UC contacting doctor?

MissLFC

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poppy12345

If anyone is going to contact your GP it will likely be the Helath Assessment Adisory Service https://www.chdauk.co.uk/ It's rare for them to contact anyone for any evidence but for the work capability assessment they can send a form to the medical professional to fill in and return. For ESA it was called ESA113, see link https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/esa113-interactive-for-use-by-healthcare-practitioners It's the same form for the UC work capability assesment.

You can change your mind about them contacting your GP but it maybe in your best interests that you allow them to do this, if needed. For my work capability assessments in the past my GP has been sent one of those forms twice and i've had 4 or 5 reviews in total.

calcotti

Although they ask for permission to contact your GP they rarely do. You should proceed on the assumption that they will not and provide copies of all the documentation you have available detailing your health problems and how they affect you. The time to provide these is when you return the Work Capability questionnaire (UC50).

GHolmesAdmin

It is very unlikely they will contact your Dr, apart from anything else your Dr would charge them a hefty fee for wasting his/her time with their frivolous request. Just one thing, if you do agree to this unlikely possibility make sure you specify they may only have access to the records relating to this specific illness and nothing else.

calcotti

GHolmesAdmin said:

It is very unlikely they will contact your Dr, apart from anything else your Dr would charge them a hefty fee for wasting his/her time with their frivolous request. 

No they wouldn't. I think they are required to respond to DWP requests as part of their contracts - but their replies are often very brief and uninformative.
https://www.bma.org.uk/pay-and-contracts/fees/fees-for-doctors-services/fees-for-benefits-certification

GPs, as certifying medical practitioners, have a statutory obligation to provide statements of incapacity to patients on their list and certain information to a healthcare professional working for the Health Assessment Advisory Service , on behalf of DWP when requested.

tomtom256

MissLFC said:

Thanks to you both, that is reassuring.

After posting I received notification of a telephone appointment next week for work comittments. I have entered a fit note which says I'm not fit to work, declared the health issues when I first made the claim, have been trying to explain it all but no response from them so it feels counterintuitive & disingenous to list work I want, CVs etc when I am also saying I'm not fit to work! But if I don't complete it I'm worried it will lead to sanctions or some other delay. I called them & they said to ask via the journal so fingers crossed that won't be another half answer!!!

You still need to have commitments on your claim, regardless of your health. They should be tailored to your current circumstances.

MissLFC

tomtom256 said:

MissLFC said:

Thanks to you both, that is reassuring.

After posting I received notification of a telephone appointment next week for work comittments. I have entered a fit note which says I'm not fit to work, declared the health issues when I first made the claim, have been trying to explain it all but no response from them so it feels counterintuitive & disingenous to list work I want, CVs etc when I am also saying I'm not fit to work! But if I don't complete it I'm worried it will lead to sanctions or some other delay. I called them & they said to ask via the journal so fingers crossed that won't be another half answer!!!

You still need to have commitments on your claim, regardless of your health. They should be tailored to your current circumstances.

I just wish they were more clear. Now someone other than the person I have an appointment with has put a note on to say they have accepted my fit note but no response to my question to them, it's so annoying. Every time they do respond it's a different person from the same job centre, why not just 1 person! I look forward to actually being able to have a conversation next week at least.

Alice_Holt

GHolmesAdmin said:

It is very unlikely they will contact your Dr, apart from anything else your Dr would charge them a hefty fee for wasting his/her time with their frivolous request.

     This is not the case. A GP cannot bill the DWP  "a hefty fee"  for completion of a ESA113 form.

Robbie64

A GP has to complete certain benefit forms when asked to do so by the DWP or an organisation working on behalf of the DWP as part of the contract the GP has with the NHS. In return for doing so the GP can claim expenses relating to the time spent doing so. It's around £50 per form. Despite this many GPs don't bother to reply to repeated requests to complete forms.