It is normal for a PIP assessor to ask about my criminal record? What can I do if I found them rude?

Kadanlee

I had a assesment for pip today over the phone some of the questions they asked was weird do u have a crimal record and about my past etc I suffer with gad she didn't even know what that was I felt like a crimal she spoke quiet rudly and I cryed after about bringing my past up u need help they make u more depressed and anxity worse if it wasn't for my partner helping me do thinkd ie going shop for me helping me two my meds keeping track on r money etc I don't go out now for nearly a 9 months thinking of putting a complaint in but scared it might screw me over and what made things wise she was doing th call at home due to covid 19 but she had her child in the room ment to be privite 

poppy123456

Hi and welcome,

I'm sorry to hear that you found your assessment very stressful. Unfortunately it's all part of the assessment process. They have to ask you all those questions because they are trying to get the full picture of how your conditions affect you. This includes bringing up things from your past that you're not happy to talk about.

Thankfully that part is all over with now and hopefully the decision won't be too long.

If you wait a week you can ring DWP to request a copy of the assessment report to be sent to you. This will give you some idea what the decision is likely to be because they mostly go with the report.

Kadanlee

Thank u poppy didn't know they could ask about crimal record and do u think they should be rude

poppy123456

They shouldn't have been rude, i agree. Although it is very hard to tell through a phone call whether that was just their tone. Yes of course you can make a complaint by contacting the health assessment providers.

They can ask all about your past because that's part of the assessment, they will want to know how your conditions affect you.

Kadanlee

She got very afessive when I asked why they ask this question and I have a hard anoth time with anxity as I get lot of head pains and tightness in head and arm pains etc and it been reli bad tofay

poppy123456

They have to ask you those questions because it's part of the assessment. That's most likely the reason why she reacted the way she did because you questioned why she was asking those sort of questions. I'm sorry it was difficult for you.

Try and put that part behind you now because it's all done with. Hopefully the decision won't be too long and you'll be successfully awarded.

chiarieds

Hi @Kadanlee - & welcome to the community. I'm sorry to read about your PIP phone assessment; the apparent lack of understanding, & how their tone came across as rude, & how having to talk about your past was so  understandably upsetting.

As Poppy has said, they do ask all sorts of questions in order to find out how your disability affects you. It's not an easy process, but you've got through your assessment.

Making a complaint against your assessor won't affect your PIP claim, but is perhaps not the best route to currently explore as it won't help you get the PIP award you deserve either. Perhaps wait a week, then ring the DWP to get a copy of the assessor's report first as suggested. Please keep in touch & let us know what that says. One step at a time, & try to relax now, if you can.

Tori_Scope

Hi @Kadanlee!

I'd also like to welcome you to the community. I'm sorry to hear that your experience with the PIP assessment phonecall was upsetting, and that this has made your anxiety worse.

Just to let you know, I've moved your post into the PIP category here on the community so that more people will be able to see and respond to your post. 

You might also like to have a look around the mental health support section of the site, and I found a thread on tips for dealing with anxiety, which might be helpful for you in the meantime?

Tori

cupcake88

Hi there and welcome I had mines bout 2 weeks ago and she didn’t ask if I had a criminal record . She asked me the same stuff over and over again and in different ways . Mines was actually nice she kept telling my partner off because I kept walking  off Leaving him to answer but she was nice to me .

i understand it’s not nice taking bout the past was your claim for anxiety  ? I also suffer with mental illness . She asked me bout when I was in a abusive relationship years ago because since then If when I developed serious mental illness over time so she was very interested in hearing bout my time in a women’s refuge which brought up some awful memories . But they had to ask tho questions .

im sorry yours was rude I really hope you get the help you deserve . All you can do is answer there questions the best you can . 

Kadanlee

I have gad which she didn't understand and  when I asked her why u ask them questions she got rude about it I have suffered for a long time but the problem with mine I hit my head with my hand and punch my self 

cupcake88

I’m sorry to hear that did you explain to her how your illness affects you ? Because with pip it’s how your illness affects you .

im sorry the phone call wasn’t great . There very stressful situations 

Kadanlee

I did she didn't care

cupcake88

How long was your call for ? I can imagine it was stressful I found mines also hard . I know it’s hard because I’m doing it my self worrying but you never know how it went . 

You should be able to call up and get your report when they have it . I haven’t been so lucky in getting my report I’m gonna have to wait till the decision letter comes threw post and even then I won’t open it I’m gonna get my fella to open it for me .

poppy123456

They don't need to have any medical knowledge of any conditions because it's not a medical. It's an assessment about your functional ability.

It's the claimants responsibility to make sure they fill out their form with as much information as possible about how your conditions affect you. There's never enough of time during the assessmenr to tell them everything.

cupcake88

Did You manage to include all you could in your form ??

Tori_Scope

Hi @Kadanlee

I'm sorry that she wasn't understanding regarding your GAD, I can only imagine that this made the situation much more stressful for you. 

I'm concerned to hear about you hitting your head with your hand and punching yourself. I understand that this may be an outlet for you when you are frustrated or anxious, but do you have any alternative coping strategies that you could turn to instead? You could download the free distrACT app to help. This gives you easy, quick and discreet access to information and advice about self-harm. There's also some useful information on how to avoid self-harm on the Mind website, which contains some safe alternatives for when you're feeling the urge. 

I hope that the replies on here have been useful, and have made you feel a little less alone Please let us know if you need any more advice or support from us.

Tori

Kadanlee

My call was 1 hr 15 mins  it was very stressful and o cryed after I hope o get it my partner cares for me all the time but I fill useless and hate relying on her  and what I didn't lik she was assessinge from her home and her kid was in the same room felt like no pricey 

poppy123456

The HCPs are working from home at the moment because of Covid19. I know it's not ideal but thankfully the assessments are still able to go ahead otherwise no one would be assessed at all.

I know it's all a very stressful process but please try to relax. You've done all you can for now.

Kadanlee

Thank u for all advice if it wasn't for Ur help I don't know what o would do to get help and advice

janer1967

Hi @Kadanlee Welcome to the community from me too, I am sorry you had such a bad experience with your assessment.

As mentioned try and forget it for now until you get your report, then maybe the time to complain about the assessor but from what I have heard complaints dont get very far

I agree though that while assessments are done at home I dont feel it is acceptable that a child is present and that you could hear them in the background, it is not giving you the privacy you deserve and also could be distracting for the assessor.

This is only my opinion though which others may disagree with

Keep us updated when you get your report

mikehughescq

Interesting. It is less than ideal when a child is in the room but unless the phone was on speaker then there’s unlikely to have been any breach of confidentiality. It’s also useful to know that most HCPs are part time and if this is their sole form of income then their choice is between working with no childcare or having no income. I think most of us know exactly what we’d do in that scenario. 

That aside I’m reading about what sounds like a fairly typical HCP assessment,ENT where the condition itself and the anxiety about the assessment has gotten in the way of the assessment itself. I’ve not read anything which would make me think “ooh, that’s got to be a complaint”.

Cher_Scope

Hi @Kadanlee

I just wanted to check in with you and see how you were today? I hope you are having a nice weekend and are feeling more relaxed