Advice on ESA medical

well, from my experience when I went to one supporting a friend, the first thing you need to do, is understand that it's not a "medical assessment" as such.

when my friend went for his last year (still to this day awaiting an appeal date), he was told it wasn't a medical assessment, but a work capability assessment. in a nutshell, they are not testing you for what you can't do, but for what you can. I personally think it's wrong when you are overlooking what people can't do. I'm all for testing for what can be done, but not at the expense of what can't.

they will probably ask you first off how your illness affects your day to day activities, the examiner will also more than likely come across as friendly, chatty and caring. bare in mind at all times that these people are wolves in sheep's clothing, they are not caring and considerate for your benefit, but theirs. they will want to put you in a false comfort zone, while judging you on your every word and action.

then when the "friendly chat" is over, the examiner put all that info aside as he moved onto the real reason for the medica..... sorry, the work capability assessment.

my friend was told to do an array of simple things, ranging from bending to touching his knees, to grasping the examiners forefinger/middle finger on both hands with his own hands.

these are the sorts of things almost everyone would be able to do to some extent.

the second thing you need to be aware of, is that it's not the examiner that makes the decision. once the report has been compiled, it is sent to someone else, who has no medical training at all, who just puts ticks into a computer program to come up with what will more than likely be 0 points.

as for any medical evidence you might have, don't take it as read that it will be considered.

again, from the experience I picked up, the expert opinions of consultants, GP's etc in the form of letters were just placed to one side when handed to the "health care professional" without being looked at, and when the result came back, the box that stated that they had taken medical evidence into account when they came to their conclusion was not ticked.

of course, this is my only experience with ATOS, and I'm sure there are people who have had positive experiences, but from what I can gether from online research, the negatives massively outweigh the positives.

either way, I think it would be a good idea to start looking past the examination itself and start thinking about the appeal in earnest.

better to be prepared than go in there with an overly high expectation and end up being totally disappointed and dejected.

I had an Atos medical in December and the nurse wrote I could get off the exam couch on my own, not likely as she had to help me, plus she omitted that I fall asleep if I'm on the bus going home and had to be woken by the driver quite often.Also the College course I am having trouble concentrating so I don't expect to pass, but it helps to stretch my brain a bit and gives me something to look forward to.She missed off the meds list Omega 3 fish oil.I will be appealing on those grounds as I have obstructive sleep apnoea & Osteo arthuritus in my knee.

Some good advice above but to be honest it seems you've decent experience anyway of how things can play out. The assessment is software driven and the questions aren't likely to be much different than you've previously faced. I definitely would though consider trying to covertly record. I would also advise taking any supportive medical evidence you have and even the result of your previous tribunal... place those into proceedings at the medical... put the HCP on the back foot in terms of ignoring problems. But remember the benefit is assessed according to the descriptors... get clued up on those.. especially as they may have changed since your last assessment. Also important to remember is that the medical doesn't determine entitlement, only the DWP can take a decision on that... but obviously it does act as a significant and usually convincing piece of evidence to the DWP. And yes.. you're right... no prizes in this game for bravery or hiding your problems... you have to assume the HCP is looking to find as few descriptors as possible as applying to you and that they have extremely limited understanding of your medical conditions and problems... so don't hold back. Remember they are looking to obtain facts that they can use in relation to the descriptors... to justify their choices of descriptors... they'll extrapolate and make inferences like... well... like is beyond belief sometimes... so for example being able to watch a film at home may be interpreted as meaning you can concentrate and focus for long periods, can sit comfortably for long periods etc, have no cognitive problems etc. I'd be extremely cautious therefore about mentioning volunteering.. sad but true.. that may give them opportunity to ignore many of your claimed problems... they could simply record 'claimant says they have no problems doing voluntary work every week' and ignore the fact it is only an hour a week or the problems and restrictions you face in doing it. Some HCPs ointhe other hand may be sympathetic, properly record and properly evaluate your limitations inrelation to the descriptors. It can be very hit and miss... but as you know.. there's always opportunity to appeal.

Good luck!

vikingsnail wrote: »

Well I was supposed to have my medical today, but just as I was about to leave they rang to cancel! Apparently they were running way behind schedule. Winds me up because no doubt they'd have threatened to stop my money if I cancelled at such short notice.

As much as I wasn't looking forward to it, I just wanted to get it out of the way today. Oh well!

It's particularly appalling when you consider that there are specific descriptors relating to being unable to cope with change such as with appointments being cancelled on same day. You'd think they may actually consider their customer base for these assessments and properly schedule.. I understand they assume a decent percentage of people won't turn up.