Pip telephone review sprung on me out of the blue. I keep thinking I did badly. Anyone else?

nollie

Hi . I filled in my pip review award forms last month and sent them off.
Out of the blue dwp have just phoned me to ask me questions regarding the form i filled in.
Well infact three questions really.
1. Do i need prompting day to day.
2. How do i manage or plan a journey.
3. How do i manage with social interaction.
The phone call only lasted 7mins 13 secs then he said that i had done really well on the phone and i will get my decision in 7 to 10 ten days.
I cant stop thinking that this call was sprung on me and i was unprepared and that they asked me the same questions that i already filled on the forms.
Ive now got negative thoughts such as did i come across too well , was the call so short because my answers didnt come across well how my illness affects me , were they trying to catch me out trying to see if i was confident on the phone.
Iknow its silly but thats the problem with this illness you are constantly ruminating negative thoughts.
Has anybody had a similar experience?
Thanks for listening
Neal

woodbine

Happened to my OH last review, call out of the blue from a DWP DM lasted all of 10 minutes and renewed no problems.
Its human nature to be negative about these things try and stay positive if you can and
good luck

nollie

@woodbine
Cheers thanks for the kind words

Popdiva43

i hated my telephone assessment,i wish they would of seen me face to face,i told them the things that i possibly couldnt do,but put in report i could,so i got zero points on everything.

nollie

@Popdiva43
Sorry to hear that but yeah you are right.
I think it is unfair to call out of the blue instead of a making telephone appointment and i also think it is unfair to have mental health pip review over the telephone.
I hope you took it further!!! 

Caz_Alumni

Hello @nollie.

I suppose, on the plus side, at least your telephone assessment is over and done with? That's not me being dismissive at all. Just trying to put a positive spin on things, and maybe help you think a bit differently about the process. 

As you can see as well, other community members have had a similar experience with the time taken for the assessment. So, hopefully, that's useful for you to know?

In terms of how you're feeling now and your ruminating thoughts, do you have any of your own tried and tested ways of helping you to get through that? Any activities that you've found useful in the past for helping to take your mind off things? If not, then perhaps you might want to have a look at MIND's tips on self-care for anxiety, to see if any of those suggestions might work for you? I know there's one or two things in there that have helped me with my problems with rumination in the past.

Fingers crossed, you won't be waiting too long to find out more. Keep in touch and let us know how you're getting on.

Popdiva43

hello @nollie.im now in the process of taking them to tribunal,and next week i also have an lwcra assessment

chiarieds

Hi @nollie - I think we've all worried about how we've done with PIP assessments however long, but that's human nature. Try not to think about it too much, Neal, if you can.

cupcake88

Do pip call you out the blue for reviews ?  They should really give you notice . Try not to worry I know it’s not easy we all worry when we see that brown dwp envelope lol but think positive I’m sure every thing will be fine please keep us updated xx

woodbine

I think this was a case of a DM contacting as opposed to a full tele assessment.

janer1967

Exactly the same happened to me for my last review 

Tbh I saw this as a positive not having to go through the whole assessment process 

The dm did however give me her decision there and then and awarded me enhanced for both 

She said there was no point in doing assessments for the sake of it when it was clear from the form and evidence that an award was justified 

nollie

Thankyou Username_removed
Totally unhelpful and i dont take kindly to being patronised especially points 3. and 4.

I know its me not them.......illness = irrational thinking
Twisted nonsensical view.....illness = irrational thinking

My post was me offloading like you would to your partner or family member but as i am on my own i thought i would write my thoughts and feelings down and how i was feeling about the experience.
You dont Know how i have been treated, my experiences or my dealings with the dwp or mental health services over the years !

"Twisted nonsensical View" I find outright offensive and plain rude
Please dont communicate with me again ive had enough of the "get a grip brigade" all my life.

calcotti

Username_removed said: If you explicitly don’t wish to read posts from me then please use the ignite button 

The joy of auto spelling - an ignite button would be a wonder to behold!

Cher_Alumni

Hi @nollie

I can understand how receiving an unexpected call from the DWP would make you feel caught off-guard.  Ideally, prior notice would have given you time to mentally prepare and reduced your rumination about ‘what if’s’.  I completely get that feeling and hope the resources @Caz_Scope signposted to you helped. 

As Mike describes it appears to be a tricky balance administration wise for DWP staff due to conflicting priorities.  With backlogs of claims there’s an onus on speeding up processing, while on the other hand there are the individual needs of claimants to take into account.  I’m not sure what the answer is but these, and discussion around perceptions of DWP, are more general points of debate - not intended as personal attacks - so just a general reminder to keep comments in line with the friendly ethos of our community (please see our house rules).

If for any reason you don’t wish to see another member’s comments you can put them on ‘ignore’ so you no longer see anything they post.  To do this, visit your ignore list and add that member’s username. 

Wishing you all the best with the outcome of your claim and please do let us know how you get on.  Good luck. 

Popdiva43

im glad so many people have been awarded pip,but to me mine was and still is depressing,i had my phone assessement on the 27th of january,ive had my condition still july 2020,my condition is osteoarthritis in both hips,i have lld,and these conditions affect my knees,groin,lower back,and basically pain all the way done to my ankles,i have to use crutches to get around,my daughtre does all the cooking,cleaning,and helping me to get in and out of baths,wash my hair,etc,i told all this to assessor on the phone,ive now been referred to specialist,im constantly pain feeling low,as for 15 years i was ahomecarer,now im been looked after,yet im not entitled to a penny.

woodbine

nollie said:

Thankyou Username_removed
Totally unhelpful and i dont take kindly to being patronised especially points 3. and 4.

I know its me not them.......illness = irrational thinking
Twisted nonsensical view.....illness = irrational thinking

My post was me offloading like you would to your partner or family member but as i am on my own i thought i would write my thoughts and feelings down and how i was feeling about the experience.
You dont Know how i have been treated, my experiences or my dealings with the dwp or mental health services over the years !

"Twisted nonsensical View" I find outright offensive and plain rude
Please dont communicate with me again ive had enough of the "get a grip brigade" all my life.

I don't think Mike was being patronising he was in fact telling it how it is, he may come across as being direct and to the point but I see that as a strength not a weakness. He is without a shadow of doubt the most experienced benefits advisor on this forum and gives his own time freely to help people. @nollie I hope you get the award you expect so good luck and let us know how it goes?

Cher_Alumni

@Username_removed Ahh I see, thanks for taking the time to give us that explanation. As someone with no prior insight into PIP's 'behind the scenes' processes it's helped me, and I'm sure our other members, grasp a better understanding of the issue.

I do remember the Child Support Agency and yes, I'd be inclined to agree - that's not a prospect I think any of us would want.