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Pip assessment

ruthycross12
ruthycross12 Community member Posts: 12 Listener
Hi all. 
I had my 1st Pip assessment today and I must say it was awful. 
My friend came with me and  couldn't wait to get out of the room.
The woman that did it was firing questions at me quicker than I could answer. Kept repeating herself. Was very matter of fact. Obviously reading from a script . Very cold attitude . Not one smile on her face at all.
I'm someone who has worked all my life up untill the last 3 years. My brother became poorly with cancer so I had to leave my full time job to become his carer. After her died I myself have become unwell. I suffer with Anxiety and depression, Fybromyalgia and Osteoarthritis.  I have heard good and bad stories about these assessments but I must have been very unlucky. 
I had printed out some extra information about my illnesses and I handed them over to her. She asked about my Epilepsy (Which is mild). I told her there were a couple of reports regarding it in the papers I had given to her. She just threw them to one side and said no there wasent, they were only about Cardiology.. She didn't even look properly.  
I have no idea where they get these terrible people from but they are messing with our health... I will be very suprised if I am awarded Pip after that assessment.
I can't get over it.
Ruth Crossland 

Comments

  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Community member Posts: 53,352 Disability Gamechanger
    Hi, 
    I’m sorry to hear that. These assessments can be very daunting!

    Information printed from the internet is not classed as evidence. Evidence should state how your conditions affect you and everyone is different. PIP isn’t awarded based on a diagnosis, it’s how those conditions affect your ability to carry out daily activities based on the PIP descriptors. 

    Leave it it a week then ring DWP and ask for a copy of the assessment report to be sent to you. This will give you some idea what the decision is likely to be because they mostly go with the report. Good luck.
    I would appreciate it if members wouldn't tag me please. I have all notifcations turned off and wouldn't want a member thinking i'm being rude by not replying.
    If i see a question that i know the answer to i will try my best to help.
  • ruthycross12
    ruthycross12 Community member Posts: 12 Listener
    Hi poppy.
    The papers I gave her were actual reports from my Neurologist. Not from the internet.  Sorry if I didn't make that clear. Yes I will ring them next week and ask for a report .
    Many thanks for your reply.
    Ruth Crossland 
  • Adrian_Scope
    Adrian_Scope Posts: 10,821 Scope online community team
    Hi @ruthycross12, I'm sorry to hear it was such a bad experience. 
    Please do follow Poppy's advice and request the assessment report.

    Keep in touch and let us know how it goes!
    Community Manager
    Scope
  • ruthycross12
    ruthycross12 Community member Posts: 12 Listener
    Yes I will do Adrian. Thankyou.  I'll post back once I know 
  • ruthycross12
    ruthycross12 Community member Posts: 12 Listener
    I also kept being asked what test had I had for Fybromyalgia.. I 've been told there isent one as it's,a mixture of symptoms that covers alot of areas. Many of which I have
  • twonker
    twonker Posts: 617 Pioneering
    As a matter of interest and not knowing that they can't test for it (so surprised in this day and age)
    I have had a look at the symptoms. The interesting bit is that apart from the Menstrual issue (obviously being male) I too have them all. I know why I have them as they relate to other medical issues. But I wonder if I am a Fibro sufferer too. 
    Most if not all of those symptoms would relate to many other conditions, both physical and mental, so I wonder how the medical profession could put a specific name to them.

    Additionally and with PIP in mind, would you not have to prove that you suffer from those symptoms in order to take the next step and try to match the impact caused by them with a descriptor?

    I honestly didn't know that those symptoms which are normally said to be caused by many other conditions separately and together as Fibro.
  • ruthycross12
    ruthycross12 Community member Posts: 12 Listener
    Hi there tinker.
    Yes you have to prove you suffer from the conditions. 
    Not everyone has every symptom as people are different. My Rheumatologist has said that's is what I suffer from. If you think you do too then I would see your GP. That's where I started 
    Ruth Crossland 
  • twonker
    twonker Posts: 617 Pioneering
    Hi there tinker.
    Yes you have to prove you suffer from the conditions. 
    Not everyone has every symptom as people are different. My Rheumatologist has said that's is what I suffer from. If you think you do too then I would see your GP. That's where I started 
    Ruth Crossland 
    It is a strange one though. I have no need to see my GP as the symptoms actually relate to other more serious and life threatening conditions which I have been diagnosed with.
    Looking at this logically, it does make me a little concerned that being diagnosed with Fibro because of the symptoms could also mean that those symptoms may well also be present because of a different medical issue that could well be extremely serious.
    As an example my GP has for years been treating me for Asthma, but when at one appointment last year for a check up, I complained that my breathing was becoming more difficult even when doing the slightest activity. Eventually he came back with test/scan results that showed that my right lung has little functioning power due to it being scarred because of Pulmonary Fibrosis, whatever that is when it is at home. Then he asked if I was coughing more in the morning bringing up large amounts of clear phlegm, yes it's awful. 
    So it wasn't just Asthma, seems I have had that Fibrosis thing for a few years totally undiagnosed. The symptoms for both are exactly the same.  
  • madquasimodo
    madquasimodo Community member Posts: 140 Pioneering
    Not to stick up for the DWP or the assessment companies, but the assessors have targets, from what I seen they are required to do a set number a day, I know many just lie and they must see every trick in the book, it no wonder they are a bit jaded and trying not to spend all their time trying to make friends.
    That said yes they do need to be fair and correctly report any problems you have, "but" they will look at your problems now from a different perspective, it used to be "what's wrong, ok we will give you" to now "how does that impact your ability" the transfer from DLA to PIP is harsh for some, errors on your paperwork can mean losing thousands, its all too easy for you to be down marked and lose a gateway benefit, the knock on effect can for some be devastating. 
  • twonker
    twonker Posts: 617 Pioneering
    edited April 2019
    Not to stick up for the DWP or the assessment companies, but the assessors have targets, from what I seen they are required to do a set number a day, I know many just lie and they must see every trick in the book, it no wonder they are a bit jaded and trying not to spend all their time trying to make friends.
    That said yes they do need to be fair and correctly report any problems you have, "but" they will look at your problems now from a different perspective, it used to be "what's wrong, ok we will give you" to now "how does that impact your ability" the transfer from DLA to PIP is harsh for some, errors on your paperwork can mean losing thousands, its all too easy for you to be down marked and lose a gateway benefit, the knock on effect can for some be devastating. 
    The other aspect to this, and like you I do not condone what some assessors do, is that they must see 1,000's of people who are either just trying it on or have exaggerated the impact to see if they can get a better award. With that in mind they will probably end up disbelieving genuine cases. It's all too easy to heighten the impact just by having the GP issue more and more potent painkillers. Then along comes a genuine claimant that wants to come off the tablets and in doing so in the eyes of the assessor will be seen as having a lesser impact. .
  • ruthycross12
    ruthycross12 Community member Posts: 12 Listener
    Exactly right. It's those people that spoil it for honest genuine people 
  • twonker
    twonker Posts: 617 Pioneering
    Exactly right. It's those people that spoil it for honest genuine people 
    But then when you have approx. another £145 a week dangled in front of you a lot of folk will do what they have to do to get hold of that amount of money. You can't actually blame them as with that extra it would be like trebling their weekly benefit income overnight.
    Not right and not fair, but some don't care about that it's the extra lolly that counts no matter how they get it.

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