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Booked for face-to-face assessment

needhelp120

I'm currently having a breakdown because I received a text that I've been booked for a face-to-face assessment for my pip application later this month. I have borderline personality disorder, recurrent depressive disorder and anxiety and have significant problems socially. I can't even talk to people on the phone let alone in person without extreme psychological distress and becoming suicidal or rendered mute. My mum is the appointee on my account and has dealt with any phone calls and things up to this point, I've never verbally had to speak to anyone. I wrote all about this in my application in detail and it is backed up in my medical evidence from my psychologist. I really can't handle this I feel like I just want to kill myself because the thought of having to talk to someone in person is so terrifying and crippling, I'd rather avoid it. There is now way I'd be able to get there, just the thought makes me physically sick. I'm getting my mum to call them but even if they offer me a telephone call, I will literally be mute, I can't talk out of anxiety and fear. What are my options? I feel so lost and hopeless.

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poppy123456

As your mum is your appointee then she will be able to speak on your behalf during the assessment. If it's face to face you will need to attend with her though. I'd advise your mum to ring to ask if a telephone assessment is possible, this way you won't need to speak at all.

needhelp120

poppy123456 said:

As your mum is your appointee then she will be able to speak on your behalf during the assessment. If it's face to face you will need to attend with her though. I'd advise your mum to ring to ask if a telephone assessment is possible, this way you won't need to speak at all.

Apparently they refused to give a telephone call and said if I don't attend the face-to-face they will close my application. Apparently according to them my form doesn't suggest anything more than slight anxiety which is not true at all, I have extreme panic attacks whenever I have to leave the house or socialise.They also said that I didn't answer several of the questions, but I answered them all explicitly. I wrote an a4 side for each question, used all the advice I found online and gave multiple examples for everything. It is like they didn't even read my application at all. I just want to give up, I don't know what to do.

Alex_Alumni

Hello @needhelp120 and thanks for reaching out today, I'm sorry to hear about what's happened and how it's making you feel.

We'd like to help you as much as we can with this, so please keep an eye out for an email from community@scope.org.uk this evening.

You're not alone in this, and we're here to support you. Please ask if there's anything you feel we can do further.

nasturtium

I would strongly advise your mother to contact the Assesment provider that contacted you with your face to face appointment and insist that you either have a telephone assesment or the assesment should be a paper bassed assesment.

Contact Details For Capita https://capita-pip.co.uk/en/contact-us

Contact Independent Assessment Services https://www.mypipassessment.co.uk/feedback/

Also say to the assesment providers that the corner in the case of Philippa Day was told that assessors are required to choose ‘the most appropriate and safest’ method of assessment.

Tell your mum to expain to them in detail WHY it would NOT be appropriate or SAFE for you to attend a face to face assesment. If she has to write a Letter then she would need to write in detail those things I highlighted in BOLD also include the below report. Keep a copy of any letters you write for yourself and as proof. Send the letter recorded delivery if possible because that yould also be proof you dent the letter. On any letter make sure you include the name of the Claimant, there Date of Birth and there National Insurance Number.

I will include a link for your mum to print out and read and if she decided to give a written request to the assesment providers then she can include that report with her letter.

Link to the report https://www.judiciary.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Phillipa-Day-2021-0043.pdf

Hope that helps. Please keep us updated on your progress.

nasturtium

anxiousjanie said:
this is a link to the DWP’s response and promises that could be helpful.
https://www.judiciary.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/2021-0043-Response-from-DWP-Redacted.pdf

Please look after yourself and reach out anytime.
You matter!

Thank you for posting that link I am sure that @needhelp120 or mum would find that helpfull and could include it with the report with a detailed letter.

Also yes @needhelp120 you do matter! Please look after yourself. You are more important than anything else.

needhelp120

Thank you to everyone that has commented with support and help, I really appreciate it. I put off applying PIP for a long time because I knew the stress and mistreatment would significantly impact my mental health. It is nice to know I am not completely alone. I will update when I know more.

Tori_Scope

Of course, we're all here for you @needhelp120. I look forward to seeing an update from you!

How are you doing today?

needhelp120

Tori_Scope said:

Of course, we're all here for you @needhelp120. I look forward to seeing an update from you!

How are you doing today?

Hey Tori, I didn't sleep that great but I am okay. My mum spoke to them again this morning using the above advice and they have changed my assessment to paper-based. My mum said it was horrifically difficult to get to this conclusion and I would have never dealt with it myself, so I am lucky to have someone to advocate for me, she was extremely stressed out by it herself. They said they wanted the information of my new mental health team, who I've yet to see and will be seeing on the 15th. Perhaps when I am there they might be able to establish a letter of evidence for me on my behalf. For some reason they don't accept my evidence and said that I need to find more, despite my previous NHS mental health team saying they can call them directly any time to find out information about me, they don't seem to want to do this. They said they also need more evidence that there is a history of my conditions. I'm not sure where to get all this information from because my diagnoses and treatment have always been with different mental health teams over the past 10 years, my mum is trying to dig for old letters from them. Would my GP have all this information, despite it being a brand new GP? Not sure where to go from here.

needhelp120

nasturtium said:

I would strongly advise your mother to contact the Assesment provider that contacted you with your face to face appointment and insist that you either have a telephone assesment or the assesment should be a paper bassed assesment.
Contact Details For Capita https://capita-pip.co.uk/en/contact-us
Contact Independent Assessment Services https://www.mypipassessment.co.uk/feedback/
Also say to the assesment providers that the corner in the case of Philippa Day was told that assessors are required to choose ‘the most appropriate and safest’ method of assessment.
Tell your mum to expain to them in detail WHY it would NOT be appropriate or SAFE for you to attend a face to face assesment. If she has to write a Letter then she would need to write in detail those things I highlighted in BOLD also include the below report. Keep a copy of any letters you write for yourself and as proof. Send the letter recorded delivery if possible because that yould also be proof you dent the letter. On any letter make sure you include the name of the Claimant, there Date of Birth and there National Insurance Number.
I will include a link for your mum to print out and read and if she decided to give a written request to the assesment providers then she can include that report with her letter.
Link to the report https://www.judiciary.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Phillipa-Day-2021-0043.pdf
Hope that helps. Please keep us updated on your progress.

My mum said to thank you because they weren't listening to her at all but the second she said mentioned that the corner in the case of Philippa Day was told that assessors are required to choose ‘the most appropriate and safest’ method of assessment' they decided to fully look into my notes and re-think the assessment. Really appreciate your advice!

nasturtium

Thank you for the Update @needhelp120 I am pleased the information was of help to you and your mum. Please keep us updated on the progress of your claim. Keep safe.