medical assessment help

[Elfwind]

I have been on IC for about 15 years for mental health issues,i have had counselors,psychologists and god knows different doctors.

 

I live on my own with care provided by my daughter,i sent my form to atos about 7 weeks back and now i have to go to an assessment,i feel like i am dying,i cannot control my basic functions,i am physically sick a lot,especially during the night.

 

this is my meds

 

Chlorpromazine 50mg

Mirtazapine 45mg

olanzapine 10mg twice at night

Zopiclone 7.5mg

 

I am so stressed i feel i am being bullied.

I have asked for a recording of the assessment and they say they have to get the equipment and will get back in touch with me.

I do not trust them(atos)so i think i will still go to the original appointment date.

Can i have any pointers to help me with this

[Nystagmite]

Would a home assessment help?

[Elfwind]

I will try for a home visit but doubt i will get one as i get lower rate mobility to get to the shops using taxi's

[Elfwind]

After reading some threads on this forum i resign myself to help from family and friends.

 

I am crying while writing this.

 

What has this country come to?

 

I will just appeal my 0 point verdict as i'm sure that is what i will get,and carry on in this merrygoround.

 

thanks

[Elfwind]

I need the links to the panorama doc and others,sorry i cannot find them

[45002]

I will try for a home visit but doubt i will get one as i get lower rate mobility to get to the shops using taxi's

 

Have a read of this http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?287253-esa-medicals

 

may be of some help to you.

 

Please try and relax people on CAG will advise you more if needs be....

[Elfwind]

And just one more thing that makes me crawl.

My bro was hit by a car outside my mothers house,he had just finished a grueling manchester to london and back dispatch,and i used to do the mechanics on his bike every week,just finished up and this drunk hit the pavement and splattered my bro into the wall of my mums house,his leg was broke in 25 places and complications with liver and other organs,it was bad,three teams had to operate on my bro at the same time,he had a massive scull damage, Dr steptoe came out of retirement just to mend my brothers bones,he got compensated for this and a single floor house was provided as he cannot walk and his memory is shot,he is entitled to benefit and has just received his results from Atosser and got 9 points,so now he must appeal against this decision,however my bro said i'm ok i got some money in the bank and he is right on that,cause' he can live on his comp forever,i said to him "it is not the point,there are people just like you with no fallback and no comp backup,that is what the gov want,for people to give up"

I hope he appeals as i will,but knowing my bro now, i know he will not bother.

 

He is in a bad way and wishes he lost his leg rather than had it fixed

[abc123def]

elf, many people are put straight into the support group through their mental health difficulties

[Dilizjo]

Hi Elfwind, getting lower rate mobility has nothing to do with this situation at all. Does your daughter deal with the DWP as your advocate? if not ring and ask for the relevant form to sign. I acted as my son's and held out for a home visit, we had to send in further evidence from our GP, but still had to fight hard for it, which is something my son would not have been able to cope with on his own.

 

Ring ATOS and tell them you are unable to attend the assessment in an unfamiliar place with unfamiliar people and request a home visit, they will tell you what to do.

 

Having someone that you trust to speak on your behalf really helps, I hope all goes well.

[gregbythesea]

Hi Elfwind, getting lower rate mobility has nothing to do with this situation at all. Does your daughter deal with the DWP as your advocate? if not ring and ask for the relevant form to sign. I acted as my son's and held out for a home visit, we had to send in further evidence from our GP, but still had to fight hard for it, which is something my son would not have been able to cope with on his own.

 

Ring ATOS and tell them you are unable to attend the assessment in an unfamiliar place with unfamiliar people and request a home visit, they will tell you what to do.

 

Having someone that you trust to speak on your behalf really helps, I hope all goes well.

 

That's if that someone is actually allowed to go with you into the assessment room and not be told in no uncertain way that the room 'is too small for more than two people - me and your husband!'

 

Obviously I now know different but at the time we didn't. And to be honest even if we did, neither of us was in the frame of mind to start a 'war' in a public waiting room.

[citizenB]

http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?362166-Re-medical-assessment-help-please

 

heva has been given a thread of his/her own.

[Elfwind]

I thank you all for the advice and apologize for being overly stressed.

I am waiting for a new appointment because i have asked for the assessment to be recorded,i will go for a home visit.

So what do i do?

How to go about this,the letter i get from my doc explaining why i cannot attend,will she send it or me and can i have the home visit recorded?

If my doc sends the letter do i tell ATOS to expect a letter from my doc?

Can i have the steps explained to me and remember i have already asked for my interview to be recorded at the assessment center.

Thank you

[Dilizjo]

Hi Elfwind,

Firstly contact ATOS and inform them that you require a home visit, they will tell you to get further evidence and give you a fax number to send it to, then contact your GP and tell him you require him to write a letter saying why they should visit you at home. My GP did this straight away and faxed it through for me.

Hope things work out.

[Elfwind]

This is my experience,i asked for a recorded interview and got a new date,however on that date my daughter was not available due to pregnancy so i had to go it alone,due to social phobia i ordered a taxi to take me at considerable cost there and back ,i arrived 5 mins before my appointment.

The place was a jobcentre with loads of people standing up awaiting there turn and in the corner was the only available chairs directly in view of everybody and you guessed it these chairs was for the sick and disabled,i had already voided my stomach before entering the place because of stress.

I went to the window to say i was here and a very young lady appeared all smiling ,well i was not smiling i just felt like running away and stick the fuc**** rope up and be done with it,she said you will be next,(there was already a few people before me)1 hour and 15 mins later i was escorted into a tiny office and this so called mental health practitioner produced my esa50 and said lets talk about this and to my astonishment she was trying to ask why i take paracetamol .I opened my bag and threw my tabs on the table and said i am not here about my bad back ,i am not here about my deafness, i am here because of these ,and pointed to my chlorpromazine ect .I then noticed a lack of recording equipment(i thought the length of time they had me waiting was for setting up the recording equipment)i was at this stage a bag of jelly wishing 'please god get me out of here,i was sweating and shaking and sure going to puke all over the place' i said is this interview being recorded ,she looked at her sweet smiling assistant and said no.

I was at this stage in tears ,she said i will see the manager,i said F**** that just get it over with now so i can go home,i am struggling now to keep my calm,she came back and said sorry for your wasted journey ,we will look at all the previous evidence and if we need to get in touch with you again we will arrange a home visit and with that the interview was terminated.so i goes home in a very bad way thinking "i have not even been assessed"

A few weeks later i was placed into the WRAG group,contributory ESA ,now i can cope with this(get me in an interview room they will throw themselves out)i feel i should be in the support group but left it to late,i will be able to get income based ESA when the other runs out.

Thank you for reading,i am now shutting the curtains and pulling the plug on my phone and lying down for a few weeks.

 

Elfwind

[Zonker]

Sorry to hear you found the assessment so distressing , but glad they awarded ESA