£100 lost by not attending ESA appointment

NeilCr

missbiggles1 wrote: »

I think that's quite unusual these days - our practice had 7 doctors as well as locums and those doing training in general medicine so you even my husband (who needed to see a doctor frequently) only saw the same person a couple of times in about 5 years.

To be honest none of us really know whether it is usual or unusual. We can only comment on our own experiences and those of our friends, family and acquaintances. In my area I'd say it was 50-50 but it's a very small sample compared to the country as a whole

It could be that, to an extent, there are differences between cities and villages, I suppose. But, as a watcher of GPs Behind Closed Doors there seems to be quite a lot of seeing the same GP in a busy London practice.

And, of course, it can depend whether the appointment is urgent or not.

missbiggles1

NeilCr wrote: »

To be honest none of us really know whether it is usual or unusual. We can only comment on our own experiences and those of our friends, family and acquaintances. In my area I'd say it was 50-50 but it's a very small sample compared to the country as a whole

It could be that, to an extent, there are differences between cities and villages, I suppose. But, as a watcher of GPs Behind Closed Doors there seems to be quite a lot of seeing the same GP in a busy London practice.

And, of course, it can depend whether the appointment is urgent or not.

Part of it depends on expectations, of course.

On many threads when people complain about having to wait a week or more to get a doctor's appointment they actually mean to get an appointment with "their" doctor which we would never dream of doing. If you're used to only seeing your doctor when you really need to (if not an actual emergency) then you don't want to wait for that length of time, I've found.

Given GP's caseloads, unless you see your doctor on something like a weekly basis they're hardly going to know you from Adam anyway, it's just that the good ones look at your notes before calling you in so that you believe that they remember you from earlier appointments.;)

NeilCr

Agree about expectations. Our practice allocates you a GP but you are free to see who you want to. I have to go pretty regularly for BP/medication checks and I also have a relatively rare condition that needs to be monitored (not as exciting as it sounds!). Plus as I am getting older bits of me don't work so well now.

I happen to be someone who is much more comfortable with someone I know so will make appointments 2/3weeks in advance to see my GP at the most convenient time. I would not expect to see her at short notice

I understand your point about looking at the notes but the fact remains that she is someone I like and can talk to whether or not she remembers me (and I actually think she does). And that is very important and something I found out by seeing her regularly

dktreesea

missbiggles1 wrote: »

But you're still using emotive and totally inaccurate language.

"Torturing"? "Sadistic"? You don't help your argument using words like that because everybody just ignores the rest of what you say.

So how about this?:


http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/feb/04/jobcentre-adviser-play-benefit-sanctions-angela-neville


She says she got "brownie points for cruelty".


Or this, reporting from the claimant's point of view?:
https://www.opendemocracy.net/ourkingdom/nicholas-glover/my-experience-of-'signing-on'-at-job-centre


Another claimant:


"The advisers who deal with you at the Jobcentre are inept. They're condescending. They're rude. They're impolite. They treat you like chewing gum stuck to their shoe: the same shoe they probably want to kick you with because you're a no good, benefit hungry, worthless scumbag. That's the attitude they display. If you're foreign and your grasp of the English language is below average, then well, all I can say is, sit on a life sized plate and hand them a knife and fork because they will eat you alive. They'll skin you first though. Their patience is lacking more than a page 3 models dignity. They're so bad in fact that the security guards are the friendliest, most welcoming people in that place."
(http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/fez-sayed/jobcentre-advice_b_5526698.html)


This is about one of our job centres. I won't identify which one here, though it has since been identified elsewhere on the net:
http://ilegal.org.uk/thread/9141/jobcentre-whistleblower-blows-sanctions-scandal

Alice_Holt

Confuseddot wrote: »

That is strange as every other source of information says it won't be reinstated until they have carried out the activity. Perhaps you better contact benefits and work and citizens advice and turn to us etc to let them know they are wrong.

Oh dear!

Lets go back to the source and have a look at the ESa Regulations shall we?

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/220216/eia-esa-sanctions-regs-2012.pdf

Look at Para 11 - ......(or makes an agreement with their advisor to meet a requirement at a future date) .......

For your information CPAG (Child Poverty Action Group) provide the reference materials and training for CAB's. Should you ever find yourself in the back office of your local CAB, you will spot a 400ish page CPAG book on welfare and tax credits. This provides much more information for CAB volunteers and workers than the CAB can publish on their website for the public.

Benefit law is very complex, Benefit regulations are continually subject to judicial intrepretation. Benefit professionals have websites such as Rightsnet where they can exchange thoughts, intrepretations, and update each other.

Dogmatism and Benefit Law do not mix well! I am sorry you seem to have taken a personal offence to my factual post.

Confuseddot

Alice_Holt wrote: »

Oh dear!

Lets go back to the source and have a look at the ESa Regulations shall we?

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/220216/eia-esa-sanctions-regs-2012.pdf

Look at Para 11 - ......(or makes an agreement with their advisor to meet a requirement at a future date) .......

For your information CPAG (Child Poverty Action Group) provide the reference materials and training for CAB's. Should you ever find yourself in the back office of your local CAB, you will spot a 400ish page CPAG book on welfare and tax credits. This provides much more information for CAB volunteers and workers than the CAB can publish on their website for the public.

Benifit Law is very complex, Benefit regulations are continually subject to judicial intrepretation. Benefit professionals have websites such as Rightsnet where they can exchange thoughts and update each other.

Dogmatism and Benefit Law do not mix well! I am sorry you seem to have taken a personal offence to my factual post.

Not taken personal offence at all, just that there seems to be at least 10 websites that i checked that all said it wouldn't be reinstated until they attended this was including some from benefit lawyers. If they are indeed all wrong then they need to get fixed. I just want to understand why they are different.

If 1 website says the sky is pink but 10 say the sky is orange all basing on the same information which one should you believe ?

I just think it strange that the only one saying its not is CPAG and for citizens advice to know and not change the website is terrible service as that is where they direct you first.

The only thing i can think is the 2015 regulations change this, can't find any info on this apart from the fabled leaflet. Otherwise all the major benefits websites, CA benefits and work turn2us etc, that people look at are giving completely wrong information.

Surely these benefit professionals should be ensuring the correct information is available to people.

dktreesea

I wish we had this system:


http://www.thelocal.ch/jobs/article/no-shame-for-switzerlands-jobless-an-insiders-look


It seems to work SO much better than the punitive, sanctions orientated apology for welfare that we have in the UK.

Bogof_Babe

dktreesea wrote: »

I wish we had this system:


http://www.thelocal.ch/jobs/article/no-shame-for-switzerlands-jobless-an-insiders-look


It seems to work SO much better than the punitive, sanctions orientated apology for welfare that we have in the UK.

Seems very heavily focussed on getting people back into work. None of this decades on the dole.

Did you read the comments under the article? Not all rosy in the garden if you are older, or don't speak whatever language they deem is appropriate that day.

NYM

dktreesea wrote: »

I wish we had this system:


http://www.thelocal.ch/jobs/article/no-shame-for-switzerlands-jobless-an-insiders-look


It seems to work SO much better than the punitive, sanctions orientated apology for welfare that we have in the UK.

Did you read the comments at the bottom of that linked article?
Perhaps it's not such a rosy picture as the article claimed.

NYM

Blooming heck! Bogof_Babe got there first!