Telephone interviews

Lycia

My partner had a phone call today without any warning from Independent Assessment Services to conduct a reassessment interview.  He is Autistic and struggles with using the phone and speaking over it.  I phoned them back and they said, without much apology, that it was one of their health professionals and this time offered an appointment for a phone interview this coming Saturday at 2.10 pm.  They also advised me I would not be able to speak for him unless I was an appointee.  It appears this is a long process and I can't even get through to the DWP to start this process.  It just feels to me like they are trying to ambush him and cut him off from support for the process!   I have written to our MP in disgust (if that ever actually helps).   Do we have any rights around this or can they do what they want?  

janer1967

Hi and welcome unfortunately you can only speak for him if you are his appointee as you said 

Were you his appointee for his last assessment or was this f2f 

You can still be there have the phone on speaker and you can prompt him some assessors do let you talk to give more detail if he is struggling but depends on the assessor 

In my experience MP dont really offer any support 

poppy123456

HI,

Re-assessments like this are perfectly normal and most people have them. Face to face assessments have been suspended since the first lockdown and telephone assessments have taken their place.

These assessments have nothing to do with DWP. Sometimes the HCP will allow you to speak for the claimant during the assessment if you're not his appointee but some won't. This doesn't mean you can't be with him during the phone call and he can still put the phone onto loud speaker.

His current PIP award will continue until a decision's been made on this review.

Lycia

janer1967 said:

Were you his appointee for his last assessment or was this f2f 

I'm sorry, I don't understand what f2f means.  I was allowed to accompany him on his initial face to face interview and to speak during it.  

cupcake88

Was this for a review ? I would of thought they would send you a letter . Can they just call you out of the blue to reassess you ? 

My partner was allowed to speak to them but they wanted to speak to me mainly they would ask him to put me on the phone but would let him answer some things when I started to get really anxious . 

poppy123456

f2f = face to face.

cupcake88

Face to face I think that means 

cupcake88

When was your partners assessment originally was it recently ? Is this a review ?

Lycia

His original assessment was about 2 years ago, even though he has a lifelong condition they only gave the award for 18 months.  This is a review.  His most recent letter from the DWP said that the reassessment would be delayed.  Then today he gets a phone call asking him to do the reassessment interview then and there.  Because he was nervous and thrown out they said they would ring back another time.  We only have a fixed appointment now because I rang them back to complain that this was unacceptable to just ambush him like this.  I was present at the first face to face interview and was allowed to speak.  I also provided a Carer's assessment for the current reassessment.  I am registered as his carer with our GP.

cupcake88

I would of thought he would of got a review form ? Is that normal not to get a review form ? And just a phone call . Did he fill out a review form ? 

Yes my partner is listed with my gp he has permission to speak to my gp and my nurse regarding my health care . 

I found that that my assessor wanted to mainly speak to me even tho I hardly made any sense that day . 

I wish you both good luck with the review . 

They might give a longer review time to your partner this time . 

I was given just over 2 years . I don’t see my self being well in a years Time but I suppose they given shorter length awards at first , 

poppy123456

There's a lot of people that have life long conditions but still continue to be reviewed. There's no life time awards for PIP like there were for DLA.

Back at the start of the first lockdown reviews were suspended and they were just assessing those that had previously been contacted. Reviews are now back on although there's lots of delays. People are having theire awards extended but this doesn't mean they can't still review you unfortunately.

Regarding todays phone call. He should have been sent a letter for that appointment but im assuming he didn't receive anything. If a mobile number was put down on the the form they would have sent reminder texts.

As advised, he can still put the phone onto loud speaker and although you were told today that you can't speak for him, this doesn't mean the HCP on the day will refuse.

Lycia

I can confirm he wasn't sent a letter giving forward notice of a telephone interview.  He had a missed call yesterday at work, that might have been them.  He did not receive any texts to advise a call was coming.   We were expecting he would have a review at some point, we were not expecting it to be without any forward notification and them just ringing up without making an appointment first.

poppy123456

The letter may have got lost in the post which can and does happen. Good thing you've been able to change the appointment time.

mikehughescq

You are entitled to 7 days notice. Insist upon it.

cupcake88

But don’t you get review paper work ? To fill out the forms or do you some times Do you not get review paper work ?

I thought they asked questions to what you filled out on the form ? Or  am I just confused .

lucky he was able to make another appointment. 

poppy123456

cupcake88 said:

But don’t you get review paper work ? To fill out the forms or do you some times Do you not get review paper work ?

I thought they asked questions to what you filled out on the form ? Or  am I just confused .

lucky he was able to make another appointment. 

Yes, review forms are sent before any re-assessment takes place.

mikehughescq

Not necessarily. There’s no obligation to send a review form out before a review. They now have a vulnerability marker springing to life on files and that enables them to go direct to the HCP assessment; quickly gather what they need and then make a decision.

soconfused

I had my ex partner as my appointee - When my next review comes up it's going to be hard to explain everything - so I am keen to see how you get through it in the end. But best of luck don't let them bully you. My HCP was not worth the paper her Quals were faked on. 

cupcake88

@mikehughescq if they don’t send a review out how you supposed to know ? That panics me to think that they just randomly call you for a assessment with no notification I have mental illlnesses so I would need my partner there to help me on the call . 

cupcake88

But surely they have to let people know there gonna have a re assessment especially if it’s before your expecting to have a review 

cupcake88

I’m really worried now that this might happen to me . Does it happen a lot where your made aware of a review ? 

cupcake88

I’m not due review till mid 2022 but they can happen at any time and it worries me that you don’t have he sent a form or be told just phone last minute . 

mikehughescq

It’s not random. A vulnerability marker indicates that form filling is not appropriate and a letter then comes from the HCP advising that you will be contacted for a telephone assessment.