ESA Medical Help

After 6 years with no contact in the support group a few months ago I received contact and received a £2000 payout due to being incorrectly put in contributions based group. I knew that after receiving this it wouldn’t be long before I had to run the gauntlet again. Unsurprisingly a month or 2 later the ESA50 fell through the letterbox which I filled in and returned a few weeks ago. I have now been called in for a medical this Monday coming.
It’s been at least 10 years since I last attended a medical and that was with Atos so I’m not sure what to expect. I’m rubbish when I get put on the spot due to anxiety so I want to be as prepared as possible. Theoretically I should be placed under the exceptional circumstances category so I’m unsure why they have called me in as previously an ESA50 has been enough to put me into the support group so Iv been a mess for the last 3 weeks. Somebody is coming with me which will help. Under Atos I remember it being a very rigid appointment with the same old questions about your daily life etc.
How different is this medical nowadays, what questions do they ask and are there any general things I should watch out for? I can’t wait to get it over and done with as I’m in a right state and my difficulties expressing myself are likely to cause me problems. Thank you

Hi supermiff,

It may or may not help to know that I seem to be in exactly the same position as you. Received backpay from IR part of ESA that I had missed out on since Oct 2011, then surprise surprise, four weeks later I received ESA50 Capability for Work Questionnaire.
Given that, like your good self, it has been a number of years since my last ESA review. Maybe I was naive in not expecting one or maybe I was still basking in the delight of the backpay. Anyway, I didn’t.

I often don’t open my mail for a week or two due to depression, so given that they have now taken to sending these forms and letters out in white envelopes rather than the normally dreaded brown envelopes of the past, I didn’t actually open it until a week later, which put me on the back-foot immediately because of the non-extendable return date.
It also sent my depression, anxiety and stress levels into overdrive.

Anyway, to cut the story short, I too have a Medical Assessment with a Health Professional next week. Therefore, I think I understand what you’re going through and sometimes it helps to know you’re alone/not the only one having difficulty dealing with this awful process.

I am in a right mess too, totally crapping myself and am also extremely nervous, worrying to the point of feeling sick so am not looking after myself very well nutritionally atm. Adding to that, I am also neglecting myself in other areas too.
I cry every time I think about the appt (which is still several times a day). Like you tho, I also have someone coming with me into the appointment for very much needed support.

I am grateful to you for raising the topic, cos I was going to write a new post but then as I quite often find on this site, that there is already an existing thread on the very subject. In this case - your’s. So thankyou.

Thankyou also for making me realise that,as I mentioned earlier, I am finding it helpful to know I’m not alone/the only one having to deal with this. Altho, I wish neither of us were!

Apart from empathising with you, like I said - I too am seeking information as to what happens in the Medical Assessment -
* what questions do they ask?
* what movements do they ask you to perform?

Thankyou Gordon - for referring to the Guides.
Just wondering if anyone has first hand recent info they can share with supermiff and I please?

Lastly, (sorry for the loooong post), on the advice of a friend, she asked them on my behalf, to audio record my medical assessment. But now I’m wondering whether I’ve done the right thing because I don’t want to antagonise the health professional or give them a reason to think I don’t trust him/her. My friend suggested doing so cos I’d told her about the many stories on here where errors/untruths/mistakes have been made in the medical assessment reports. I thought that having it audio recorded might give me some reassurance/protection.

If anyone on this site has experience of their medical audio recorded.........
Were you glad you opted for it?
Did the medical report match the audio recording?

In anticipation of replies - thanks very much in advance.

(Must try to get some sleep now I’ve posted this). I started typing this an hour ago. Good grief!

Night night. God bless us all.

Hi again Gordon or anyone else who may be able to help.
I am a tad disappointed not to have received any replies to my above post, I would really really appreciate if someone could help me please

I have read thro the link you supplied Gordon, giving the questions likely to be asked at ESA medical assessment. Very useful indeed thankyou.

However, I am still requiring answers on the following please...........
1) What body movements will I be requested to perform?
2) Has anyone on here requested an audio recording?
3) Did you find it useful?
4) Did the assessor’s report accurately match the audio recording?

Please please help if you can. I’m getting more & more stressed and upset as my appt date looms ever closer, with no answers yet.

Thankyou in advance of help.

Hi there Gordon and thank you for your reply, It seems my thread was hijacked lol.

I can confirm that, I used the latest guide and that my condition has considerably worsened since the last time I attended a medical. I was very thorough in the form and sent photocopies of prescription etc.

In my form I even requested a home visit due to the problems I have leaving the house but this has obviously bee ignored. this is likely due to not enclosing a GP letter, however going to the GP is just as difficult as going to the medical so its a catch 22.

My medical was supposed to be on the 3rd of this month but I completely forgot about it. Luckily for me my regular carer received a phone call from the medical place 45 minutes before the arranged time in order to cancel it which I suppose was lucky. They have now earned it for the 21st which has put a damper on our christmas arrangements.

I have absolutely no idea how I am going to manage going to this medical and I know I'm going to end up not going so I dont know what to do. Reading through the terrible experiences people are having I have absolutely no idea what I am going to do. My anxieties have been worse since the start of this procedure and I have had several severe panic attacks already. I have clearly wrote on my form that I suffer from agoraphobia and clearly answered the question regarding going to places I'm not familiar with etc so I'm shocked they have now asked me to attend a medical at somewhere I'm not familiar with for an interview with somebody I have never met. Surely attending this interview on what I hope will be a "good day" will be in disagreement with everything I have wrote in my form.
I'm worried about it and dont know how to proceed, is it possible to still get home visits?