Medical assessment

@Username_removed - Once the DWP have set their ‘guidelines’ to interviewing are Capita/ATOS obliged to train their staff to follow them? Do they have any legal basis?

The reason I ask is that my assessment didn’t seem follow the guidelines at all (I recorded it so I know this for certain)  There were lots of problems but the main ones were:-

Consistently using ‘closed’ questions without then clarifying my answer :-

“Do you do the washing and hang it out?” (the interview took place in my kitchen at home)

“No”

[The interviewer still has no idea whether I can and choose not to, whether my wife does it, or whether I’m physically incapable]

“How do you go to the toilet?”

“I’m sorry I don’t understand what you mean, how many ways are there?”

“Well do you just sit down, and then stand up?”

“Yes”

[“Yes’ seemed to suit the interviewer who moved on without asking me about the difficulties that I had and how I stopped myself falling]

There were dozens of examples of this, incorrect assumptions, and leading questions. I said at varying stages that I get very tired and have to lie down - ‘a lot of the time’,’most of the time’, ‘nearly every day’ and this was summarised by the assessor ‘2-3 days per week then?’(anticipating, I think, that I might agree)

The conclusion I came to was:-

The interviewer wanted a particular answer and once they had it they moved quickly on without allowing you to explain (like a barrister in Kavanagh QC who sits down and says ‘no more questions’ M’lud)

The interviewee needs to be confident and stick to their guns when they are being misquoted or their answer is being summarised incorrectly. Not everyone is able to do this - for a variety of reasons such as vulnerability, lack of confidence or part of their medical condition.

On a lighter note the assessor time me when I went to the toilet and concluded that I could walk at 50m/ sec - Usain Bolt would be proud!!!

@twonker - maybe I wasn't clear?

I don't mean that I said 'X' and the assessor typed 'y' although that did happen but there's no way you would know about that as you say. What I mean is when I say "I get very tired most days which stops me doing x" and "there hasn't been a day recently when I haven't been too tired" etc, and the assessor listens, and then before typing says "So you get tired a couple of days per week?" 

Fairly obviously neither of the above can be summarised as "a couple of days per week" 

You might also say that this could be an honest mistake and you would be right to ask that but it isn't and here's how I know. Without any doubt.

I recorded the interview as I say. Prior to asking for MR I made a transcript and checked this against the copy of the assessment that the DWP sent, making a conscious effort to be totally objective about the mistakes, things that I never actually said (i.e. had been made up by the assessor) and leading questions/ incorrect summarising that I challenged at the time.

I don’t remember the exact figures now as this was several months ago but it was something like :-

Errors that would support not getting PIP- 20 (probably more)

Errors that didn’t seem of any consequence - 10-12

Errors that support I would get PIP - 0

So it’s riddled with errors but not one ‘counts for me’ 

Honest mistakes? Make your own mind up.

Does anyone know what the date at the bottom of the report pages means, please?