless (I receive LHA to pay my rent and I get the one-bedroom rate because although I am under 35 years old, I am (was??) on the higher rate care component of DLA. I also get (got??) the lower rate mobility component due to not being able to go out because of my MH) and I would not be able to live in shared accomodation or move in with family for the same reasons.

I'm honestly not sure what I'm supposed to do and the fear and all of the distress this has been and still is causing me is literally crippling me. Any advice or suggestions would be very gratefully received. Also I apologise for this message being so long-winded.

Many thanks in advance.

Idonia.

Hello again,

I had my PIP face-to-face assessment yesterday. My Mum booked a taxi to pick me up from my flat and take me to the assessment centre, and another one to get me home again. Unfortunately I wasn't able to get a home visit and nobody could come with me.

My assessment was carried out by a paramedic and took about 40 minutes. I was crying and shaking throughout, and told the assessor several times that the experience of having to attend the assessment was making me feel extremely suicidal. The assessment didn't seem to go into much detail with regards to the questions I was asked; maybe this was because I put a lot of detail into my PIP form? I answered every single question and included a diary extract as well as eight extra pages of typed information which wouldn't fit on the form - the answer boxes are not very large and my handwriting is.

I took a number of my hospital discharge letters from the past few years to the assessment (I don't have all of them, but the ones I do have cover about half of my inpatient admissions since 2012) as well as the old care plan I was given when I was still being seen by the MH services where I live; even though I am no longer involved with the MH services I felt that it might be useful. I also brought along a letter from a MH advocacy team I contacted about 18 months ago when I was really struggling to get appropriate support from MH services. I thought these might be helpful to demonstrate how my MH affects me and how hard it was trying to get the support I needed from the MH team (unsuccessful in the end, but at least I tried). The assessor did take the paper copies I brought of this information and explained that they would be submitted to my Case Manager along with the assessment report.

I don't feel very hopeful at the moment - I feel that the assessment was rushed and failed to properly explore the difficulties I have every day. Though perhaps the state I was in emotionally mitigated the need to go into much detail re: the questions I was asked? I don't know. Waiting for the decision is, I feel, going to be even harder for me than the assessment.

Idonia.

Idonia wrote: Hello again,

I had my PIP face-to-face assessment yesterday. My Mum booked a taxi to pick me up from my flat and take me to the assessment centre, and another one to get me home again. Unfortunately I wasn't able to get a home visit and nobody could come with me.

My assessment was carried out by a paramedic and took about 40 minutes. I was crying and shaking throughout, and told the assessor several times that the experience of having to attend the assessment was making me feel extremely suicidal. The assessment didn't seem to go into much detail with regards to the questions I was asked; maybe this was because I put a lot of detail into my PIP form? I answered every single question and included a diary extract as well as eight extra pages of typed information which wouldn't fit on the form - the answer boxes are not very large and my handwriting is.

I took a number of my hospital discharge letters from the past few years to the assessment (I don't have all of them, but the ones I do have cover about half of my inpatient admissions since 2012) as well as the old care plan I was given when I was still being seen by the MH services where I live; even though I am no longer involved with the MH services I felt that it might be useful. I also brought along a letter from a MH advocacy team I contacted about 18 months ago when I was really struggling to get appropriate support from MH services. I thought these might be helpful to demonstrate how my MH affects me and how hard it was trying to get the support I needed from the MH team (unsuccessful in the end, but at least I tried). The assessor did take the paper copies I brought of this information and explained that they would be submitted to my Case Manager along with the assessment report.

I don't feel very hopeful at the moment - I feel that the assessment was rushed and failed to properly explore the difficulties I have every day. Though perhaps the state I was in emotionally mitigated the need to go into much detail re: the questions I was asked? I don't know. Waiting for the decision is, I feel, going to be even harder for me than the assessment.

Idonia.

Hi l,

Thanks for relating your experiences at your PIP F2F.

At least it is over and done with now !!

Fingers crossed for a positive decision.

You could wait a week or so than contact PIP for an update :

PIP helpline :

Telephone: 0345 850 3322

Textphone: 0345 601 6677

Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm

Please let us know when you receive a decision.

bro58

Hello,

Just wanted to update:

I had my PIP decision in the post today - I was so terrified when I saw the brown envelope that I had to phone my Mum and was sobbing down the phone to her for half an hour before I could pluck up the courage to open it.

I've been awarded Enhanced Rate Daily Living with 13 points, from 06/05/15 until 22/03/19, but I lost the Mobility Component that I was getting when I was receiving DLA (although to be honest, I really wasn't expecting to be awarded that for PIP).

I was however very surprised to only be awarded 2 points for 'Engaging with other people face to face' because I'm not able to communicate with anyone, especially face to face, even people I know well, as it causes me to become very emotionally distressed to the point where I put myself at risk, but I suppose it's immaterial now. I guess I'm just taking that one a little personally.

I just have one question: I'm not going to ask for a Mandatory Reconsideration, because I'm satisfied enough with the decision (and so very glad that it's finally all over) but would I still be allowed to request a copy of the assessment report from my face-to-face anyway? Just out of curiosity more than anything else, and also because I feel it would be helpful to have it for when I'm reassessed. If I phoned the DWP would they send me a copy?

Idonia.

Idonia wrote: Hello,

Just wanted to update:

I had my PIP decision in the post today - I was so terrified when I saw the brown envelope that I had to phone my Mum and was sobbing down the phone to her for half an hour before I could pluck up the courage to open it.

I've been awarded Enhanced Rate Daily Living with 13 points, from 06/05/15 until 22/03/19, but I lost the Mobility Component that I was getting when I was receiving DLA (although to be honest, I really wasn't expecting to be awarded that for PIP).

I was however very surprised to only be awarded 2 points for 'Engaging with other people face to face' because I'm not able to communicate with anyone, especially face to face, even people I know well, as it causes me to become very emotionally distressed to the point where I put myself at risk, but I suppose it's immaterial now. I guess I'm just taking that one a little personally.

I just have one question: I'm not going to ask for a Mandatory Reconsideration, because I'm satisfied enough with the decision (and so very glad that it's finally all over) but would I still be allowed to request a copy of the assessment report from my face-to-face anyway? Just out of curiosity more than anything else, and also because I feel it would be helpful to have it for when I'm reassessed. If I phoned the DWP would they send me a copy?

Idonia.

Hi l,

Congratulations on The Enhanced PIP DL Award !!

I am sorry to hear that you did not get a PIP Mobility Award, but as it seems that you were expecting this, I will not bother to advise on requesting an MR !

Yes, you are entitled to a copy of The Assessment Report, you can request this over the phone :

PIP Helpline :

Telephone: 0345 850 3322

Textphone: 0345 601 6677

Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm

As you have a legal right to all personal information/documentation that the DWP used in coming to The PIP Decision under The Data Protection Act 1998, (DPA1998) if you have problems obtaining it, you can make a written request using a SAR Form :

SAR Form Download

From this page :

DWP Data Protection Policy

Or you can make the request in the form of a letter, as long as you make it clear that you are making a formal SAR under The Data Protection Act 1998.

Address the envelope : FAO The Data Controller, at the Benefits Office dealing with your PIP.

Write DPA 1998 SAR in front, top, left corner of envelope.

Once received, they have 40 calendar days to comply.

Sending Documents to the DWP or ATOS

bro58