Pip telephone assessment. What are they supposed to ask you about?

lou87

Hi all I'm looking for a little bit of reassurance here i guess.
On Friday yesterday I had my first ever pip assessment over the telephone so i don't know what is normal and what is not. Are they supposed to ask you about everything you suffer with like ask you about all the questions or is it just random things they ask?? I feel lost because there's a lot of thing's i was expecting to be asked but i wasn't... the call lasted just under 40 minutes thanks for reading 

janer1967

Hi there 

They don't ask about everything it depends how much detail was on your form and evidence 

They just mainly want to quantify what you have put and fill in any gaps of info 

You can request a copy of your report after 7 working days.  It isn't the decision but will show the recommendations 

Some people just like to wait for the decision which can take approx 8 weeks 

Tori_Scope

Welcome to the community @lou87

As Janer1967 has said, they don't ask about everything, and they'll sometimes ask questions that might seem a bit 'random', but are actually related to one of the descriptors. Do you feel as though you managed to get across the information that you wanted to get across?

Well done for getting through it!

wilko

@lou87, hello and welcome, now that you have had the phone assessment you can request a copy of your assessment report and on receiving it you can work out what your award may should be. But you still have to wait for the award notification letter. If the report is not what you expected you can on receiving the official notification letter request an mandatory reconsideration. But having the report weeks before the official notification letter allows you to gather information and extra evidence to support your MR. Good luck.

lou87

Tori_Scope said:

Welcome to the community @lou87

As Janer1967 has said, they don't ask about everything, and they'll sometimes ask questions that might seem a bit 'random', but are actually related to one of the descriptors. Do you feel as though you managed to get across the information that you wanted to get across?

Well done for getting through it!

lou87

I'm not sure if I did get my point across if I'm totally honest with you ? I felt like I was completely honest and it was just so hard to go through the things that we're asked my main struggles day to day which cause me the most problems weren't mentioned now i don't know if this is good or bad ?‍♀️ i felt like I was possibly judged by some of the questions that i answered but overall I don't think it went too bad it's my first time I've applied for anything like this i was so set on going back to work but right now it's just not going to happen ? I'm suffering so bad and don't know which way to turn anymore covid is making everything 1000 times harder to deal with.. thanks for replying ? I'm new here and not sure if you get this reply 

chiarieds

Hi @lou87 - & welcome to the community from me too. If you weren't asked questions about your disability, as in diagnosis, that would be fairly normal. They tend to ask how your disability affects you compared to the different activities looked at with PIP. The main thing is that you were completely honest. They wouldn't be judging you, rather asking questions where they needed to know more, &, as mentioned above, they don't ask questions necessarily about all the activities. An assessment is difficult, as in talking to a stranger about the difficulties you face, but it has to be done, so great you've managed!

I think we're all feeling the affects of this pandemic & it can take a toll on your health & wellbeing. Do you have a supportive GP, as often they're your first port of call? We can see your reply here no problem at all....you're doing exactly the right thing.

lou87

So i don't really have much contact with my gp and that's only because I have alot more contact with my pain management team and my gastro consultant but i did have contact with my gp on Thursday who is now back off maternity leave. But the past 12 months i haven't had much contact because of being pregnant i had an advanced midwife who dealt with everything. I'm seeing my gynaecologist tomorrow so hopefully that all goes well. I'm such a closed book I've been suffering in silence not really told anybody how much I'm actually suffering due to feeling anxiety and fear of being judged ? I'm hoping talking to a stranger on here might help me gain some reassurance and confidence so i can regain my independence back ? I suppose I could just phone the pip helpline end of the week and ask for a copy of the assessors report and hope for the best result 

chiarieds

Hi @lou8 - that's good that you have contacted your GP; she of all people will understand having a baby, so you have common ground there. I hope your gynaecology appointment goes well too. Do let your GP, or gynaecologist know how you're feeling, they both should understand well. We're all here to support you too, but it's important to let your Drs know what you're going through, & I very much doubt they would judge you either, just try to find out how they could help you. You will get there, just trust yourself & your Drs..... they can't help if you don't tell them.

You don't have to phone the PIP enquiry line to find out about your assessor's report if you don't wish, rather wait for the decision letter instead. Meanwhile do talk here absolutely any time, & please let us know how you get on after tomorrow's appointment.

Cher_Alumni

Hi @lou87

I hope your appointment with the gynaecologist goes well today.  I'm pregnant too and I can truly understand how that increases feelings of anxiety, particularly in these strange times of covid-19 we find ourselves in.  It's brill that you've had the support of an advanced midwife and also your gastro/pain management teams, so make sure to lean on them whenever you feel your worry increasing.  Have you given birth to your baby now?  

We'd love to be a part of helping you regain your independence so please do feel free to share with us anything that's playing on your mind.  There's no judgement at all and I'm sure brighter days are ahead    Look after yourself and hope to speak soon.

lou87

Cher_Scope said:

Hi @lou87

I hope your appointment with the gynaecologist goes well today.  I'm pregnant too and I can truly understand how that increases feelings of anxiety, particularly in these strange times of covid-19 we find ourselves in.  It's brill that you've had the support of an advanced midwife and also your gastro/pain management teams, so make sure to lean on them whenever you feel your worry increasing.  Have you given birth to your baby now?  

We'd love to be a part of helping you regain your independence so please do feel free to share with us anything that's playing on your mind.  There's no judgement at all and I'm sure brighter days are ahead    Look after yourself and hope to speak soon.

Hey my gynaecologist appointment went really well I'm going for another scan in 3-4 months time to have a check on my stomach now I've had my mirena coil put back in. Yes I've had my baby he's 6 month's old now my pregnancy was a living nightmare but I'm so grateful for what i have hes such an amazing little boy my little rainbow after the storm ? i had a miscarriage 7 months before I fell pregnant ? so i was closely monitored during my pregnancy by a consultant and advanced midwife team they were absolutely amazing i owe so much to them during a pandemic aswell ? i had a planned c-section at 39wks and gave birth to a healthy 8lb9oz baby boy 50cm long he spent the first 15hrs of his life in the NICU unit but he was so strong and tough and was soon back with me ? babies are such a blessing ?

Tori_Scope

Congratulations on the birth of your son @lou87 I'm sure those 6 months have flown by!

lou87

Tori_Scope said:

Congratulations on the birth of your son @lou87 I'm sure those 6 months have flown by!

Yes it's flown by hes 7 months old this week ? 
He's changing so much each day and becoming so independent i want him to slow down ?

Tori_Scope

Savour every moment of it @lou87! 

lou87

Tori_Scope said:

Savour every moment of it @lou87! 

Honestly I do he's my world ?