Hi, my name is coffeetable! 0 points awarded on my PA4 form

coffeetable

Hi lovely people,

My appointment is next week, and Ingeus has scheduled a telephone consultation. I requested a recorded consultation, and they informed me that if I record the conversation myself, I can keep the current appointment. However, if I want them to record the conversation, I may need to wait, as there are limited slots available for recorded consultations.

They clarified that I can record the conversation myself and keep the appointment. But if I'm requesting them to record it, that’s different, and I’ll need to wait for a new appointment, as there are currently no available slots for recorded sessions.

Is there any significant difference between these two options? Should I go ahead and record it myself, or wait for a new appointment for them to provide the recorded consultation?

Jimm_Scope

It will mean they won't have a copy of it themselves essentially. I am not sure how they are recording the calls, so I cannot say why there must be a delay.

Do you have an easy way of recording the call yourself? I know most smart phones do now but figured I'd check 🙂

coffeetable

Thanks for your response. I understand that I can record the call myself, but as you mentioned, Ingeus wouldn’t have a copy of it. This could be an issue if I need to raise a complaint or ask them to refer back to the recording in the future. Having their official recording would ensure there's a mutual record that can be referred to by both parties, which could be important for transparency and accountability.

Because of that, I think it might be better to wait for an appointment that includes their recording, even though it means waiting a bit longer.

What do you reckon?

coffeetable

It seems like the Scope Community forum is no longer active. Can someone please guide me on how to unsubscribe from this forum?

Albus_Scope

Hiya @coffeetable and welcome back!

We're still very much alive and active here. Sorry no one had been able to answer your question. I'd say the choice is totally up to you. But maybe someone else has a better solution?

coffeetable

Thank you for your response. I have subscribed to Benefits and Work forum which is very useful. I was told to email community@scope.org.uk to delete account.

chiarieds

Hi @coffeetable - I remember reading your previous comments here, & have looked through them again today.

I don't know that it matters whether you have your assessment recorded, but, of course, doing so yourself is useful for you to remember what has been said. However, don't put too much importance on what may end up in an assessor's report, as that will just be their opinion.

What matters now is what you say in your assessment.

May I add I also suffer from osteoarthrosis (OA) & am a retired physio too. I had no medical evidence when I went through claiming PIP, & this is why it doesn't matter; I'm sure your wife will agree. An X-ray, or MRI scan may show degenerative changes, but, some people can show significant changes & not have much pain, others will show far less changes, but be in considerable pain. So, put say 20 people/patients who have OA in a room, & they'll all be affected differently. Therefore, as poppy (honeyhoney & rubin) have all tried to say, your own evidence is the most important. For each of the activities/descriptors that are relevant to yourself, please give those couple of recent, detailed responses as to exactly how you're affected, & if you can do these reliably.

You should let the assessor know how you are most days, as they look at how you are the majority of days. If you say for example 'sometimes' this happens, it sounds a bit vague. Think about how many days in a typical week you would have problems doing such activities reliably.

As I say, we're all affected differently, for example, although I have osteoarthrosis in the majority of my joints, this is due to the hypermobile type of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. Unlike yourself, I can wash all parts of my body easily, as my joints are still mostly hypermobile. You can't, which makes me wonder if you have problems washing the lower part of your body, then do you have difficulty in dressing/undressing the lower part of your body, so you could look at this activity too.

As far as preparing a simple meal goes, you have previously mentioned that you can use a stool. An assessor may then presume you could complete this activity with this aid. So, even if using a stool, is there anything else that prevents you doing this activity? If so, please say.

Lastly, I wonder who has said to delete your Scope account? You are most welcome here & we'd all hope to hear how you get on. Although of course you can seek help elsewhere, I'd hope you would look back through all the help here that poppy & others have given. poppy knows an awful lot about benefits; there's not many that know more. Wherever you look for help, remember we are are all here for you.

WhatThe

I thought Jimm's response was adequate. Posting another comment was a good move because your question was bumped up to page 1.

The only way you can be sure there's a recording of the consultation (whenever it takes place) is to make one yourself.

coffeetable

Thank you so much @chiarieds

for your thoughtful and detailed response. I really appreciate the time and effort you put into going over my situation. Your advice is very helpful, and I’ll definitely keep it in mind for my assessment. It means a lot to know that you are here to support me. Thanks again for your kindness and guidance!

Thank you @WhatThe for your advice too.

chiarieds

You're very welcome @coffeetable - wishing you all the best, & kindly keep in touch.

