is it normal for another GP to fill DLA form in

sunnyone

Our GP filled int my husbands DLA form and since we see her twice a week she knows him well and she is the one that gets all the letters from his consultants so she is also the only doctor to posses all the information.

sardine

TOBRUK wrote: »

You should ask ... they are there to help you and they don't bite! It is YOUR LIFE, and although we put our lives in their hands it is very important that you ask as many questions as you feel necessary and they must explain so as you understand.

With reports - if they contact your GP for a report, how does your GP know things about how you cope etc unless you tell him/her? They are not mind readers! You really should try and communicate with your GP ... for your own good.;)

On this forum there are many who say that they have a bad report from GP with regards DLA, when they are contacted for information. However, I really do wonder if many so called bad reports are a result of no communication between claimant and GP?

Thankyou for those comments.

Maybe you are right in saying that the GP should know everything. Maybe I should open up more.

As for others having bad GP reports, I will have to sgree with you on your opinion.
If there are people like me that think and act the same, the GP's would know very little. So it is not surprising that the claims fail. Not because the claimant does have a genuine claim in respect of a genuine disability, but purely because the GP is not fully aware of it.

Mind you I can see the opposite happening where someone who may have some lower level of disability, and providing that he/she builds up a history of needs for care and mobility with the GP even though they are exagerated somewhat, is more than likely to be awarded some level of benefit.

My own mother who died of breast cancer/liver cancer refused to discuss how she was coping with it to the macmillan nurses, GP or Consultant - she just bravely fought on on her own. She didn't even know she could have made a claim for benefit because of the terminal prognosis. I have only found out myself after reading the posts on this site!

She was taken into hospital being a little unwell and died a few days later. She didn't even tell my dad how close to the end she was and I was told not to visit her (distance 350 miles away) as she said she would see me when she came out.
All I got was a telephone call some hours later from the hospital telling me she was dead!
That is another example of somebody not opening up even to family never mind the GP/Consultant

There are some very sad cases like this around who never get the help they need due to not wanting to discuss things.

Breast_Cancer_Survivor

sunnyone wrote: »

Our GP filled int my husbands DLA form and since we see her twice a week she knows him well and she is the one that gets all the letters from his consultants so she is also the only doctor to posses all the information.

Can you clear a little bit of space in your inbox please as i'm trying to send you a pm.

sardine

sunnyone wrote: »

Our GP filled int my husbands DLA form and since we see her twice a week she knows him well and she is the one that gets all the letters from his consultants so she is also the only doctor to posses all the information.

You are very lucky that you have such a caring GP who is willing to work with your family.
Twice a week???? I should think she knows him well.

When I see my GP, it is more a case of 'have you just moved into the area?' errrr no, I have been on your books for the past 13 years actually - Have you?

sunnyone

Breast_Cancer_Survivor wrote: »

Can you clear a little bit of space in your inbox please as i'm trying to send you a pm.

All done hun x

Breast_Cancer_Survivor

sunnyone wrote: »

All done hun x

Thankyou x.

deeplyblue

sardine wrote: »

Thankyou for those comments.

Maybe you are right in saying that the GP should know everything. Maybe I should open up more.

As for others having bad GP reports, I will have to sgree with you on your opinion.
If there are people like me that think and act the same, the GP's would know very little. So it is not surprising that the claims fail. Not because the claimant does have a genuine claim in respect of a genuine disability, but purely because the GP is not fully aware of it.

I think that this is an issue which is going to get bigger. Now that ATOS can decide for themselves what you should have said, your GP and your specialist are going to find themselves having to fill in more forms for everyone. I think that some of them already charge for this, and more will have to.

The other unintended consequence of the "we will assume that everything you say is a lie" policy is that ordinary claimants are going to have to keep going to their GPs for every small complaint and making sure that they see their GPs much more often, so that the GP is really familiar with the patient's current status.

For example, if you have heart problems but you find stress not only makes that worse but also gives you (for example) eczema, then you have to go and request creams (or whatever) - not because you don't think an over the counter medicine wouldn't work, but because you need your GP to put "stress gives patient eczema" on to your notes. Then, if you are made to go for JSA you can turn down a job in a cafe because your hands show signs of skin disease when you get over-tired - and you didn't just discover this when offered this job. It's petty and it will make the life of doctors more difficult too.

