Orangeblossom's PIP Queries Topic !!

Hi, Yes in the discharge letter from mental health team, they say "You have worked with your doctors and consultants on a care plan and feel secure that you will be listened to and your emergency plan will be used if needed" Your husband is concerned about not having a care coordinator to call if necessary however you can call at any time and be re-allocated a new care co-ordinator" "If you notice the following signs to contact us ASAP or your GP- not eating for lengths of time, staying in bed lengths of time, feeling of being followed" (which are all things me husband needs to help prevent through his prompting / use of new care plan etc. So it does all kind of link in.

With regards to the physical health the consultant has written "Sadly, there is nothing we can do preventatively to stop these episodes from happening. It is obvious her surgeries are causing more problems than they are solving. At present her symptoms are being managed with both diet and medication. She has a well defined care plan including when to come in for emergency help in hospital.

There are in the care plan, two parts for each condition, 1. plan to manage things at home and when and who to contact for emergency help. 2. Emergency plans including a Directive for mental health (which meds to use during a psychotic episode / details of interactions with physical health. Things I don't want e.g. ECT) Emergency plan for physical health, for A & E (details of consultant, pain relief, previous surgical history, details of meds etc)

My GP, if contacted, knows the family well and has been helpful with this plan so hope that would be OK. It also includes details of my husband as my carer / next of kin and details of all my medical history and conditions.

I notice in the PIP report I have at the moment 28 points for care, so I suppose it would be possible to 'lose' over half of these and still be eligible for the enhanced rate...

I have just checked my new combined Care Plan and noticed it mentions in the sections for me to manage at home Ongoing- with Family Support then lists all the things I need to do to manage things. Then, in addition on the Mental Health part it mentions if symptoms increase "Will need further support to follow plans from husband".

Hi

It sounds like it would be OK to put all this in.
They do have access to your previous paperwork but that doesn't mean they will read it this time!!
It is very unlikely that they will contact your GP so make sure that all the info you want your GP to give is included.
It is also perhaps better to know that you have so many points you should be OK, as you say you could lose a few and still get your award.

Just wanted to say many thanks for your help in thinking through this. It has been helpful. It is easy to get emotional about the process but it makes it far easier to think of things from the assessor's point of view. I will now also be aware of the importance of emphasising family support if I have an interview. As for last time, my husband will be there to speak to them also. I may also ask him to contribute to filling in the form with me.

It has impacted on our family so much, (he had to work from home to support me and the family) and his support is the only reason I'm managing without further support.

I know last time the assessor had rang people as she talked about it at the assessment- she knew for example I'd been transferred to another consultant at the hospital before i did- so she may contact the consultants including the psychiatrist if not the GP...however he knows my case and they've recently got a copy of my new plan etc so should be OK.

Many thanks again

I have just noticed something else important when looking through the report. It is about Activity 11. Planning and Following Journeys. I scored 4 points for this, being given descriptor b. Needs prompting however looking through it I think it should have been d. Cannot follow the route of an unfamiliar journey without another person, assistance dog etc.

I notice from your guide, it says
According to DWP guidance: ‘A person should only be considered able to follow an unfamiliar journey if they are capable of using public transport (bus or train)’. So it’s vital that you give details of any problems you have with buses or trains.

The assessor has written In her questionnaire she indicates she can sometimes find it difficult to go out due to anxiety, especially unfamiliar places without someone, it can limit her to well known localities. She reports she is OK using the bus if someone is meeting her, but is unable to go on the train as it is too busy and there are too many people. This is consistent with her condition etc etc She needs prompting to be able to undertake any journey and there is no evidence to suggest otherwise."

So...it seems because I said i can use the bus I can follow an unfamiliar journey?

I don't get mobility component at present but thinking about how to word this in my reassessment. I would have thought that if i can only get the bus with someone meeting me that might count? Many thanks PS My last assessment was in summer 2014 I'm not sure if this is useful as I understand different guidance has been given to the assessors at different times. I remember she did say something at the time about it being 'a tricky one' and sort of moved the conversation on.