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We want to hear from you: please tell us about your experience of the online community.

First sick note

PerceusP

Hello Lovely People

I have been a carer for 12 years for my 93 year old dad at his home, until last year. He was admitted to hospital with kidney problems, contracted COVID and sadly died after a long lingering illness. It was painful to watch.

During this time my older sister was being evicted from her house. She's been in poor health for a while. So, when asked I let her temporarily stay with me, whilst she found a new home. Last month she also died at home with me.

Whilst all this was going on, my 10 year relationship also ended.

I'm currently going through Probate. I will have to sell my dad's home, where I live, because it has a mortgage.

My Income Support and Carers allowance payments ended on my dad's death and I made a claim for Universal Credit, which went through and has been paid.

As you can see from those events of losing both my dad and my sister, losing my partner and losing my home, I have been suffering with depression, anxiety, grief, lack of sleep, not eating and panic attacks.

I have been on antidepressants for nearly a year now. I burst into tears at the slightest bit of help I get. I pretty much only have my nephew to help me practicality dump my sister's and my dad's stuff. Everything has got on top of me to the point I saw the doctor this morning and she has given me a sick note for 2 months for depression.

I have been transferred to a new office and have a standard meeting with my work coach planned for today.

What should I expect from them when I present my first sick note?

What reasonable job seeking tasks will I be expected to undertake?

I am very anxious and as I say nervous about the whole situation.

Thank you for any helpful advice in advance.

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Comments

Hannah_Alumni

Oh no, I am so sorry you geared yourself up for it to be cancelled! I also hope you are not left waiting too long for the reschedule.

PerceusP

Hannah_Scope said:

Oh no, I am so sorry you geared yourself up for it to be cancelled! I also hope you are not left waiting too long for the reschedule.

That's ok 🙂

I've just received a phone call to advise me that my video assessment scheduled to be held tomorrow, Thursday 22nd has also been cancelled and will be rescheduled to a new date, due to my papers (I think they mean the UC50 form that I completed and returned) having not been transferred internally in time.

I'd prepared my papers ready for the call tomorrow, so at least I've used it as a dummy run.

Hannah_Alumni

Hopefully you'll have tomorrows appointment rescheduled quickly!

PerceusP

Hannah_Scope said:

Hopefully you'll have tomorrows appointment rescheduled quickly!

I have a face to face assessment tomorrow morning at 9am.

Wish me luck!

PerceusP

Ignore the above.

Phone call from the Assessment Centre to advise that my papers had not been transferred yet and tomorrow's assessment has been cancelled. I will receive another invitation to another assessment in the future.

PerceusP

Some thoughts on this please. 🙂

I've been claiming Universal Credit since December 2022.

My doctor gave me my first sick note on the 13 March 2023 and I have a current sick note through to 3 October 2023 for depression. I also have malignant hypertension, hearing loss, tinnitus, sciatica and a ganglion that needs excision.

I'm currently awaiting a date for my DWP UC Health Assessment, which keeps being cancelled for various administrative reasons by the assessment service.

I see my doc regularly each month. I'm on 30mg Mirtazapine for my depression,16mg Candesartan & 5mg Bisoprol Fumarate for my malignant blood pressure and Otomize ear spray for a reoccurring ear infection.

I'm on the NHS waiting list for Interpersonal Therapy IPT for my depression. I have an ENT consultant follow up appointment next week for my ear. I'm seeing the physiotherapist in August about my sciatica. I'm on a 3 month wait list for new moulded hearing aids for my hearing loss.

I'm having to sell the family home I'm currently living in, as it belongs to my father, who died last year. Whilst he was dying, my elder sister was being evicted from her home, so she came to stay temporarily. She died in front of me this year. I have 11 rooms of both my dad's, sister and nephew's personal effects, with no car. Dumping stuff is a nightmare.

My best friend has been in hospital for over a month now.

My support network is almost nil.

I'm trying to stay ok, but it's a struggle. I just wanted to set the scene for my question.

I attend fortnightly face to face meetings with my DWP Work Coach.

At my last meeting with my Work Coach, now what's the right word to use here, 'pressed me firmly' into signing up to a DWP Health and Work Programme. In my area it is run by The Shaw Trust.

https://shawtrust.org.uk/what-we-do/whp/

My Work Coach didn't have much detail except to explain to me 'that they help people like you to get into work'.

Based on that scant information, I told my Work Coach that I would consider it, to which my Work Coach replied that "I don't think that you're in a position to turn this down"

Anyway, after that meeting I immediately went to the local Shaw Trust offices to find out about the Health & Work Programme they run. It does indeed sound supportive and great. But, I don't feel well enough in myself yet to get the most out of it. My mental and physically health is simply not great. It looks a wonderfully supportive initiative. The people are caring and supportive.

As I said, I have not had my UC DWP Health Assessment yet either.

So my question is:

MUST I accept this DWP referral, whilst I'm still awaiting my UC DWP Health Assessment and with a sick note through to October 2023, to The Shaw Trust's Health & Work Programme?

Or can I politely decline?

Thank you. You guys do a wonderful job and your support is appreciated.

poppy123456

When claiming UC you are classed as a job seeker until a decision is made on the WCA. It’s a work coaches discretion to either turn off or reduce work commitments, some do and others don’t.

If you have problems attending appointments because of your health conditions then you can ask for telephone appointments as a reasonable adjustment.

Hannah_Alumni

Hello @PerceusP

I just wanted to comment my condolences on the loss of your father and sister. I saw you said you don't have that much support around you. Should you ever need to talk to someone whilst you wait for the NHS therapy, organisations like MIND and SHOUT are fantastic to talk to.

I also hope the community can be a great support for you.

