GP Factual Report form

In the B&W guide, it’s noted that ‘considerable importance may be attached to a GP Factual Report form by a decision maker or tribunal’.

How much weight does this report carry against consultant letters? I was (wrongly) under the impression that GP reports were untrustworthy and often hastily completed. In my own case the Capita assessor ‘appears’ to be relying on a GP report to diminish one of my conditions. This is properly because my GP is not very helpful and never notes all my conditions on any form of report.

I’m in the process of ‘preempting’ a lower than expected award based on the PA4 (I’m still waiting on the final DWP award from the DM), thus wish to know what I’m up against at a tribunal to challenge any such GP report.

Interesting. My GP surgery said no report has been requested or supplied.

The PIP assessor notes that recent evidence (which I presumed was a current GPFR) dismisses the descriptor in Q13, yet there is no recent evidence past 2015 noted on the PA4, only an un-dated GP report which is now likely from 2015 after speaking with my surgery. All the evidence I supplied in the AR1 up to 2018 certainly does not dismiss Q13, it supports it.

I will only know for sure if the DWP DM rubber stamps the PA4, then later rejects any MR before going to appeal. Hopefully this contentious piece of evidence may come to light in any appeal bundle, unless the evidence is the assessors opinion?

Hi Doris

If your GP surgery says no report has been requested, I would be surprised if one has; regardless, all documents used in your assessment will be in an appeal bundle, including anything your GP has sent.

Hope this answers your query