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Hi, my name is balln! Am I better off appealing looking for tier 1 ill health retirement?

balln

Hi I so hope you can offer me advice / signpost me

I am employed as a band 7 team leader secondment / band 6 substantive post mental health nurse NHS .

I had a car accident as passenger Aug 2021

Whiplash - suspected fracture wrist , neck pain , shoulder
Long delays several misdiagnosis
gained diagnosis of FND Feb 2022 .
I was off sick 4 months after accident - went back phased return on secondment Band 7 had to interview for it for adjustments so could manage . Didn't work couldn't manage .
Sick since Feb this year .
Symptoms increased unable to work challenges in hearing speech and communication bowels bladder balance walking using both hands together , using phone , reading taking numbers down bladder , tinnitus , hyperacusis , tics ,fatigue problems swallowing pain headaches just a few of my daily symptoms . It is a rollercoaster .

FND although more common than thought is not understood and is a disorder that borders neuro/psychiatry
NICE guidelines try to keep patients in secondary services - I have been assessed as needing specialist secondary service assessment
It unfortunately has a lot of stigma attached to it with health professionals dismissing and not believing at times

STAGE 1 meeting no reasonable adjustments - support aids would allow me back to work at this time , no other option than ill health retirement .

I have worked for NHS since 1987 , always full time , I am now an older member of the work force being 53
I have been in the pension scheme for 32 years part in 1995 and part in 2015 - i lost mental health officer status
I have just found out i have been declined ill health retirement tier 1 and 2 as they say I have 11 years to retirement age and although i am 16 months on from accident and there are no local services for FND am on waiting list for London , likely another year wait they say I have ample time to receive treatment , they feel the probability is if i have treatment my incapacity would improve .

My symptoms have worsened significantly as time has gone on - one link is the stress of all this . My neurologist says I have advanced symptoms and they are difficult to treat . I have mobility, sensory and speech issues

. My understanding is I can appeal the decision , I would be looking at that they have not considered the fact that treatment for FND is prioritizing myself and I cannot go back to mental health nursing and do any type of caring role especially linked to the stress of this type of work . This had not been focused on in my application

What I am asking is :

There are no local services for FND and my personal claim cannot find me professionals to see me either - I am not confident that individuals within pensions have full understanding of FND and feel this could have affected the decision as well - DO I raise this

- Am I better off appealing looking for tier 1 ill health retirement acknowledging not had treatment yet and submitting evidence re unable to return to any like job in future linked to nature of disorder and need to prioritise self

- Am I better off forgetting this and letting them sack me, i dont know do they keep job open for a while without pay ? and then if after future treatment issues remain unable to regularly work appeal / reapply for pensions then . This would mean I would need to go onto benefits and as I am over the savings threshold would get little benefit for about a year

Everything I have worked for and believed in has come crashing down , 35 years of work - damned hard work a vocation a public servant and I am not going to benefit in any way at this time - going onto benefits scares the hell out of me.and frankly Im going to be so badly off , I know lots of people find themselves in this position

The other issue is whilst I am off waiting for treatment my professional nursing registration will lapse - and I will not be fit enough to have completed work hours, training and written validations to reenter the register NMC ? How does this work if their saying off you go and get treated and if ok come back ! how would i be able to?

Im sorry its a bit ranty just feeling bewildered , scared and alone - noone advises , getting info off of services is so difficult

Is it really as clear cut as above
I understand what they are saying re time for treatment and they cannot say it is permenant at the moment
Is there not a responsibility somewhere morally ? other than paying me my notice period and AL not taken

For my sanity and recovery - being retired for me was about drawing a line under it and the need for me to be able to live life differently to be able to stableise and better manage this dibilitating and distressing disorder without being sick

I thank you for any advice you can give me

With thanks

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Comments

durhamjaide2001

Hi welcome to the forum unfortunately I can't really help you with benefits but I can welcome you to this community our community expert @poppy123456 will answer in the morning. For now I would advise you to go and enjoy New Years Eve in the coffee Lounge and if you have any questions don't forget we are here to support you as best we can.

Cartini

durhamjaide2001 said:

Hi welcome to the forum unfortunately I can't really help you with benefits but I can welcome you to this community our community expert @poppy123456 will answer in the morning. For now I would advise you to go and enjoy New Years Eve in the coffee Lounge and if you have any questions don't forget we are here to support you as best we can.

Poppy doesn`t like being tagged and she has notifications turned off.

chiarieds

Hi @balln - & welcome to the community. I'm so sorry for what you've been through, & admit I'd feel as disgusted as yourself if I'd worked 35 years in the NHS & could lose my registration through ill health. That, & the apparent lack of understanding about FND, which should be acknowledged literally as your brain not 'functioning' as normal, rather than any bias towards a psychiatric disorder. Undoubtedly stress may exacerbate problems with FND, but the same can also be true of many, many other disorders.

May I ask are you waiting to go to the National Hospital for Neurology & Neurosurgery?

Other members will know more than I, but there are a couple of UK websites which may be helpful if you haven't come across them already: https://www.fndhope.org.uk/about-fnd-hope/fnd-hope-uk/

https://www.fndaction.org.uk/

To help other members may I ask have you looked at acas? : https://www.acas.org.uk/

About benefits, as you mention you are over the savings threshold, have you checked with a benefits calculator such as here?: https://benefits-calculator.turn2us.org.uk/

Personal Independence Payment (PIP) isn't means tested, & isn't based on a diagnosis, rather the functional difficulties you may have safely performing some of the 12 activities that are looked at; have at look at these here: https://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/asset-library/personal-independence-payment-descriptors-and-scores-april-2022.pdf

Hoping some of this is helpful, & that other members will help you further.

Sorry, but your message was quite long, & I apologise if I haven't got the gist of all of it, however as a long retired physio, I wanted to reach out.