Hi, my name is sara477! I was hoping they could do a paper assessment. I need support

sara477

Hi. Just posting is a massive thing for me to do. I suffer from severe mental health issues and Part of my issues I find it difficult to talk to people. I sent off my pip review last month and I received a text on Friday to say that they have received my pip review and they may need me to attend a health profession consultation. I take medication for agitation for when I have to speak to anyone outside my small bubble. I was hoping they could do a paper assessment. I just need support. 

janer1967

Hi and welcome 

Well done for posting 

It is possible to have a paper based but they are quite rare but do happen 
Most people are having phone assessments 

sara477

Hi. Thank you janer1967. I’ve been reading and following the scope conversations regarding pip reviews and you all do a great service in supporting people who are concerned and worried regarding pip reviews. Is there any updates on how long they take. 

janer1967

They are still facing huge backlogs and it seems from other posts it is taking on average around 6 months from start to finish

chiarieds

Hi @sara477 - welcome to this friendly community. It's great you've managed to join, & you'll find everyone will make you feel most welcome. If you wanted, you could have someone with you for support if you do get a phone assessment. I don't know if that would work for you, but the assessor's don't mind. Thank you for joining us all, & do ask any questions you wish.

sara477

I was just hoping with the evidence I sent with my review regarding my ICU admissions after an overdose and evidence of suicide attempts and self harm and being an informed patient on two separate occasions on a mental health unit ( all admissions I was never in hospital for more than twenty days) they would realise that I struggle to speak directly to anyone. It’s a huge stress for me. 

janer1967

Fingers crossed you may be one of the lucky ones 

I had paper based for my review as they said the info and evidence was all they needed to make a decision 

sara477

Thank you janer1967. I’ll update you all whenever I hear anything. 

sara477

And thank you chiareds. I can’t believe I’ve spoken to people. 

Tori_Scope

I'm glad the above replies have been helpful @sara447 And well done for posting! 

Are you currently receiving support for your mental health? How are you doing at the moment, other than the understandable anxiety surrounding your PIP assessment? 

sara477

Hi Tori-Scope. I have support from my family as I have telephone appointments with my consultant physchatrist. I had help filling in my pip review forms and sent them a month ago. There was a mental health nurse that said to another patient that as long as your not in hospital for over 28 days then they didn’t need to inform the Dwp. I hope that’s correct as I haven’t told them. 

calcotti

sara477 said: There was a mental health nurse that said to another patient that as long as your not in hospital for over 28 days then they didn’t need to inform the Dwp. I hope that’s correct as I haven’t told them. 

For hospital stays you can be paid PIP while in hospital for up to 28 days. However if you have multiple stays the length of each stay is added together if the time between stays is less than 28 days. Days of admission and discharge are not counted as days in hospital. If you start a claim while in hospital payment will only be made from the date of discharge.

https://www.turn2us.org.uk/Benefit-guides/Going-into-Hospital-and-benefits/Benefits-that-stop-being-paid-if-you-go-into-hospi

sara477

Thanks Calcotti. Leading up to my second informed admission into the mental health unit I was in AE a few times due to my family and paramedics thought I wasn’t going to stay safe during a crisis but I’ve added them together and it’s under 28 days. I would also like to say that apart from my family and health professionals, talking to all of the lovely people on this platform has been the first time in 12 years that I have had conversations with people outside my very small bubble So I’m so thankful.