Esa

MrsManda

Gemstar30 wrote: »

Hello

Just had a read of the thread and there is a list of illnesses/disabilities that ATOS should look at in order to decide who goes and who doesn't go for a medical at one of their centres.

In that list, and if I am correct in saying that you are suffering from Fibromyalgia then you appear in Category 3 - one that says you are tentatively to be invited for an assessment at the assessment centre.

Cat 1 is when you should never be invited, Cat 2 is for a decision to be made by a medic first, Cat 4 is that you must go and Cat 5 is for any other illness not quoted for whom a medical decision should be made first.

3. Tentatively invite to Medical Examination Centre.
Agoraphobia (offer taxi)
Anorexia Nervosa
Ataxia
Bipalar Affective Disorder / Bipolar Disease Manic Depression
Burns
Cardiomyopathy
Cerebrovascular Accident / CVA
Cerebrovascular Disease
CFS
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Crohn's Disease
Diabetic Neuropathy
Eating Disorder
Fibromyalgia
Haemopphilia
Heart Transplant
Hemiparesis
Learning Difficulties
Leg Ulcers
Myalgic Encephalomyelitis / ME
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Peripheral Neuropathy
Phobic Anxiety
Sickle Cell Anaemia
Social Phobia
Spina Bifida
Stroke
Subarachnoid Haemorrage / SAH
Ulcerative Colitis
Varicose Ulcers



So it would seem that you will have to persuade them NOT to send for you by using medical reports/letters. You may be offered a taxi, at their expense as it seems to be that they consider that people in Cat 3, do have some difficulty but not enough to warrant a home visit. On the bright side, at least you are not in CAT 4 as you would have no argument!

Gemma

Where's this list from? I'd like to have a look what in each category

jakes-mum

Hi, I have been in near enough the same boat as you OP, I have ME/CFS and my medical centre is 30 mins drive away. I attended the first interview and the affect on my health was so severe that I was left housebound for over 4 months. They put me in the activity related work group which I was totally unable to do and when I asked for the decision to be reconsidered they said due to my change in health I had to be retested at the centre again! I too argued that it was too far away and was told I had to attend and had to provide a letter of support from my doctor (which though free was less help than if i had sent them an envelope full of bog roll!) I was also threatened with my benefit being stopped, in the end I rang the ATOS centre and spoke to a young man and basically near enough cried on the phone over how worried I was and how it was physically impossible for me to get to the meeting, and what did they expect me to do. After much dramatics on my part he popped me on hold and then came back to say the decision was appealed and I would get a home visit.
Saying all that this was back in MAy and im STILL waiting for a doctor in my area to make an appointment to come and see me to assess me. So please dont stop badgering ATOS about your case and making it clear how impossible it is for you to drive all that way until they change their decision fo you.

uolypool

jakes-mum wrote: »

Hi, I have been in near enough the same boat as you OP, I have ME/CFS and my medical centre is 30 mins drive away. I attended the first interview and the affect on my health was so severe that I was left housebound for over 4 months. They put me in the activity related work group which I was totally unable to do and when I asked for the decision to be reconsidered they said due to my change in health I had to be retested at the centre again! I too argued that it was too far away and was told I had to attend and had to provide a letter of support from my doctor (which though free was less help than if i had sent them an envelope full of bog roll!) I was also threatened with my benefit being stopped, in the end I rang the ATOS centre and spoke to a young man and basically near enough cried on the phone over how worried I was and how it was physically impossible for me to get to the meeting, and what did they expect me to do. After much dramatics on my part he popped me on hold and then came back to say the decision was appealed and I would get a home visit.
Saying all that this was back in MAy and im STILL waiting for a doctor in my area to make an appointment to come and see me to assess me. So please dont stop badgering ATOS about your case and making it clear how impossible it is for you to drive all that way until they change their decision fo you.

Thank you so much for sharing that with me, it has been helpfull to read that there is a light at the end of the tunnel if I continue to fight my corner ,so to speak.I am going to give it till monday and If I havent heard anything then I am going to phone ATOS again, I also think it depends on who you get on the phone as well.Some of the seem really set on being spiteful and difficult.Or perhaps thats just me being over sensitive.