Refused PIP

Trisha44

Hi, thanks for having me here. I'm a divorced 52 year old living alone (in UK Northern Ireland) with agoraphobia and other mental illness which has plagued me for most of my adult life. Capita took my DLA off me and I've been refused PIP as i cannot leave home for the face to face assessment. I did ask for a home visit but they refused without a reasonable explanation as to why, and I got all the doctors letters they asked for which so far have cost me £45. I thought I would maybe see if anyone here had the same problem and how they tackled or coped with it.

chiarieds

Hi @Trisha44 - Welcome to the community. I'm sorry to read about the problems you're facing with your mental health & benefits. I'll ask to see if some others may be able to help you. @thespiceman & @poppy123456 may you both offer some advice here, please?

thespiceman

Hello   @Trisha44   Pleased to meet you .
Thank you for joining and sharing.
Sorry to hear this.
I am one of the team of community champions.  We guide, advise and help members who join our community.
Please can I ask are you getting any support with your mental health. You may need to access support with your assessments and benefits.
A lot of charities do this, I am sorry to hear you have paid for letters from your Doctors.
You could have applied on line. Doctors most of them have websites called Patients Access or other names. Where you can actually down load any medical records if you need to.
Understand you use this for ordering medications.
Which are delivered to you by local pharmacy.
Make appointments.
As you live in Northern Ireland I would look at any charities there to help you.  If you having problems please let me look on line for you.
https://www.mind.org.uk.
Could be a possibility.
A lot of the charities are local .
I have mental health issues my self and do know need to get some support.
Have done so, I can recommend it as it will help you cope and deal with your issues.
Most charities use coping methods and strategies  to deal with mental health, CBT is another one..
Please I would ask your GP to refer you to a mental health charity. I would consider this as many add do a lot of other things such as wellbeing, just looking a t sleep, meds and anything else.
Including addiction.
You mentioned being refused home visit sorry to hear this . I am sure there should have accepted your request.
Please can I add do have a lady here on our team maybe can explain a little more for you.
@poppy123456    whose  knowledge and expertise very good might able to ask any questions that you may have.
Please if I can help with anything further please get in touch.
Please take care.
@thespiceman

thespiceman

Hello   @Trisha44   Details of services Northern Ireland mental health.

The following may be of use to you.

Action Mental Health 
Telephone 028 9182 8494
Northern Ireland Mental Health Association.
Telephone 028 7963 2984
Inspire Mental Heath Services.
Telephone 028 3752 8771
Mindwise 
028 7963 4834
Hope those help you.
Please take care.

@thespiceman

Trisha44

hi, thank you for the replies. I had no idea there were charities to help out with these issues so I had never looked before. I do actually have a key worker and psychiatrist now after almost 20 years of trying to get help. my doctors have not been very sympathetic about my mental health and so far I've been diagnosed with bipolar, then that diagnosis was removed and replaced with BPD, which was also removed and now i have the diagnosis of anxiety. I'm not sure how long i will have anxiety as they keep changing their minds and tell me it's something different again. Apparently it is also normal to hear voices and see things that nobody else can see or hear (both of which scare the living daylights out of me) but, so im told, i shouldn't worry about these as its normal     my doctor always charges for letters and they dont have the downloadable service you mention, i tried to get the app on my phone but it just said it was not available, (might be different for NI). I will check out the link you sent me and see if they can offer any advice as im at the end of my tether right now. Thanks so much for the help you have given me, it is very much appreciated, (and nice to feel like someone is listening).   

poppy123456

HI and welcome,

As you were refused PIP for failing to attend the assessment then you now have 1 month from the date of that decision to request the Mandatory Reconsideration (MR) you should put this in writing stating the reasons why you didn't attend the assessment.

If that MR decision remains the same then it's Tribunal after that and the Tribunal will be based on failing to attend the assessment. If you win at either stage then you will need an assessment after that, so this isn't going to be an easy process and it could potentially be very long.

It maybe worth your while starting a new claim. May i ask when the decision was made on the PIP please?

Also may i ask if you attend other appointments such as your GP or hospitals? If you do then this can go against you when requesting a home assessment because they can say that if you attend other appointments then there's no reason why you can't attend the assessment centre.

You say you had letters from your GP, did any of those letters state the reason why you can't attend the assessment centre? If they didn't then they will need to state this. As for any other evidence from a GP then it's really not the best evidence to send because a GP will very rarely know how your conditions affect you against the PIP descriptors.

Do check out the links that my friend @thespiceman has put for you because there are advice agencies out there that will help you.

thespiceman

Hello @Trisha44   Thank you for  kind words and reply.

