Should I have asked for a copy???

Hello everyone, I need some advice please. I have just received the brown envelope with my claim form for pip. I have been on dla for the past 10 years high rate for both, indefinately. I've always tried not to go to the doctors as my problems are ongoing and I have been told that they wont get better. My BIG problem is that I phoned my gp surgery to make an apt with a doctor to ask for a letter of support to put with my application form. I have already paid to have my full medical records which show my problems and mri results etc which were done 10 years ago..., but the surgery said that the doctors don't do letters of support any more. I'm really upset and worried about this as the only appointments I have had in the past 5 or so years have been to get stronger medication. If they send a letter asking a doctor to write about me, our doctors don't know anything about me, and certainly nothing about the ongoing problems I have and how they affect my life every day.. So much for me not being a burden on the NHS, that's backfired on me big time. I wish I'd gone to the doctors with every new problem that has occurred.
Sorry, I'm waffling on now, just need someone that could possibly, maybe, hopefully, re assure me.
I'm ok with filling the form in as I have the fantastic support from B&W and the fact sheets , thank you for that, and thank you in advance for any replies.

Chopper wrote: Hello everyone, I need some advice please. I have just received the brown envelope with my claim form for pip. I have been on dla for the past 10 years high rate for both, indefinately. I've always tried not to go to the doctors as my problems are ongoing and I have been told that they wont get better. My BIG problem is that I phoned my gp surgery to make an apt with a doctor to ask for a letter of support to put with my application form. I have already paid to have my full medical records which show my problems and mri results etc which were done 10 years ago..., but the surgery said that the doctors don't do letters of support any more. I'm really upset and worried about this as the only appointments I have had in the past 5 or so years have been to get stronger medication. If they send a letter asking a doctor to write about me, our doctors don't know anything about me, and certainly nothing about the ongoing problems I have and how they affect my life every day.. So much for me not being a burden on the NHS, that's backfired on me big time. I wish I'd gone to the doctors with every new problem that has occurred.
Sorry, I'm waffling on now, just need someone that could possibly, maybe, hopefully, re assure me.
I'm ok with filling the form in as I have the fantastic support from B&W and the fact sheets , thank you for that, and thank you in advance for any replies.

Hi C,

Welcome to Benefits and Work Forum

If you have already gained a copy of your medical records, other than you approaching your G.P. Practice Manager, trying another G.P. in the practice, or changing your G.P. practice, there is little that you can do regarding your G.P. refusal to provide a letter of support.

G.P.'s are not contractually obliged to provide letters/reports in support of a benefits claim even if the patient offers to pay for it !!

More and more G.P.'s seem to be taking this stance.

You could use extracts from your medical records, and then give details of how and why the limitations caused as a result of the medical conditions score you the required level of points.

If the evidence is old, you should make it clear that your conditions have not improved since the date of the evidence.

DWP/ATOS/Capita seldom contact a claimant's G.P. even when they are requested to do so by the claimant !

They are not legally obliged to do so !

However, you could leave a request with your G.P. Practice that if they do receive a PIP G.P. Factual Report to fill in connected to your PIP Assessment that they contact you so that you can provide some input.

I would put such a request in writing FAO : The Practice Manager.

Have a read through the following, then come back to us if you have further queries :

PIP Claims Guide. (2nd Link down the page)

How The PIP Points Scoring System Works.

PIP Self Test

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See : This Topic also !

Thanks in anticipation of your future co-operation in keeping all your PIP related queries to this topic !

bro58

Thank you so much bro 58, that's been really helpful.

Have you offered to pay for a private report from the GP? We wrote to ours asking for him to write one and said we would pay the going rate - turned out it was £25.

Hi Chopper

You're most probably better placed to explain how your condition(s) affect you on a daily basis than your GP is anyway - they can only confirm what you've been diagnosed with and give an opinion as to how they think you're affected. From experience I have M.E./CFS & R.A. and I hardly ever discuss with my GP about how these conditions affect me on a daily basis as the appointment times are only 10-15 mins long and you have to deal with the problem at hand on that particular day. So if my GP was asked to fill in a report for me regarding PIP he would most definitely not be in possession of all the facts in relation to my day to day limitations.

I would use the B & W guides and try not to view not having a GP report as a bad thing as it could be quite the opposite - as in your GP providing one having made assumptions on how your affected.

I wish you well with your claim.

Thank you so much for your reply. That's made me feel so much better. Thank you.