ESA - advice please

yellowduck_2

I had to go for one of these ages before i had my medical, I was asked things like what my goal(s) was\were, what sort of work I had done in the past. Did not have a very good experience, it was suggested to me that I "get out of your comfort zone" ( I have worked in health commissioning, prisons, drugs services, youth services, so not what I would describe as "comfortable work"!!). The woman told me that my depression was the result of stress and that I should go and volunteer in a charity shop and then get a job in retail. All in all a bizarre experience. I am now working again and hope that my health continues to improve.

daska

Was she medically qualified to comment on either the reasons for or the best treatment for your depression? The second part of the medical, the Work Focused Health Related Assessment, is supposed to provide information to help the adviser. If you hadn't had the medical then what on earth was she basing that 'advice' on?

OP - If he gets assigned to the Support group then there is no requirement to attend the work focused interviews. I would suggest ringing the adviser and explaining that you haven't had the medical yet and asking whether it can be put back until after they have received the WFHRA.

stargazer59

cit_k wrote: »

Did they include details of how to do so legally, ie how to set up as a business, declare tax, etc etc, did they offer help with that? Or did it just say sell amazon stuff from home??

Lol nope!! In fact he said that he has a friend that does it( think thats what he said!) and he was thinking of doing it himself!!!

Seems to me that they are realising that there arent enough jobs for the people who are fit and well, so this is a new strategy, get people working from home.

It was so hard to understand him but it was just a case of ....this is what i think you should do. No imformation apart from that.

stargazer59

melbury wrote: »

Please put me out of misery - what is a4e?

Ta!

I may be wrong, ( brain fog!)

But i believe that it is the company that they did a programme on tv about where they "helped " people into work, by getting them all jobs at Poundland!:)

cit_k

stargazer59 wrote: »

Lol nope!! In fact he said that he has a friend that does it( think thats what he said!) and he was thinking of doing it himself!!!

Seems to me that they are realising that there arent enough jobs for the people who are fit and well, so this is a new strategy, get people working from home.

It was so hard to understand him but it was just a case of ....this is what i think you should do. No imformation apart from that.

Classic, officially advised to rip of the taxman, and commit benefit fraud!!!

They need reporting, idiots like that should be claiming dole, not advising people..

cit_k

melbury wrote: »

Please put me out of misery - what is a4e?

Ta!

a4e is a a company that makes money out of the poor/unemployed.

It is the subject of never ending streams of complaints, rakes in lots of taxpayers money, the owner has a nice mansion, and they do little in the way of any training.

cit_k

stargazer59 wrote: »

I may be wrong, ( brain fog!)

But i believe that it is the company that they did a programme on tv about where they "helped " people into work, by getting them all jobs at Poundland!:)

Benefit busters..

They had an episode where they showed them all sitting around doing nothing in a4e classes, one girl so bored she wanted to slit her wrists. The highlight of the training seemed to be making paper and sellotape bridges.

ankspon

Action 4 Employment

melbury

Had letter this morning saying to telephone and make the appointment for the medical assessment.

Have done this and thankfully we don't have to travel far and it will actually take place before the Pathway to Work interview, which I hope is a good thing.

So will just have to wait and see what happens and who we get on the day - it is in the lap of the gods now:(

yellowduck_2

cit_k wrote: »

Benefit busters..

They had an episode where they showed them all sitting around doing nothing in a4e classes, one girl so bored she wanted to slit her wrists. The highlight of the training seemed to be making paper and sellotape bridges.

I watched this, I was rather amused at the speech on negativity, the course leader said that there was no use for anything negative in life and I hoped someone would ask her if this applied to batteries. Yes, the woman who owns the company is worth several millions, they get loads of govt contracts to work with long term jobless people.