Manchester- Trinity Way

Login FormClose

We support both claimants and professionals. These are just some of the organisations who have subscribed to Benefits and Work:

Royal College of Nursing | Birmingham CAB

Spinal Injuries Association | Coventry Mind

Chesterfield Law Centre | Colchester Borough Council

Details: Category: North West England - Atos

PIP Consultation Centre
Units 1 & 2
The Brewery Yard
Deva City Office Park
Trinity Way
Manchester
M3 7BB
(for Sat Nav M3 7DB)

Can you tell other claimants anything about travel and facilities for this PIP face-to-face assessment centre? Please post in the comments section below if you can.

Things like:

Distance to nearest bus stop or rail station.
Nearest parking, any disabled parking.
Distance to walk if you’re dropped as close to the door as possible.
Wheelchair access.
Toilets, including disabled toilets.
Ground floor or first floor.
Lift available.
Anything else you think might be helpful.

Please don’t comment on the staff though – we won’t be able to publish your comments if you do.

Comments

#10 Light 2017-10-04 15:56

I'm a wheelchair user. I was invited to attend at 9am on a Monday. Rush hour traffic in a busy area wasn't possible for me so I phoned to change the appointment. You can only change an appointment once so I opted for an 11.30am F2F a week earlier.

I drove alone and had to park in a local paying car park 100 yards away. Very full car park with a handful of disabled parking bays that are not marked out with cross hatching so you can't fully open your door. You need to remember your car registration plate number to enter it in the Pay and Display machine.

I couldn't access the P&D machine as two cars were parked nose to tail in front of it. A member of the public had to do the honours.

A doorman opened the door which leads to an open plan waiting room with theatre style seating facing a water cooler.

There was a queue of 4 people in front of me. I handed in my passport and water bill to check my legitimacy which they returned together with a travel claims form.

I then waited for 35 minutes before being called.I was interviewed in a small room. The assessor was chatty, friendly and listened. I didn't refer to my PIP application at all.

The assessment took 90 minut6s. I wasn't asked to demonstrate any physical activity.

The assessment was painless and entertaining.

I got back to my car 3 hours after entering. 5 days later I received a parking ticket for £60 for parking 10 minutes over time.

Two weeks after the assessment I received my requested assessors report that was correct.

The result. I will now be getting more than DLA . The first four weekly payment is made 4 weeks after the decision is made.

#9 Stephen Howarth 2017-01-14 12:05

Hi.. Has anyone got any advice re using a Mobility Scooter at the PIP Assessment..
Thank you...

#8 seabass 2016-07-18 14:38

I had my PIP assessment here last week. There are parking spaces outside of the center close to the door. I was able to park 4 car spaces away from the entrance. There is a doorman/securit y person who presses the intercom for you, to speak to reception, who on confirming your appointment open the automatic door. This "doorman" also seemed to pay particular attention to how I was walking, and looked closely at my crutch, presumably to see if it was well used. At reception you show your i.d., and are asked if you can manage an upstairs appointment or prefer downstairs. There is ample seating in the waiting area, with toilets and a water machine handy. I was seen 35 minutes late, and met by my assessor in the waiting area, and walked to the assessment room, about 20 metres, but I was not rushed or made to feel uncomfortable, in fact my assessor was quite pleasant (a smiling assassin?). The assessment lasted about 45 minutes, and focused mainly on going through my PIP2 form, question by question, and then a few basic physical movements, but I wasn't pushed to do anything that was too painful. All in all a much less stressful experience than I had been expecting, after reading some of the horror stories on this site, but I still await the outcome with some dread!

#7 LJP 2016-02-25 14:25

3of3 The onset and progression of my disabilities is ingrained in my memory and so I have no trouble with recalling my medical history. This was noted in my assessment. For anyone who has any difficulty with this sort of thing it will be really important to take a paper record that you can easily read and refer to. The fact that the best type of chair for me would be one with arms and that any information / forms to fill in and /or sign on the day of the assessment should be in large print was very clearly stated in my claim form but nothing was done to accommodate me. Finally, when I was asked questions by the assessor I was very persistent in having them clarify exactly what they meant and asked them for examples if needed. Don’t just answer yes or no, don’t give an answer when you’re not sure what’s being asked, don’t feel the need to fill in any deliberate pregnant pauses. What you don’t say may be just as important as what you do say.

#6 LJP 2016-02-25 14:23

2of3 There was no indication within the waiting area which set of doors (I saw two) would lead to the assessment rooms. As it turned out for me they were on the right hand side and were five or more metres away from where I was seated. The assessor waited at the doors for me to get to her (apparently quite impatiently). After passing through the doors I noticed a stair-lift and a wheelchair. I was told the wheelchair was for people who may require assistance to get to an assessment room. There had been no mention of being able to use a wheelchair if needed at reception. For people who think it might help them, asking for use of a wheelchair at the assessment either when you’ve been given an appointment or when you arrive, is something to consider. My assessment room was the furthest away (much greater than 20m) and, as I had chosen to walk the distance, it took me several minutes to get there. I stopped to take rests when I needed them even though I felt pressurized to “keep up with” the assessor’s pace. Why didn’t I make use of the wheelchair? Well, I don’t use one in my everyday life, so I felt that for the assessor to have a true insight into what I could / could not do it was best to replicate that as closely as possible. It wouldn’t surprise me if those of us who have no mobility issues have their assessment in the first room they come to.The assessment room itself had two “visitor” chairs, neither had arms. I asked for a replacement chair but was told that there were none available. That being so, my friend moved my chair closer to the desk in the room so that I would be able to support myself when rising from the chair which I had to do several times during the assessment.

