PIP telephone assessment urgent help required

ilovechickpeas

Hi, 


 I need advice  regarding my upcoming pip assessment on the 6th of April at 1pm. I have a few questions I’m hoping the community will it able to help.

1) regarding prescription medication 

Would it be a problem if i know longer take medications for my mental health condition depression/anxiety   that I've been prescribe in the past   , 

Instead of my medication prescribed by my GP 
i now take natural supplements and vitamins because of the fear of side effects from prescription drugs, I switched to other alternatives 

also, my doctor and counsellor recommended to me St John Wort which is an natural alternative to anti depressant drugs. 

i found other alternative therapies and supplements  that have helped and it has less side effects and it works for me.  

The alternatives supplements I take  are similar to my anti depressants and my anxiety drugs but without the major side effects. 

So my question is would that go against my claim for PIP because I no longer take the prescription medications given to me by my GP and instead I’m taking natural supplements I brought over the counter ? 
I just wanted to know will this go against my claim for pip if my medication list i put on my form  has changed and what the alternatives  I'm taking now should i mention this to my assessor  ?

I have listed  on my pip form all of the medication I was prescribed in the past by my GP as well as all the natural herbal medicines alternatives I have purchased over the counter. 

2) Do you offer advocacy support? I need someone to help prompt me during my pip assessment because sometimes when I’m really anxious my mind goes blank and i struggle to express my thoughts. It would be a major help if I had someone supporting me who I can add to the call . 

3) will I be able to cancel withdraw my pip application if I decide not to go ahead with the health assessment on the 6th, would that impact me in anyway if I decide to apply for pip in the future at a later date, If I withdraw would it cause any issues? 

poppy123456

PIP isn't about the medication you take. It's about how your conditions affect you against the 12 PIP activities. Yes, you should tell them that you no longer take any medication prescribed by your GP.

Unfortunately, scope do not offer any support during your assessment. In fact, i'm not aware of any advice agency that offfers such support either.

If you don't attend the assessment then your file will be returned to DWP and you maybe refused PIP.

No, this won't affect any future claim.

I totally understand how stressful these assessments are but once it's done that's it. You've come this far, you may as well continue with the assessment.

ilovechickpeas

Thank you for the response, I’m grateful for this community, unfortunately I don’t have a friend or family to help me. It’s a little complicated so I need to deal with it all on my own. 

I do have a few other questions and perhaps I’m overthinking it , and that’s kinda causing me to withdraw and cancel my health assessment. 

I’ve been having sleepless nights just thinking about the assessment , is it even worth the hassle and stress? I read a lot of bad experiences online on scope’s forums with the ill treatment and unfair decisions made by  capita and DWP.  

Would there be any consequences of me withdrawing my application and cancel my appointment? To be honest I’m in two minds with it all. 

poppy123456

One of the worst things you can do before an assessment is go onto any internet forum and read all the stories. You'll mostly read the bad ones because if someone's had a decision they're happy with, we don't hear their story. The majority of people claim PIP without any problems at all.

haffyali said:

Would there be any consequences of me withdrawing my application and cancel my appointment?

As advised here.

poppy123456 said:

If you don't attend the assessment then your file will be returned to DWP and you maybe refused PIP.

No, this won't affect any future claim.