The other thing is to warn your GP well in advance that this form may be turning up on his/her desk, and is there anything you can do to assist. Most will say, "No," but might appreciate being asked.

Ditto any consultant or specialist team (especially community mental health teams - their help can be crucial).

Perhaps the demands on NHS GPs is not an unintended consequence at all but a plot by the DWP. Tell everyone that they want information from the doctors, and force the doctors to fill in lots more forms. Then tell everyone (including the doctors) that their (the doctors') evidence is virtually useless because they might believe their patients. So any time taken was actually wasted.

Then, with any luck, either the doctors will revolt and simply refuse to fill in any forms, and the ATOS "professionals" will have their judgement unchallenged or the claimant will have to pay hundreds of pounds to get private clinics to fill in their forms for them. And if the claimant can't afford that, then they won't get their allowances.

Is anyone going to tell me I'm just paranoid about the intentions of the DWP?

Richie-from-the-Boro

deeplyblue wrote: »

I think that this is an issue which is going to get bigger. Now that ATOS can decide for themselves what you should have said, your GP and your specialist are going to find themselves having to fill in more forms for everyone. I think that some of them already charge for this, and more will have to.

The other unintended consequence of the "we will assume that everything you say is a lie" policy is that ordinary claimants are going to have to keep going to their GPs for every small complaint and making sure that they see their GPs much more often, so that the GP is really familiar with the patient's current status.

For example, if you have heart problems but you find stress not only makes that worse but also gives you (for example) eczema, then you have to go and request creams (or whatever) - not because you don't think an over the counter medicine wouldn't work, but because you need your GP to put "stress gives patient eczema" on to your notes. Then, if you are made to go for JSA you can turn down a job in a cafe because your hands show signs of skin disease when you get over-tired - and you didn't just discover this when offered this job. It's petty and it will make the life of doctors more difficult too.

The other thing is to warn your GP well in advance that this form may be turning up on his/her desk, and is there anything you can do to assist. Most will say, "No," but might appreciate being asked.

Ditto any consultant or specialist team (especially community mental health teams - their help can be crucial).

Perhaps the demands on NHS GPs is not an unintended consequence at all but a plot by the DWP. Tell everyone that they want information from the doctors, and force the doctors to fill in lots more forms. Then tell everyone (including the doctors) that their (the doctors') evidence is virtually useless because they might believe their patients. So any time taken was actually wasted.

Then, with any luck, either the doctors will revolt and simply refuse to fill in any forms, and the ATOS "professionals" will have their judgement unchallenged or the claimant will have to pay hundreds of pounds to get private clinics to fill in their forms for them. And if the claimant can't afford that, then they won't get their allowances.

Is anyone going to tell me I'm just paranoid about the intentions of the DWP?

Excellent post. I don't think you are paranoid, the factual evidence, the predicted reduction in £illions is widely available at about 30% after appeals have been exhausted. You have common sense approach.

If ATOS [ paid for ] don't currently consult a patients GP, the private [ paid for ] consultation ( no personal history etc ) regardless of cost will mean absolutely nothing. It's just two paid for mercenaries colluding together with the full weight of the state supporting them.

Advice has been given to the SOS in both this and the previous administration by sitting committees in the HOC. So far ignored by both.

The GP sits there with a job to do, s/he has outcomes measured by government [ PBR remuneration ] to meet, s/he's focus and recording systems are pre-designed to record those outcomes not the patients supplementary condition to the original complaint.

You must talk in a businesslike but conversational way and politely ask the GP to record your symptoms / difficulties in writing. Get an evidence trail going and start it now. Most GP's I'm sure are ok, but you must talk to them, tell them the truth about any claim you may be intending to make, enlist their help. Tell them you have coped up to now and will cope in the future, but given the circumstances without their diligence in their recording systems you will fail to get the help you need.

Pride and shyness are costing you £2K per annum.

sardine

deeplyblue wrote: »

I think that this is an issue which is going to get bigger. Now that ATOS can decide for themselves what you should have said, your GP and your specialist are going to find themselves having to fill in more forms for everyone. I think that some of them already charge for this, and more will have to.

The other unintended consequence of the "we will assume that everything you say is a lie" policy is that ordinary claimants are going to have to keep going to their GPs for every small complaint and making sure that they see their GPs much more often, so that the GP is really familiar with the patient's current status.

