A short update (ish)
I had a bad encounter on the phone with the DWP and Health Assessment Advisory Service whilst trying to sort out some issues about my appointment with them on Thursday. After misinformation and a lot of patronisation from the two agencies I got sicker, very sick and ended up in the emergency department on Saturday night. After some strong medication I finally got some rest on Sunday and returned to my GP to get my medication upped and some extra ones for good measure. After my application for ESA and PIP (ESA in particular) I have got a lot sicker. At a time when I should be resting and hopefully recouperating with support from a state system that I have paid into they have systematically and deliberately sought to make the worst time of my life harder. I am incredibly angry, but I am too exhausted to be of use at the moment – I lack coherency and tact. Whilst the DWP demands more evidence of the same facts and is requiring my doctor to give more evidence when my kind but overworked GP is baffled to why a medical ‘fit note’ he wrote is not good enough if for them and why his evidence and qualifications are not sufficient enough for the administrators he was as exasperated as me after giving him the demands of the DWP. My GP’s response was ‘I think they are harassing you, the had my note only three days ago.’ Thankfully my GP is supportive and has written a note to the Health Assessment Advisory Service stating that I should be having a home visit if they are choosing to ignore the previous evidence sent that argues for me to be exempt from assessment process at this time. Apparently evidence gets sent to DWP postal centre that is then sorted, put on a system and then passed on to the local areas that make a decision and it takes a minimum of one week for the evidence to reach the processing stage (although one of my letters was ‘lost’ for three weeks at the post sorting stage). Having learnt this, I said I would not get a response to query about the decision to send me for the assessment until after my appointment was due so what would they advise now – you need to tell the Health Assessment Advisory People. I spoke to this less than charming lady who said I had to attend and I said I can’t, I’m too unwell, she said I had to. I said PIP gave a home visit why is it not possible for this appointment? She said I have to request a home visit (ah so a home visit is an option?) and get evidence from a doctor and send it to them super quick, she then states that even if the doctor requests a home appointment it still doesn’t mean I will get one (after all what do doctor’s know?). I said that if I had known about my right to request a home visit I would’ve had all this sorted earlier. I also re-stated that my summons to this assessment was being challenged by extra evidence submitted to the DWP but it seems it will take them weeks to send the evidence to the right place. The Health Assessment people agreed that nothing would be sorted out by Thursday so I was given a new appointment on 30th June and I will have to contact them nearer the time to see if they have granted me a home appointment. So the wait continues.
Two things came up. The DWP claims everyone has to go to a Health Assessment. This is not true there are special circumstances and special rules that mean some people are exempt – misinformation 1. DWP says they (Health Assessment Advisory Service) will only give you a home visit if you request one, but I was unaware of this option as it was not mentioned on the appointment letter or on the official Job Centre booklet that talks you through the Health Assessment process – misinformation 2. Health Assessment Advisory Service mentions they doe home visits if need on their corporate website yet according the lady on the phone at the Health assessment place they don’t have the resources for this and it is not often done – how can this private company be poorly equipped to deal with sick and disabled people who are often stuck in their home when a rival company Capita can mange 60% of their visits in home? Is this another private company issue where millions are exchanged for poor service from the start or is it part of their deliberate ploy to force people into a situation that is rigged from every angle so they claim that if you were able to attend the assessment you can’t be that bad choosing to ignore all the hurdles that have to be overcome to get there and the damage that people will be forced to endure at home in silence.
The Health Assessment Advisory Service is run by the company Maximus it has nothing to do with healthcare, medicine or treatment. It’s purpose is profit. When you are summoned to them you are a claimant – not a patient. Their client is the DWP, it is the DWP that sets their targets. In order to keep the lucrative contract with their client the DWP they make decisions that solely benefit the DWP, we as claimants have no rights in this transaction and we hold no weight in this relationship. In a weird way it is not about us – it’s numbers on a form (points), numbers for corporate targets and numbers of targets reached equals profit – we, as people, as individuals feature nowhere in this equation.
From what I also gather the form we fill in for ESA with work capability elements is assessed by them and not DWP despite DWP asking for me to send evidence to them. I am challenging the process that believes I am well enough for an assessment and Maximus say they only do what DWP say but if Maximus are doing the ESA questionnaire that decides if people go for an assessment then they do decide what happens next in the process. If you are declared as being in the support group based on evidence with your form then you don’t need an assessment. I don’t believe that my initial form was looked at with regards to it’s evidence as some was on it’s way and the health professionals I listed have not recalled being asked any additional information which I said they could do if more details were needed to evidence my claim. I believe that Maximus are just putting everyone through to assessment stage and are not seeking evidence themselves that people have said they could ask for. The burden is on us to provide evidence which is much harder for us to do as : we are ill, we don’t know exactly what to ask for, wed don’t feel comfortable asking overworked medical staff to write highly detailed letters and medical staff don’t know exactly and in what detail or context to give evidence needed. It is ludicrous that exhausted people are being compelled to pester over-worked medical staff for evidence that shouldn’t be needed as many of these doctors have given notes previously.
This was a little longer than I first thought. I’m a little drowsy at the moment so sorry if it’s not coherent. Just wanted to update.
The Ill Represented 