Refused a letter and information by my consultant. He is still of the understand DWP contact him.

Lorraine01

I have had heart bypasses, stents ect since 2010. I am still having heart issues. My consultants scretary told me first the he refuses to do a letter. DWP contact him. After speaking to his secretary again now a shamles and in tears she agreed to speak with him again. I had a email tonight attached was the last letter my consultant wrote to me....not very informative. Since then i have had the heart put under stress. Yet again my gp and the hospital has not sent me a report or findings about this. I really do not know what to do about this.....this is one of my main health conditions. Can they refuse? Please help.

Lorraine01

I spoke to his secretary, his secretarty emailed him.....his response was DWP contacts him so no. I explained to his secretary its all changed now so tonight i recieved a email with a letter back in May with not a lot of info on and not up-to-date. I have had heart bypasses, stents and then more stents as my body rejected them. I am so worried as my heart and long term ongoing issues with it is one of my main health issues. Please help. I dont think i have any hair left. Pointless phoning back up

poppy123456

HI,

PIP isn't about a diagnosis, it's how those conditions affect your ability to carry out daily activity based on the PIP descriptors.

You can request your medical records from your GP. It's free to receive digital copies but any paper copies you require then it's possible you'll be charged for those. There maybe something in those you could use.

pollyanna1052

I recently sent in my PIP claim and it did say in the notes that GP letters are not required, if there`s a cost. don`t get them. They will contact them if needed.

poppy123456

The reason why they say this regarding GP letters is because they aren't the best evidence to send. A GP very rarely knows how your conditions affect you against the PIP descriptors.

They very rarely contact anyone for any evidence, the onus is on the claimant to make sure evidence is sent.

Chloe_Alumni

Hi @Lorraine01 and a warm welcome to the community! I hope this has answered your question. If you need help with anything else then please do let us know

Lorraine01

Thank you all. Its all a complete nightmare......Not just for me :-(

Joanne_Alumni

Hi @Lorraine01. 
I just wanted to echo what @poppy123456 said. I hope your claim is successful, but if you do go to appeal and the tribunal think there is not enough medical evidence, they can request it. I have been to tribunals with people where this has happened. They can postpone the hearing until they get the information.
@pollyanna1052 is also right. Don't pay for information. The DWP can ask for it if they need it.
Good luck with your claim!

poppy123456

Yes DWP can ask for evidence but this rarely happens. It's the claimants responsibility to prove they qualify and not DWP.

Joanne_Alumni

@poppy123456 is right, it is rare! It is usually at the appeal level that information is requested.

Lorraine01

Thank you all for your replies. I had my assesment at home today. It lasted 2hrs 20mins. Plus two people arrived not one. I am so glad my carer was there for support. I ended up totaly confused and shut down mentally. Just far to much

Adrian_Scope

Hello @Lorraine01. That was quite a long one! I'm sorry it was so hard for you and I'm glad you had your carer there to support you. How are you feeling today?

gruber

Joanne_Scope said:

Hi @Lorraine01. 
I just wanted to echo what @poppy123456 said. I hope your claim is successful, but if you do go to appeal and the tribunal think there is not enough medical evidence, they can request it. I have been to tribunals with people where this has happened. They can postpone the hearing until they get the information.
@pollyanna1052 is also right. Don't pay for information. The DWP can ask for it if they need it.
Good luck with your claim!

I believe that the system for obtaining medical records has changed. The Tribunal will ask you to get them and send them to the Tribunal - the Tribunal no longer do the work for you.