DWP over riding doctors
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Amazing post @noonebelieves . Thanks for attaching the documents used for assessments. I need to go on the consultation I might need to look and draft my answers separately as I can't quite articulate my thoughts adequately.
I also applied c Feb 2021 and was sent a lot of information re training etc but didn't further it as I couldn't even read it all. I think i had brain fog then after being dismissed from my job as deputy manager at a nursing home after having Covid very unwell in Nov 2020. I remember on new years eve an IT system used to report Covid etc at the home and just not being able to grasp it (my background for 20+ years in insurance and IT).
Even something as simple as a letter that comes I read the first paragraph or two and I'm then struggling with just following it all and have to keep re reading it till I can continue to grasp what they're on about, it is incredibly frustrating and makes me feel really thick. Sad really. I digress sorry. You have a nice day too and thanks again 😊
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noonebelieves, I only mentioned it because other members mix them up..
My experience of the DWP managing my claims is of them ignoring the recommendations of the health assessors, repeatedly. Overriding the Med3 certification. Ignoring my supporting medical evidence.
DWP once claimed to have requested Further Medical Evidence (FME) from my GP but not received it yet it's there in my file!
Any funny business is down to DWP decision-makers and not the assessors!
😞
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Back in my days of doing wca for esa I got a doctor each time. Six times in all before I started to get paper based. They passed me unfit for work each time,no hesitation. Dla was the same. Indefinite after at least five f2f with doctors.
Roll on pip... dismissed and treated like a non entity. Three times so far... all three times junior nurses. Two tribunals and an mr to win my pip back. Says it all
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@Santosha12 ,Thanks for your kind words.I can deeply empathise with your experience of “brain fog” as I struggle with exactly the same. It’s frustrating beyond words when even reading a simple letter feels like an uphill battle.
For the consultation, what worked for me was copying the 20 questions into a Word document and completing them in small chunks during my better moments rather than trying to do it all at once online. It’s far from easy, and the lack of accessible versions is a joke. Thankfully, feedback has been given, and according to the gov page, they are considering releasing accessible versions soon and hosting consultation events, so let’s hope that actually happens. The consultation is open until June 2025, so there’s time to tackle it at our own pace.
I completely understand how tough it is to be in this position. You had a deputy manager role, and I worked as a clinical lead/acting service manager, yet now you and I can barely function at a fraction of the level we once did. I’ve tried to keep one foot in the professional world by attending online meetings and being part of an evidence-based professional group, but honestly, half of it goes over my head. And when life is consumed by just trying to survive, navigating the welfare system, and fighting for our families, there’s little room left for anything else (though that’s a whole other conversation).
But as I always say, we rise above it all. We are resilient, and no matter how tough it gets, we will never stop fighting for our rights.
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You are absolutely right, @WhatThe. It’s so easy to mix things up-even professionals struggle with it, which is probably why so many health professionals start the role and then pull out halfway through training.
I’ve also had the same experience with Med3 certification. Whenever I’ve challenged it, they’ve come back with the standard line that PIP has nothing to do with work, and even in the WCA process, the Med3 is treated as more of a procedural formality rather than meaningful supporting evidence. Sadly, I’ve also experienced and heard from claimants posts where the documents you mention were supposedly sent but never actually received by the GP practice. It’s beyond frustrating when vital medical evidence just seems to disappear into thin air, especially when it can make all the difference in a claim.
As I mentioned in my post to @Santosha12, the DWP’s bureaucratic processes and policies have way too much influence on final decisions, often overriding even favourable assessments from their own health professionals. It’s frustrating beyond words.2 -
@Doglover2, I’m so sorry for everything you’ve been through. Your experience, like so many others, highlights just how broken the system is….it’s heartbreaking that disabled people have to endure the mental and emotional toll of tribunals just to be heard. I’m currently awaiting an SSCS tribunal for a UC decision, and while it’s not PIP or WCA-related, it does involve an LCWRA closure, so I truly understand the frustration and stress this causes.
Unfortunately, many newly qualified professionals take on these assessor roles because they offer better pay and work-life balance than NHS or private sector jobs, but many leave either during training or shortly after, realising there’s no real job satisfaction. Please stay strong and keep fighting. You’re not alone in this. Sending you my best wishes.1 -
Sadly, I’ve also experienced and heard from claimants posts where the documents you mention were supposedly sent but never actually received by the GP practice.
Or the request for FME was sent and returned then disregarded, as in my case..
often overriding even favourable assessments from their own health professionals.
Favourable recommendations from health assessors were repeatedly ignored forcing me to appeal every time (before the MR delaying tactic was introduced). All this did was make me more unwell and need more medication and intervention from NHS services.
😞
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Sorry you’ve had to go through this. Unfortunately, decision-makers often overlook the real impact of their choices, and even when aware, they find ways to irrationally justify them,forcing claimants into exhausting tribunal battles. Sadly, many just give up.
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