For example, if you have heart problems but you find stress not only makes that worse but also gives you (for example) eczema, then you have to go and request creams (or whatever) - not because you don't think an over the counter medicine wouldn't work, but because you need your GP to put "stress gives patient eczema" on to your notes. Then, if you are made to go for JSA you can turn down a job in a cafe because your hands show signs of skin disease when you get over-tired - and you didn't just discover this when offered this job. It's petty and it will make the life of doctors more difficult too.

The other thing is to warn your GP well in advance that this form may be turning up on his/her desk, and is there anything you can do to assist. Most will say, "No," but might appreciate being asked.

Ditto any consultant or specialist team (especially community mental health teams - their help can be crucial).

Perhaps the demands on NHS GPs is not an unintended consequence at all but a plot by the DWP. Tell everyone that they want information from the doctors, and force the doctors to fill in lots more forms. Then tell everyone (including the doctors) that their (the doctors') evidence is virtually useless because they might believe their patients. So any time taken was actually wasted.

Then, with any luck, either the doctors will revolt and simply refuse to fill in any forms, and the ATOS "professionals" will have their judgement unchallenged or the claimant will have to pay hundreds of pounds to get private clinics to fill in their forms for them. And if the claimant can't afford that, then they won't get their allowances.

Is anyone going to tell me I'm just paranoid about the intentions of the DWP?

Excellent post. I don't think you are paranoid, the factual evidence, the predicted reduction in £illions is widely available at about 30% after appeals have been exhausted. You have common sense approach.

If ATOS [ paid for ] don't currently consult a patients GP, the private [ paid for ] consultation ( no personal history etc ) regardless of cost will mean absolutely nothing. It's just two paid for mercenaries colluding together with the full weight of the state supporting them.

Advice has been given to the SOS in both this and the previous administration by sitting committees in the HOC. So far ignored by both.

The GP sits there with a job to do, s/he has outcomes measured by government [ PBR remuneration ] to meet, s/he's focus and recording systems are pre-designed to record those outcomes not the patients supplementary condition to the original complaint.

You must talk in a businesslike but conversational way and politely ask the GP to record your symptoms / difficulties in writing. Get an evidence trail going and start it now. Most GP's I'm sure are ok, but you must talk to them, tell them the truth about any claim you may be intending to make, enlist their help. Tell them you have coped up to now and will cope in the future, but given the circumstances without their diligence in their recording systems you will fail to get the help you need.

Pride and shyness are costing you £2K per annum.

Thankyou for those very valid comments.

Like I have said before, it seems to me that the only way that you will get a half decent report from the GP is to make weekly appointments to update him of how you have been over the past week.

I am intending to apply for DLA, not because I need the money, but that I have a genuine right to it because of a genuine disability. I am only interested in how the system treats me. With what I have been reading on this site about DLA over the past couple of days has made me feel totally embarassed to say that I am English and that this is my country!!

Like millions, I don't seek to meet my GP weekly to update their records. I have the tools provided for me by him (medication) and I manage my condition with them. Without them I would be dead.
With them, i'm just capable of living some sort of life, but well, that's life in itself isn't it. Getting by the best way that you can.

I never see my GP for anything unless I have to, and then it has to be bad. I never discuss my life situation as it has nothing to do with him. 1'000's have it worse than me. To be honest all he would say is that that is the nature of the beast, just try to live as normal as possible.

My consultant oncologist, well I see him for regular updates with the main condition. He organises tests, scans just to see what the deterioration is. When I need surgery, he tells me. Apart from that I certainly don't harp on about not being able to be mobile, not being able to look after myself. That has nothing to do with him. He is there as a specialist, not a social worker!

So I know that both reports (that's if they ask for them) will probably say 'nothing known'.

Then I will take it from there, but I intend to create enough 'sh*t' that it will stick to anything and anybody that it touches, including GP & consultant just for the sheer hell of the exercise. No one will be safe or protected. I need to prove to myself that this is happening, that people are missing out on legitimate benefits. Tribunal - I will love it, like being back at work. And in the meantime I will bring to account whoever I have to using any means possible.

Then ask the question of everyone - Why?

deeplyblue

sardine wrote: »

Thankyou for those very valid comments.

Like I have said before, it seems to me that the only way that you will get a half decent report from the GP is to make weekly appointments to update him of how you have been over the past week.

