PIP mobility confusion

Junop

I am a bit confused about the descriptors for planning and following journeys.  If someone can 'plan and follow the route of a journey unaided' then they get 0 points.  However, if they 'Cannot follow the route of an unfamiliar journey without another person, assistance dog or orientation aid.' then they get 10 points.

 

So if someone can plan and follow the route of a familiar journey unaided, but cannot plan and follow routes to destinations they have not been to before how many points should they be awarded?

Norton2018

Hi Junop... I asked the same question over and over to PIP and the crazy questions they ask...
I cannot follow a journey in my car... Can't do buses etc.. 20yrs plus...
Without my son or someone with me.. I did 10/15 years ago but with chronic conditions .. It is impossible.. If it weren't for my son.. My dla car.. Which I'd due to go end may.. Pip decision... I'd never go anywhere.. So fro may.. I am housebound... At 51...
I absolutely feel for you and yr situation.... X

CockneyRebel

Hi Junop and welcome

The question is why can't you plan and follow the route of an unfamiliar journey ?
Do you need some one with you ? if so why ?

CR

Junop

Hi and thanks for the replies.

CockneyRebel - It is for my relative.  He has several disabilities, but his cortical visual impairment and cognitive impairment combine to make it impossible for him to follow the route of an unfamiliar journey on his own.  (I understand DWP mean that this is a journey to somewhere a person has not been to before, but that it should be in the local area?)

When going somewhere new, if it is not on a public transport route, he needs someone to take him as he is not allowed to drive.  If he can get there using public transport, he needs another person with him to show him where to get off the bus, take him to his destination, point out hazards such as kerbs and bollards, point out key landmarks to enable him to find his way on his own in the future (if he will be going that way again), show him the safest places to cross the roads and show him where he will need to get on the bus for the return journey.  Without this help, he would not attempt the journey. 

He has a limited visual field and struggles to see objects against a busy background, so that if he doesn't know where to look for an something, he is never likely to see it without someone pointing it out. If he knows where to look for, he can see it. 

Once he has completed a journey a number of times (with help using mobile phone), he can then follow it on his own without getting lost and much reduced risk of trips/accidents.

 If he is somewhere completely unfamiliar, such as on holiday, he will not go anywhere on his own at all.

I am trying to find out what should happen if a person meets more than one of the descriptors with differing amounts of points.  Are there any rules as to whether they should be awarded the higher or lower points?

CockneyRebel

If they meet the descriptor for the higher award that is the one that should be awarded.
So, He can follow the route of a journey once he is familiar with it but not when it is a new route or journey

therefore
descriptor 11 d applies. Cannot follow the route of an unfamiliar journey without another person, assistance dog or orientation aid. 10 points

CR

wilko

Again CR is right but it proving the fact that the person cannot follow a new route without help. As this is the last part of the assessment the accessor has already formed their opinion of the person by the answers given to all the other questions. Difficult one what they think and you, we think are miles apart.

whistles

I got enhanced 12 points for the journey side.
Remember it says  planning and following.
If you can't even plan you can't follow it either, because you haven't managed to plan it.

As the above poster says be aware that what you write on the rest of the form applies to the mobility or not, by the time you get to that. The assessor is forming a view of what you can and can't do by the time you get to that question. 

Reliably- 

This means:

• safely in a way that is unlikely to cause harm either to you or anyone else, either during the activity or afterwards
• to an acceptable standard
• repeatedly as often as is reasonably required
• in a reasonable time period - should take you no more than twice as long someone without your condition 

Junop

Thank you.  It gives me confidence to try an appeal. 

On the CAB website, 1d says 'cannot follow the route of an unfamiliar journey' nothing about planning which my relative cannot do either.

We have already provided evidence to show he is not able to follow an unfamiliar journey, but obviously this has been disregarded. 

Possibly because from the face to face:

1) he was 'observed to have adequate near and distance vision whilst wearing glasses'.

 2) he was 'observed to have adequate memory and concentration and to have no cognitive impairments'

 

I am finding PIP an extraordinary process.  The assessor decides seemingly at random which parts of the interview to hear and believe, and draw incorrect conclusions based on wrong or incomplete information and their own misconceptions.  Unfortunately other people are then making decisions based on these conclusions which are life changing to the applicants involved.

susan48

Seems the assessor make the same assumptions about the same questions,!!