PIP assessment and mental health

miracle · March 2019

Hello, i have just read your article. It is though you are dealing with a machine (one size fits all). Let me explain. You have one person at ATOS, who is supposed to be multi-skilled. In other words, they have a solid knowledge of all the different problems, of each person that they interview. The raw facts are, that they are working from a protocol, that is drawn up by so called medical professionals at the DWP. The reason that i say, that they are like a machine, is that each person that they interview, has a totally different set of circumstances, than the next person whom they interview. You cannot apply something, that is the same for each person. Physical disabilities and mental health disabilities, are two, totally separate issues, which should be treated totally separately. So the PIP Assessment, should be split into two categories. One category should be with a specialist psychiatrist, for those with mental health issues. And a normal doctor, or specialist nurse, for those with physical disabilities. I can give you an example of how flawed the system for PIP interviews is. My Sister-in-Law, has the mental capacity of a 6 year old. She has had her benefits withdrawn, because she can walk for more than 200 metres, She can walk up steps. She can shower and clean herself, etc. All the questions, that she was asked, had nothing to do with the fact, that she has got mental issues. My brother has had to take over her finances. She had been given a credit card. that my brother did not know about, and rattled up a £6000 debt. When my brother asked her about the debt, she replied that the bank had given her the money, and that she did not owe the bank anything. My Sister-in-Law:s mind, is like Alice in Wonderland. She is not a danger to anyone, and has a heart of gold, but has no perception of the real world. The question i ask is:- Can the ATOS medical professional, really see whats going on in her mind? Does the medical professional have a full history, from birth, of her mental awareness? This is just one example, of many thousands of people, with varying aspects, of mental health issues.

Antonia_Alumni · March 2019

comment by @michfinch I welcome Amber Rudd’s statement today that the PIP Assessment may not be suitable for people such as myself with Mental Illness - Epilepsy and Depression plus Asthma. I’ve campaigned and written to her several times. The ATOS or whoever Healthcare staff, don’t know me, they don’t know my medical history, don’t know my Medical Professionals who look after me - my Psycologist who sees me every week and has written a Report, my Dr asks to see me every 2 weeks and provides 28 day Fit Notes (which an ATOS or whoever professional has the ability after meeting me once to overrule), my Specialist and even my former Employer has written to back me up.

wilko · March 2019

As we all know the PIP or ESA acessors are accessing you me who ever getting a snap shot of our your conditions by the personal face to face acessment and the medical evidence given at your time of application of thesaid benefits. The acessor then has to by questioning and deduction assign points to your mine abilities in relation to the descriptors for each benefit, the mental health must be the most difficult conditions to acess for any acessor so unless a specialist trained acessor is allowed to carry out these types of acessments then we you are going to have acessment results being referred for an MR then tribunal.

miracle · March 2019

hello @wilko I fully agree with what you have posted. The question that i ask is this:- Who, can see what is going on, inside a persons body? Who, can see what is going on, inside a persons mind? Who, sees how a person functions, from day to day?
If the complete and accurate facts, of each individual, are not ascertained correctly, and a full and detailed report given, from either the GP, or hospital consultant, then important aspects, of a persons condition, may not be taken into account, and therefor,
crucially missed, by the PIP or ESA assessor. I will try to give an example of my own disabilities. When i get up out of bed, first thing in a morning, i feel as though my shoulders have been hit with an hammer. My upper and lower arms, feel as though they have had blood pressure cuffs on them, and squeezed as tight as they can go. As soon as i stand up, my lower spine feels as though someone has got a pair of mole grips, clamped them onto my spine, and started to twist them around. Who, is there to see that? The amount of Mandatory Reconsiderations, that you read of, on this site, proves, that the PIP and ESA assessors, and the DWP, are not taking into account, accurately, how a persons disability affects them. Or the fact, that Hospital and GP reports, are not detailed enough, to give the full picture, of a persons condition. I personally feel, that the DWP, have given the assessors an agenda. That is to say, try and catch people out at face to face interviews, by the way that a question is phrased. If a person at assessment, is feeling nervous and agitated, then they may not be able to get over to the assessor, the true extent, of his or hers disability. The true irony here, is that, if a person gets 0 points, (and many who are severely disabled, have, on this site), and have been swapped over to WRAG, from Support group, then this will have a profound affect, on their mental wellbeing. All this was originally started, to separate the chaff from the wheat. In other words, to distinguish the true from the false disabilities, to try and weed out the swingers. Unfortunately, it is now affecting many, with true and severe disabilities. The cost to all those with severe disabilities, is a massive financial hit, to those who are the most vulnerable in society. The benefits system is supposed to be there as a safety net, but it seems to many, to be a black hole.

PIP assessment and mental health

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