I am intending to apply for DLA, not because I need the money, nor as a genuine right to it because of a genuine disability. I am only interested in how the system treats me.
Like millions, I don't seek to meet my GP weekly to update their records. I have the tools provided for me by him (medication) and I manage my condition with them. Without them I would be dead.
With them, i'm just capable of living some sort of life, but well, that's life in itself isn't it. Getting by the best way that you can.

I never see my GP for anything unless I have to, and then it has to be bad. I never discuss my life situation as it has nothing to do with him. 1'000's have it worse than me. To be honest all he would say is that that is the nature of the beast, just try to live as normal as possible.

My consultant oncologist, well I see him for regular updates with the main condition. He organises tests, scans just to see what the deterioration is. When I need surgery, he tells me. Apart from that I certainly don't harp on about not being able to be mobile, not being able to look after myself. That has nothing to do with him. He is there as a specialist, not a social worker!

So I know that both reports (that's if they ask for them) will probably say 'nothing known'.

Then I will take it from there, but I intend to create enough 'sh*t' that it will stick to anything and anybody that it touches, including GP & consultant just for the sheer hell of the exercise. No one will be safe or protected. I need to prove to myself that this is happening, that people are missing out on legitimate benefits. Tribunal - I will love it, like being back at work. And in the meantime I will bring to account whoever I have to using any means possible.

Then ask the question of everyone - Why?

You want to get the best results? Here's some advice:

Don't see your GP more often than once a fortnight, unless s/he requests it or you feel you need it for medical reasons. Too many visits will merely alienate the GP, and you need them on your side. they are the first line when it comes to establishing your legitimacy, and if they think you're just making a nuisance of yourself for the hell of it, then their forms may reflect that.

Take advantage of all the extra help which is usually offered to those with serious and progressive health issues. See physiotherapists, OTs, counsellors, specialist nursing teams. Firstly because it looks good on your lists of people you see when the DWP look at your papers. They won't make any difference at this stage, but their presence on the list can make a difference later. Secondly because they can add extra testimony when you go to Tribunal - and the Tribunal will notice that you need a whole team of professionals to keep you going.

I have come to the conclusion that even Tribunals believe that if you aren't seeing a specialist (which can mean a physio) then there isn't anything much wrong. It means cooperating with all these people, but if you want to win, that's the route to go.

It also means that your GP will get reports back from them, which will swell your medical record file, and also means that the GP does not have to listen to you talking about the problems you have with (as it might be) bathing, or walking or staying sane. They know about this from people who are trained to help you cope with walking etc.

Ask to be sent copies of all correspondence between the various members of what you will call "my support team". If nothing else this means that you can turn up with an impressively thick file at Tribunal. Just be careful not to look too efficient if you're trying to get ESA - they may decide that you could work. (ATOS have pulled that one before). It also means that if someone doesn't get round to filling in the forms they get sent about you, then you have the evidence of their involvement.

Forget about your privacy or your dignity. You won't get DLA unless you are prepared to tell strangers about how you manage (or don't manage) to wipe your bum. Don't get all emotional about it, though - they don't want to sympathise with you, just to assess you.

Adopt all the suggestions made by the physio and the OT - that's the way that they - and the Tribunal - know that you're serious. This is likely to be tedious, as they will tell you to do things their way, when you've got a system that works for you. You don't have to ditch everything, but try to find a way of working with them - the best ones will listen to your suggestions and try to help.

Research the forms you're going to be filling in, and bear them in mind as you go about your daily routine. When you do fill them in, emphasise the negative - say "No, I cannot do <whatever> unless I have help and even then it takes <time>. Don't say, "Yes, I can do <whatever>, if I have help" The people looking at the forms see the first word, and don't bother with the rest - especially if your first word is "Yes."

Take a look at the forums and open articles on the Benefits and Work site.

http://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk

There's lots of useful stuff there. You can't get the full service from this site unless you join - and at ~£20 p.a. it's not cheap. You won't be able to add your own posts as a non-member. However, you can get a lot of pointers just by reading the bits which are open to everyone, and you can get more just by "registering" with the site (which is IIRC free). Some of the posters are experienced Welfare Rights officers.

Locate professional advice for the appeal which you anticipate needing - wisely. They may not be better at organising material than you are, but they have the experience you need at choosing what to say and what not to say.

Don't let any of these people know that you are treating this as an "I can beat the system," game. Let them know that you are doing this for the hell of it and all the good will you might otherwise get, you will lose. However much it would be nice to score points, you'll have to keep mum.

Good luck