PIP phone Assessment

rubyred71

hi hi all,
I had my first phone assessment for PIP today and although I was thinking I was doing alright, towards the end of ‘questioning’ I felt the assessors attitude changed to be a bit more firmer which I found a bit strange and uncomfortable. She also made a big thing out of the fact I work and kept asking how I cope at work with my anxiety. She also phoned me back to ask  if I’d ever self harmed or had suicide thoughts, I said no to both but I felt completely put on the spot because my 10yr old was in the room with me. I doubt I will be awarded anything. 

poppy123456

They do sometimes ring back if they have any further questions to ask. I think it's impossible to speculate anything at this stage. Once the report is written and returned to DWP a decision can take anything up to 12 weeks.

Adrian_Scope

Good morning @rubyred71 and welcome to the community.
You mention that you understandably felt put on the spot because your child was in the room with you. I can imagine it really impacted how comfortable you were speaking openly and honestly.

As part of our safeguarding policy here, can I just very quickly check if you do struggle with suicidal thoughts and self-harm at the moment?

rubyred71

Thank you for your concern Adrian. I have had dark thoughts in the past but not for some time and I’ve never acted on them. I feel in a much better place now and I have a fabulous support network. I also work in MH so have access to professional support if I needed it. 

Thank you again. 

Adrian_Scope

Thanks for explaining @rubyred71 and I'm really glad to hear that.