Home Assessment.

HOME ASSESSMENT.

Good evening,

I am helping a friend to get a PIP assessment at home. My friend has a letter off support from his GP that a home visit is recommended for their safety, falling down a lot, all recorded, on their Medical records.

My friend has mental health issues and gets angry with himself in stressful situations, out-with his home with strangers. My friend has never been violent or attacked, hurt anyone, in their life. This is just his emotions as a result of his illness.

ATOS, has wrote to him to say that because he gets angry, loss of his temper, they cannot have home visit, even although the GP has expressly recommended he has one, for safety.

The local MP has been contacted. We wrote to ATOS, with the DWP guidelines for home assessments.

“2.7.21
"Are there health and safety implications for a home consultation? For example, the claimant or a person associated with them has had unacceptable claimant behaviour identified"

Do you hold information on me that indicates that I am a violent person, or my behaviour is unacceptable, has this been identified? I would like a swift response to this important point.
Home consultations

2.7.20. Consultations may potentially be carried out at a variety of locations but some will need to be carried out at the claimant’s home. Providers may also decide to carry out a home consultation for business reasons or simply to give claimants choice. As a minimum they should consider whether a home consultation is necessary where a claimant indicates that they are unfit to travel to a consultation in a location other than their home or where travel would require high levels of support.

2.7.21. When considering a request for a home consultation, providers should consider:

Does the claimant have a medical condition that precludes them from travelling?

•Has there been medical verification of the severity of the condition that precludes them from attending a consultation?

• Are there health and safety implications for a home consultation? For example, the claimant or a person associated with them has had unacceptable claimant behaviour identified.

• Any accessibility issues related to the planned location of consultations.

There is no record at all of any adverse complaints or behavioural problems, violent or otherwise on his DWP file, records.

I think it is appalling to try and you his medical situation as stated on his PIP application to try and refuse a home consultation.

I need advice on this one. Thank you.

Hi Gordon thanks for that reply. I agree any employer has a duty of care to their employees, if there is genuine cause for concern for their wellbeing, safety.

What I do not agree with is this shower ATOS, trying to use someone illness as an excuse to refuse a home visit. The DWP guidance say, an identifiable risk.

Who is to say that the claimant is ok, but their companion they chose to be with them at assessment is a certifiable lunatic.

I am being rhetorical .

Thanks for your input.