I used mental health charities a lot of the time. I know a lot of mental illness is coping day to day. Even though have a key worker or  psychiatrist . They should have helped you more looking at other support.
You are not alone with this problem, just because you have these medical professions does not mean still looking or finding ways to deal with any issues.
I have had mine thirty years on going used a lot of small steps. In some charities lots of opportunities to heal and what they call recovery. All the time looking at ways to help, instil and make your own decisions the tools to cope.
I have addiction history with anxiety, depression mainly anxiety know there are ways to cope. Use lots of my own education learning all the time. Use this forum a lot, also many other factors often put bits on here.
Been clean twelve years use that to help those like me.
One of the ways is looking at diet, nutritional and fitness. Wellbeing and health.
I actually used my recovery from addiction to get qualifications in nutrition, food science .
Anxiety sufferers do know certain things need to be avoided Caffeine   is one in chocolate, coffee and tea and cola.  It is the same a alcohol get anxiety reach for the caffeine .
Any thing like alcohol avoided immediately. When we are anxious we reach for a drink, then another to reassure our selves. 
Then we need to take action, I can advise on that if you experience anything like that.  Have knowledge f rehab and other support happy to help and support you.
Also a diet in certain foods aids the mind, anxiety such ad B vitamins, leafy greens, Eggs, whole grains pulses and Pasta. Lean meat another one and Fish plenty of Vegetables, fruit.
We know that anxiety causes missed meals and get into anxiety states cooking and add to that OCD.
Anything I can help and advise please do happy to.
I am also saying with any mental health charity they will do this. Look at the whole picture. Something they do. Including sleep and meds. In one case will help you with any of that some times the meds that your on are not the right ones.
I used an advocate in a one area I live because these meds were not helping, yet he is the Doctor I know nothing. Your entitled to good mental health, not happy say so find what is right for you. If I can be supportive ask me anything.
Please consider looking at wellbeing your health small things do help. Happy to help recipes, ideas or food solutions.  
Called the recipe King also use herbs and spices for anxiety health, learnt this over a long time.
I would always speak to your GP or team who does any diets or nutritional in your surgery. I say this just as I know some times might not be for all due to food intolerances and allergies. Just know my suggestions ideas are helpful . Always best to consult any medical professional whether exercise or diet changes it very much keeping them in the picture and you safe.
Some herbs, spices can interfere with meds.  Supplements known ones.  As many do not contain the actual ingredient not much of it and it a waste of money.
Please take care.
Please keep in touch
@thespiceman

Trisha44

poppy123456 hi and thank you for the reply.
when i received the appointment to attend the consultation, my daughter phoned pip and told them i could not leave the house, and requested a home visit. i can attend my doctor as the surgery is only a few minutes walk from home but i cant go alone. My daughter accompanies me which is the only reason i can go this short distance. i don't even go shopping, i buy my food online and have it delivered. pip told my daughter i needed to get a letter from the doctor stating i was agoraphobic which my daughter got for me and it was sent off. they then asked for more information from the doctor which i got and then again they wanted a third letter altogether totalling £45. last week i received a letter from Capita stating my PIP was being revoked due to not attending the face to face consultation, there was no other reason given. the office i would have to go to are in the city center and i have not been there for over 20 years. if i was forced to go there, i would have a complete meltdown. i was supposed to go for a breast screening 2 years ago as i have lost quite a few family members due to breast cancer, i could not even attend something which could potentially save my life. this is the second time ive been through this fiasco.  3 months ago capita revoked my money, and i got a phone call from pip asking me questions after which they reinstated my money and now it has started again. i wont go to a tribunal and if it comes to that, i will just give up, and after a few suicide attempts, my mental health is bad enough and i dont want it to get worse again by stressing about money. thanks for the advice though, i have more of an idea now what will happen.

emmarenshaw

Hello @Trisha44 , welcome to the community.

poppy123456

It would have been better for you to have rang the health assessment providers regarding the assessment because PIP don't deal with appointments. Did you send the letters from your GP to the health assessment providers or to DWP? they should have been sent to the health assessment providers.

You could also quote the EA2010 to them. See link. https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/law-and-courts/discrimination/about-discrimination/equality-act-2010-discrimination-and-your-rights/

Trisha44

it was all done by my daughter on my behalf. i cant talk to strangers either so my family do all that for me, im pretty sure she sent them to DWP as she was instructed to do so and given the address where to post the items.

poppy123456

They should definitely not have been sent to DWP because they have nothing at all to do with the face to face assessments. Who ever advised her to do this, gave incorrect advice. It's out of DWPs hands until the assessment report has been returned.