So far, so good...but are we unusual?

Yesterday I took my disabled 27 year old daughter to a PIP medical assessment in Stockton on Tees. She was very anxious because the last one she had in York by ATOS three years ago was very poorly done and resulted in her losing all benefits without any warning. It took us two years to get her case to appeal tribunals and lots of help from Benefits and Work advice as we wrote up our forms and pointed out all the inaccuracies of their very poor medical assessment. Both Appeals were successful and two years of money had to be paid back to her - but no word of apology was ever received and it was a very vindictive system which caused great stress and suffering, morally indefensible whichever way you look at it.

The map we had been sent had no road numbers or place names so wasn't any good. We relied on Google maps but it wasn't much use in the end as there was no turning off the dual carriageway- we found the place by sheer accident/ God's providence ( pray before you go!) The assessor said a lot of people had trouble with that so I wonder why they are still sending out the map...

We had filled in the form many weeks ago and sent it in by the January deadline by recorded and tracked delivery ( you can even get a copy of the signature of the receiving member of staff if you track it). We had had to extend our submission date because they wanted it in originally on Boxing Day, 26th December, when no one would have been in a closed office anyway...der...? ( Am I being unfair when I question the basic intelligence of ' The system' ...)

The Assessor had already read or had on screen our form and his questions went through each section and he referred to the main words which he would use in his report as 'reliably, repeatedly and safely' when writing about what my daughter is, or is not, able to do. He was very clear that he did not have any control over outcomes, that he wrote up what he believed to be a true assessment of the facts according to what had been submitted and through the questions he asked based on those. We also submitted some more up to date information from health professionals which we had got copied and just had to sign a new submission form with them. I cannot see how a proper assessment could be carried out without that all-important form being on the computer in front of him. I had a copy on my lap the whole time as well so I could follow as my daughter answered. I would have been very annoyed if they didn't have it because it took two days to fill in properly and fully with all the supporting evidence it took a good month of organising.

The medical bit was basic movement, he didn't ask her to stand or walk - unlike last time - because he said there was a safety issue and he wasn't qualified to manage any accidents which might occur. This was followed by mental maths and spelling questions, such as are asked of Alzheimer's patients, just one or two counting backwards and spelling backwards.

It was all very friendly but took over an hour. I did not think to ask his professional qualifications but he wasn't a doctor or nurse. We now wait to hear what the outcome will be. I will tell B and W when we know. In the past it seemed that there were particular invisible hoops to jump through which is why clever and some immoral claimants paid others to fill in forms using the ' correct wording ' which ordinary people like us didn't know. The system had to change but perhaps it will be more fair in the future if we do our bit now to make sure it is accountable to all the people who need it...also repeatedly so, reliably so and safely so.

Hi cj,

See :

Why have you deleted my post?

bro58