Has Your GP Refused To Help With Benefits Claims?
This information is from Disability Sheffield.
Campaigning organisation Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC) has launched an investigation into why some doctors are refusing to help their patients by writing letters to support their disability benefits claims.
A statement issued by the national group says: “We have had a number of people contacting us recently saying that they have asked their doctor to write a letter stating that they need a home visit for a benefit assessment and the doctor has refused. Others have told us that their GP has refused to issue them with a Fit Note for Employment Support Allowance claims. We are very concerned about this, and we want to make representations to the Royal College of GPs and other medical professional bodies about it. “But to do that we need evidence of how widespread a problem this “
Doctors issue fit notes to people to provide evidence of the advice they have given about their fitness for work. They record details of the functional effects of their patient’s condition so the patient and their employer can consider ways to help them return to work.
If a doctor has refused to write a letter for you, or refused to issue you a Fit Note, or has even complained about having to do it, DPAC would like to hear from you by emailing mailtomail@dpac.uk.net
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Comments
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I didn’t even involve my GP. I bypassed him and asked each doctor involved with Logan to provide me with a letter to mail with the form. I sent off a photocopy of the letter as supporting evidence eventually. It helped speed up things. I kept calling to check on things.
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They have to provide fit notes but they don't have to provide supporting documentation for benefit awards as it is not NHS work, same as signing for passports and getting immunisations for holidays. You do have a right to copies of things written about you so long as reading it would not be harmful to your wellbeing, which is why you can ask for copies of consultant letters to be sent to you as well as your GP... But I've found my secretaries to be very inconsistent in actually doing this and I always chase them.
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