dreadful ingeus experience

mijamiho · 24 May 2016 at 4:39PM

Hello, last week I had my first Ingeus appointment after being placed in the ESA's WRAG (which personally I think I should appeal) I am still upset over the way I was treated. An unqualified nobody trying to give me mental health/physical health advice.

The interview started off on the wrong foot. I was promised a private room for the appointment, and instead the interview was held in a large open plan office full of people where she wanted to discuss my extremely personal health conditions. She also told me personal 'success' stories about this client and that client, this guy with severe mental illness or this abused woman getting into cashier jobs as if that was any of my business. Which I found totally unprofessional. All the while she was acting pally as though we were best friends having a good old gossip.

I said IDEALLY I would like to work but my health conditions really affect my capability. I'm not a malingerer, I'm disabled. I have a heart condition that causes blackouts thus it is dangerous for me to travel anywhere unaccompanied. I also have PTSD from childhood sexual abuse and agoraphobia.

It's humiliating enough that I had to bring my MUM with me to these fortnightly meetings (how am I supposed to attend fortnightly meetings as an agoraphobic????? And if I cancel I am sanctioned?

Anyway, the advisor basically minimized and dismissed all my health conditions.

She suggested I come off beta blockers as 'you're too young and they cause weight gain'. She claimed my blackouts were probably from anxiety not a physiological defect (so she knows more than my cardiologist, eh?) she suggested my severe PTSD and depression could be CURED by joining a GYM or YOGA CLASS because it cured HER depression (clearly she couldn't have been that depressed if the gym cured it. funnily enough I used to be a gym bunny and actually became depressed DURING my fitness/health obsessed phase. sorry, exercise doesn't cure severe trauma-related mental illness) and basically bullied me into attending some daft group workshop.

She also made remarks about my weight and suggested I cure my agoraphobia by going to the shops or for a walk each evening? As if I haven't been trying to do that for years! I've spent the last 3 years housebound due to my physical/mental heath conditions. I am working with an ACTUAL counsellor and even he says it could take months or even years before I am able to lead a normal life.

There's no way I am capable of attending these meetings. I have no idea why I was placed in the Work Related group instead of the support group. How do I go about appealing this decision?

pmlindyloo · 24 May 2016 at 4:49PM

First thing to do is to put in a complaint to Ingeus - totally unacceptable behaviour from an advisor.

http://www.ingeus.co.uk/about/feedback-and-complaints,77

As regards appealing your ESA decision when was the decision made?

mijamiho · 24 May 2016 at 5:01PM

Thanks for the complaint form link. Not sure of the exact date but I attended my ESA medical assessment in late march/early april I believe. I still don't understand why they think I am able to attend fortnightly meetings as a person who suffers with agoraphobia.