PerceusP

poppy123456 said:

When claiming UC you are classed as a job seeker until a decision is made on the WCA. It’s a work coaches discretion to either turn off or reduce work commitments, some do and others don’t.
If you have problems attending appointments because of your health conditions then you can ask for telephone appointments as a reasonable adjustment.

Thank you, Poppy.

That answers my question.

Much appreciated.

PerceusP

Hannah_Scope said:

Hello @PerceusP

I just wanted to comment my condolences on the loss of your father and sister. I saw you said you don't have that much support around you. Should you ever need to talk to someone whilst you wait for the NHS therapy, organisations like MIND and SHOUT are fantastic to talk to.

I also hope the community can be a great support for you.

Hi Hannah

Thank you for reaching out. It is appreciated.

Asking for help and getting it, is the hardest thing I find to do.

I've been reaching out to the Samaritans, when I've needed a chat.

My doctor suggested contacting the local Vicar to have a chat to too, which I'm going to do.

I just find the enormity of dealing with the loss of loved ones, the change in my work role, moving home and dealing with my own health overwhelming. They're big issues for anyone to deal with individually and collectively. I know millions of people do that everyday of the year, it's just for the first time in my life that I'm struggling. I'm the person that people come for help and now that I need help, I've found the system and my family & friends unsupportive, which although hasn't surprised me, has made me sad, but there you go.

So once again, many thanks for reaching out.

Hannah_Alumni

Hello @PerceusP

You've had a lot on! I hope the move went well? A new work role sounds exciting too! Hopefully that overwhelming feeling will settle as you get into it more. I completely understand where your feelings are coming from. You said "I know millions of people do that everyday of the year" but it's hard and with grief too, I hope you are getting the time to take care of yourself.

I'm glad you have chatted with Samaritans and that you are going to have a chat with your local vicar too

It sounds like you have a supportive community with your GP and Vicar where you feel your family and friends haven't been. We are always here too

L_Volunteer

Asking for help can be really difficult, indeed, @PerceusP. It takes and shows a lot of courage – especially when you are finding things really challenging and going through so much. How does it feel to reach out to the Samaritans and local Vicar? We are all here for you to support you the best we can. Please do let us know if there’s anything, in particular, we can do to help

PerceusP

Thank you both for your lovely words. It's much appreciated. ❤️

PerceusP

I wanted to share a positive story about my DWP Health Assessment, which I've finally had today.

Like many here, I was very anxious about the assessment. I only slept 4 hours last night.

Anyway, having read all of the comments about assessments, I went fully armed, with not only my medical letters and reports, but my pills, prescription, diary of a typical day, history of how my depression started and what I've been doing to help me, setting out what I could and couldn't do now.

The assessor was kind, listened to what I had to say, noted everything down. Then she asked if I had had any help preparing for the meeting, so I mentioned the Scope forum and she smiled and said that that was a very positive thing to do.

I have a mix of both depression and extreme high blood pressure. She said that whilst she had documented the physical ailments I have, that she had more than enough information about my mental health to pass on a positive report to the decision maker. I appreciate that it is they that make the decision, but I left the dowdy civil service office block upbeat about the future.

Whatever the outcome, these forums are very useful on a practical level. I feel that I went with too much, rather than too little. Which was great. Far better to be able to refer to a letter in front of you, than one sitting on a mantle shelf at home. I was able to paint a picture of declining mental health, against a backdrop of seeking help from the doctor, therapist, family, here and even the vicar got a mention.

For anyone with one coming up, my advice would be to prepare in advance. Save all of your health letters, texts , emails, anything. Take everything. Write a diary or a journal. If you didn't go out yesterday and that was down to your mental health, say so. If you have side effects from your pills, say so.

I appreciate everyone's assessment is different, I just wanted to share mine and give hope to those of you out there, who are worried, that yes, it is a daunting task, but by preparing, you will be ready for those questions the assessor will ask you.

PerceusP

Today, through my journal, I have received notification that I have been placed in the Limited Capability for Work and Work-Related Activity (LCWRA) group.

Thank you to all of the Scope team, who contribute to these forums. The advice you give, has been so helpful to me. It's helped me get through this very anxious period for me.

I've gone from surviving on nothing to receiving this award, which will help me move home, start dealing with my mental health issues and start a new life.

I am so very grateful.

Adrian_Scope

Firstly, congratulations on your award @PerceusP, it's great to hear what a positive impact it'll have on your life.

I also want to thank you for your kind words about the community, the team and our members are all amazing and I'm so glad they were able to help you through this process.

I also appreciate you taking the time to update us with the outcome and sharing your experience of the assessment. We don't hear a lot of positive stories as most people post when needing help so it's good to have that balance and I'm pleased to read that your assessor was It sounds as though the assessor was kind and you came away feeling listened to.

PerceusP

I read the UC forum before I posted my first sick note with the DWP, because I wanted to try and share my journey 'through the system', as a user not knowing what the outcome would be.

I'm lucky that English is my first language and I am savvy about public authority processes. Lots of people have neither, so I wanted to share my story, to give hope to others.

The system can be navigated more effectively by asking questions on here, by reaching out for support and by being prepared for the very anxious tasks of dealing with the DWP and the Work Capability Assessment.

Please don't sit at home and worry and scrape by, like I did. If you're in the same situation, as I was, and are reading this, reach out to the lovely people at Scope. I found reaching out the hardest part of my mental health woes, but I'm so pleased that I did. I felt empowered going into my WCA with all of my papers, from all my health care professionals, because of the information in these forums. I know others will have a different and possibly negative experience, but my advice is to create a thread and ask on here if you're unsure about any aspect of your UC and WCA. The advice on here is sound and helpful.

Best of luck to you, if you're about to start or go through the process.