Greenbank Centre
Ripon Street
Preston
Lancashire
PR1 7LY
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
Good sized carpark with plenty of Disabled Bays and ramp access so that I could use my mobility scooter. There is a disabled toilet in the main waiting room but the examination room was a surprising distance down one of several corridors that run off the main area.
Overall I found the experience quite positive and my assessor was helpful and sympathetic. Despite this I did inexplicably become emotional when she was summarising my conditions even though she had neither said or done anything to cause such a response.
Having read about the nightmare situations some members have found themselves in when dealing with ATOS I was pleasantly surprised that I had no issues,
In fact, after a honest exchange with the assessor I was awarded the standard rate of Care component when I only received the lower rate with DLA so I potentially could have been one of the many losers had it not been for your Guides.
Sadly, I believe this process is too dependent on the disabled person's verbal and written communication skills so it is important to seek help if you are not confident in this area.
The centre is easily accessibe and has disabled parking and wheelchair ramps. The waiting room us large and ALL sets are overseen by the receptionist.
The interview rooms are all on the ground floor, and a fair walk.
I saw the same female assessor each time. She was VERY thorough but pleasant and a good listener.
My regular tears and confusion were taken on board, and the physical exam took full account of the pain it caused.
All in all it was positive.