When (if at all) does a Heath Care Professional read PIP2 form in its entirety?
Hi, new member here. I am a retired lawyer and am trying to help my sister (along with Welfare Rights) to go through the DLA -PIP transition process. My sister has chronic depression and anxiety and has been under the care of local community mental health team for 20yrs.
Heard good things about this forum and would like to seek member comments re the following:
We have prepared, but yet to submit, what we believe to be a relevant, honest and detailed PIP2 form including some 25 pages of additional information - mainly re how her disability effects her in respect of the 5 daily living activities that are relevant to her circumstances, a diary, a support letter from me and some relevant medical evidence, well a support letter - from her senior consultant psychiatrist, who also recommends a paper based review as he feels that a F2F assessment will distress her and potentially worsen her condition. Our welfare rights adviser has said that our submission is one of the best they have ever seen, has bespoke and good examples re how my sister is affected, and uses all the correct DWP buzzwords such as reliably, majority of the time etc etc.
I was in contact with a DWP Case Manager last week (not the person who will in due course be assigned to my sister's case) and had a somewhat bizarre conversation re how our upcoming request for a paper based review would be handled. The Case Manager tried to be helpful, but when I asked about the screening process that would be carried out to determine whether a paper based review could be justified given the nature of our detailed submission, he gave a disturbing answer. He said that the form would be scanned, sent to Capita and a F2F assessment arranged. I remarked that he hadn't answered my question and I queried if a 'human being' would in fact immediately establish whether a F2F was even warranted given the exhaustive nature of our submission etc, He then admitted that the process is largely automated. I then asked if a Capita HP or a Case Manager would ever read our detailed submission and requests. He said yes, but only after the HP had completed their F2F assessment. I then said that this sounded unjust and that I would find it hard to believe that a HP (who I understand have only approx 1 hour to do their entire assessment) would have adequate time to comprehend some 25 pages of detailed statements re how my sister's disability affects her, and, if appropriate then amend / override the descriptor point scores which will have been robotically churned out from the PIPAT software system used in F2F assessments. So, I said to the Case Manager that I though his answer was unreasonable and that in all likelihood our detailed submission would be overlooked. He then said well if it is not read, and/or we were not happy with the assessment outcome then there's always a Mandatory Consideration. I then expressed my outrage at such an apparently unjust system. In response he said a lot of people are negative about the system, but that's simply due to scaremongers, and he said to re-assure my sister that she should not believe all the scare stories !
Given the above we are wondering what is the point of going to all the effort of submitting a detailed submission if it is for main part going to be ignored in the first instance. Yes it may help if an appeal were in due course necessary, but that represents such a waste of public money and will in any event distress my sister. The whole process seems to be flawed.
Apologies for the length of this post, but members thoughts or personal experiences re the following would be appreciated:
1) When (if at all) does a HP read the PIP2 form, in particular if it contains many pages of additional (albeit relevant) information ?
2) What could be done do make sure that a) our request for a paper based review is actively considered, and b) her detailed submission is reviewed BEFORE a F2F is arranged, or starts? Welfare Rights are somewhat intrigued by this and say they have struggled with this dilemma for years - they have suggested that I get the name of Case Manager (who will be assigned to my sister's case once PIP form is registered) and pester them about the issue and our reasonable request. That's assuming that it will even be possible to speak directly to the appointed Case Manager. They also suggested that if there is a F2F and the HP asks their usual third question - explain your typical day - that my sister (or I who will accompany her) just simply refer he to my sister's diary whcj was submitted with the PIP form. To a large extent most of the typical F2F questions asked by HP's (e.g. Do you go to the supermarket or the local shop?) are already answered in the submission and it may be easier just to keep referring the HP to the PIP form that they should have read beforehand.
3) My sister has no problems with mobility, but if the HP has not read her PIP form before a F2f assessment starts then why waste times asking mobility related questions !?
4) ,,, or are we being overly cynical, and overly negative, and is the Case Manager correct to tell my sister not to believe all the scare stories. I doubt that people go on to forums such as Scope to report good PIP experiences. So are good experiences the norm and bad the exception, and therefore just a small % of claimants are being unlucky?