Jimm_Scope

Sorry it took some time to get you a response @coffeetable, I'm glad we (the community) were able to help you in the end! Best of luck and do let us know how you get on.

coffeetable

Update:

I had my telephone appointment yesterday, and it lasted more than three and a half hours. I was told it would take another hour or more to finish. I felt overwhelmed and exhausted, so I said I couldn’t continue as it was taking the whole day. They advised me to book another appointment in the coming days to continue.

I was repeatedly asked if I have good hearing in my right ear, even though I wear a hearing aid on my left. The assessor also mentioned that I didn’t seem to struggle during the phone call, as I answered all questions without asking for repetition. I explained that I was using headphones, allowing me to hear through my right ear. However, she kept insisting, 'So, you can hear without trouble.' I pointed out that a phone call with headphones on isn’t the same as real life, where I don’t constantly wear headphones to communicate face-to-face. She seemed unhappy with my response.

WhatThe

😲

chiarieds

Hi @coffeetable - & thank you for the update. I'm sure you must have felt exhausted after such a long assessment, & I'm sorry it's not completed. I hope you get another assessor to finish this, as it seems like she didn't properly understand your hearing problems. Hopefully it's soon all over, but you've done ever so well in trying to explain your problems.

Your keeping in touch is much appreciated 😊

Rosie_Scope

Sorry to hear it went on so long @coffeetable, that does sound exhausting. It's frustrating how much you have to go through sometimes to be listened to. Thanks for updating us anway. I hope they're satisfied by the second appointment and you can get it all sorted without much more stress.

WhatThe

it lasted more than three and a half hours

This is disgraceful!! How can they be allowed to keep anyone on the phone for that long, for a health assessment ??

coffeetable, did you ask for it to be recorded? I'd want to check that the assessment is to continue rather than be repeated..

coffeetable

@WhatThe When I asked Ingeus about the time taken for the assessment, they explained that if the assessor is unsatisfied with an answer, they may spend more time to obtain it from me. Yes, the assessment was recorded, and I have requested that the second appointment also be recorded. They assured me they would include a note in the system indicating that the assessment should continue from where it left off rather than be repeated. The customer services said they would send me the recorded CD posted to my address.

@chiarieds Yes, I felt exhausted after such a long assessment.

@Rosie_Scope Yes Rosie, that's not fair at all. How could they expect someone to answer a phone call for such long time.

To all members,

The assessment began with questions about my home, including details like the number of bedrooms, bathrooms, whether the bathroom is upstairs or downstairs, who I live with, if I have children or parental responsibilities, any pets, and how I manage shopping. I was asked if I shop in person or use online shopping due to my condition. The conversation then shifted to my job, which took over an hour. After more than two hours discussing my health conditions, work, family, aids I use, and so on, she asked about familiar and unfamiliar journeys.

Although I clarified that I wasn’t requesting points for mobility, she insisted I answer the questions. Then, we moved on to cooking abilities. I explained that due to my upper limb issues, I can't prepare meals with uncut vegetables, but I can make simple meals like pasta with pre-cut vegetables. She asked if I could make toast; when I said yes, she concluded that I could cook. I clarified that I couldn’t prepare full meals, only simple ones. She seemed unsatisfied, saying, 'So, you can make toast.'

I'll provide an update after my second appointment.

coffeetable

Update: No progress.

My second appointment, scheduled for last week at 11 a.m., was delayed. The supervisor called to inform me that no health assessor was available at that time but that one should be free by 1:30 p.m. She apologized and asked me to wait. I explained that I was feeling anxious, couldn’t wait that long, and had chosen the 11 a.m. slot because 1:30 p.m. is usually when I take a nap. She suggested I nap and return at 1:30, but I had just woken up and didn’t want to wait around. I mentioned I might call customer service to rebook, and she said she’d try to find an assessor immediately.

After an hour, an assessor contacted me, stating he saw that I’d already covered nearly all activities but wanted to review everything quickly. I objected, explaining that repeating the same information would be difficult and potentially inconsistent. He agreed to call back to continue, but I never received a call.

I followed up with Ingeus to complain, and they rebooked the appointment for the end of November. They noted in the system that I’d already covered most of the activities, but mentioned that assessors cannot access previous notes. I’ll need to clarify this at the start of the interview to avoid repeating information. I’m frustrated, as any new details I might mention could create contradictions or errors, which is only natural.

karen19862

Fingers crossed for you x

I've just had a second refusal, new claim so done yet another mr, the reasons for refusal this time is that I can smoke a cigarette and hold a driving licence, I've everything crossed for you as I know how awful the procedure is. Fight all the way x

karen19862