#5 LJP 2016-02-25 14:21

1of3 The important thing I had to remember about this assessment was that it started several days before I met anyone at ATOS, not least because of the planning required to make the journey to the centre. I am partially sighted and have mobility issues which mean that seemingly easy journeys can be logistically difficult. It is also worth noting that I had 18 months to prepare for the assessment.
I travelled by bus into the city centre and then got a taxi. The taxi (black cab using GPS) had difficulty finding the centre. It would be feasible to get a bus to near the centre but this then would require a walk of >200m so if you have any mobility issues I would advise against it. I did have an offer of a lift from my home to the centre but am glad I didn’t take it up. Available parking spaces were minimal and if a taxi found difficulty finding it, what hope have drivers not familiar with the area.The taxi, having got through the car park barrier, was able to drop me within a few metres of the entrance door. Be prepared to wait to be let in. I had to buzz the intercom and wait for the door to be opened by a security officer. There are a few bollards nearby and I was able to rest against them for the few minutes I had to wait.The waiting area is a large room with several rows of chairs. The reception / signing in area is a good few metres away from these chairs and there was no chair to sit on when dealing with the reception. I was fortunate that I had a friend with me who was able to do what was necessary at reception after he had taken me to a seat. For those who have difficulty reading small print, there are no accessible formats available so be sure to take a magnifier with you (if you have one), or rely on the person accompanying you (again, if you have one).There were only a few chairs that had arms and these were located in the centre of the first row. I have difficulty getting up from chairs without support so chair arms are a necessity for me

#4 Jeanette 2016-02-09 19:18

I went to this centre today. It was difficult to find from the directions given. In fact somebody rang them while I was there as they were lost. There is a car park but has a barrier and you can't park there. The car park you are directed to close by was packed with most spaces being marked for contract parking only. We parked further along the road in what can only be described as a mud bath. And it cost £5.50 it is a long walk to the centre. If you are in a wheelchair there are ramps off the footpath but right near the centre door there is a car space so we had a problem getting the chair off the pavement as there was a car there. The door into the centre is heavy but there was a man to open it going in. They kept me waiting 40 minutes which was uncomfortable for me to sit so long. There is a lift to upper rooms but one person, being taken up, was told they aren't allowed to take you up unless they believe you could walk down in an emergency. The assessment lasted 1 hour 35 minutes and all the questions on the form were discussed. I took a copy of what I'd written on the form, otherwise I wouldn't have remembered. I was absolutely exhausted and could hardly talk by the end. One of my problems is fatigue and I felt it went on far too long.

#3 lyndamarch 2016-02-03 19:21

I had my assessment here today. I live in Bolton and did not know where this centre was. I suffer from chronic fatigue syndrome and depression. I contacted the charity for mental health issues, mhist who came along to be my witness and support me. The charity rang Asos to tell them I get panick attacks and dissorentated in unfamiliar places. Asos paid the taxi up front for the taxi to pick me up and take me back home. I had a male nurse doing my assessment. I wrote on my P.I.P form I have trouble concentrating so I don't read books now as I used to. One of the questions I was asked was, "could I read"???? I answerd that, yes I could read and write! What on earth this question has to do with M.E or depression I really don't know!!!!! This person who assessed me I felt was giving me trick questions most of the time!!! He had all the letters from my G.P and specialist in front of him, so when I first went into be assessed I automatically passed my copies I had taken to show them, but he had read all my letters and form I had sent to the D.W.P. I just felt all he was doing was giving me trick questions to try and trip me up!

#2 Gary Timperley 2016-01-28 16:49

As Gavin said, it's a wide passage under railway arches leading into the car park for this centre! very steep incline up from street level would make it difficult for wheelchair users here. A lot of our clients are initially offered early appointments, which means their journeys in from Trafford are in rush-hour traffic or on packed trams/buses

#1 Gavin 2016-01-14 21:10

nearest bus stop was around a 5 minute walk for me but someone who struggles may need 10-15 minutes. the directions neglect to inform you that theres a passage in one of the arches in the shops further down from the bus stop. parking spots where tough not many at the time arrived and left. ;oft and toilets available as well as water. ground floor and first floor appointment rooms

Refresh comments list

You need to be logged in to comment

JComments

Free, fortnightly PIP, ESA and UC Updates

Our fortnightly bulletin, with over 80,000 subscribers, is the UK's leading source of benefits news. Find out what's changing, how it affects you and how to prepare. Our mailing list is securely managed by icontact in the US.

Login FormClose