Jobcentre woes

sambda

Hi,

JobCentre visits are really, really, stressing me out at the moment. I am sick (at home) before the meetings and I worry about them continuously for the whole two weeks between them.

My GP has indicated willingness to write a fit note to get me off the appointments for a break. Will this mean I don't have to go up there, and how long can the note be for.  Anything else to know?

born_again

Take it from your previous posts you are still on UC?

Are these visits part of your commitments to find a job?

I think a sick note can be upto 6 months. 

NedS

sambda said:

Hi,

JobCentre visits are really, really, stressing me out at the moment. I am sick (at home) before the meetings and I worry about them continuously for the whole two weeks between them.

My GP has indicated willingness to write a fit note to get me off the appointments for a break. Will this mean I don't have to go up there, and how long can the note be for.  Anything else to know?

A fit note from the GP will not get you out of attending mandatory appointments at the jobcentre. A GP fit note certifies your fitness for work (hence the name) and has no relevance to your ability to attend appointments at the jobcentre.

Why are you stressed about attending appointments at the jobcentre? They are there to help and support you. Have you said you are suffering with stress and discussed what help and support may be available to you? What is it about the appointments that is causing you so much stress? Maybe you need to request a change of Work Coach to someone who is more understanding or who has a background in supporting people with poor mental health.

sambda

NedS said:

sambda said:

Hi,

JobCentre visits are really, really, stressing me out at the moment. I am sick (at home) before the meetings and I worry about them continuously for the whole two weeks between them.

My GP has indicated willingness to write a fit note to get me off the appointments for a break. Will this mean I don't have to go up there, and how long can the note be for.  Anything else to know?

A fit note from the GP will not get you out of attending mandatory appointments at the jobcentre. A GP fit note certifies your fitness for work (hence the name) and has no relevance to your ability to attend appointments at the jobcentre.

Thanks. So what is it I ask my GP for to get off the appointments?  There clearly must be some mechanism if you are too ill to attend?

NedS

sambda said:

NedS said:

sambda said:

Hi,

JobCentre visits are really, really, stressing me out at the moment. I am sick (at home) before the meetings and I worry about them continuously for the whole two weeks between them.

My GP has indicated willingness to write a fit note to get me off the appointments for a break. Will this mean I don't have to go up there, and how long can the note be for.  Anything else to know?

A fit note from the GP will not get you out of attending mandatory appointments at the jobcentre. A GP fit note certifies your fitness for work (hence the name) and has no relevance to your ability to attend appointments at the jobcentre.

Thanks. So what is it I ask my GP for to get off the appointments?  There clearly must be some mechanism if you are too ill to attend?

Your GP cannot get you off appointments. If you want to claim UC, you will need to engage with the jobcentre.

You have to engage with the jobcentre and go through the WCA process. Once you have reported a medical condition that prevents you from working in your online account, and provided a fit note from your GP for this condition, you will be invited to attend a Work Capability Assessment (WCA) where DWP will determine your ability to work or complete work related activities (i.e, prepare for a return to work in the future). Until such time as you've had a WCA you will be required to attend appointments. Once you've had a WCA, depending on the outcome you may no longer have to attend appointments or you may still be required to attend. If you don't engage and attend as required, they will stop your payments (called a sanction).

If you go to your appointments and discuss with your Work Coach, they will explain all of this to you.

Murphybear

NedS said:

sambda said:

NedS said:

sambda said:

Hi,

JobCentre visits are really, really, stressing me out at the moment. I am sick (at home) before the meetings and I worry about them continuously for the whole two weeks between them.

My GP has indicated willingness to write a fit note to get me off the appointments for a break. Will this mean I don't have to go up there, and how long can the note be for.  Anything else to know?

A fit note from the GP will not get you out of attending mandatory appointments at the jobcentre. A GP fit note certifies your fitness for work (hence the name) and has no relevance to your ability to attend appointments at the jobcentre.

Thanks. So what is it I ask my GP for to get off the appointments?  There clearly must be some mechanism if you are too ill to attend?

Your GP cannot get you off appointments. If you want to claim UC, you will need to engage with the jobcentre.

You have to engage with the jobcentre and go through the WCA process. Once you have reported a medical condition that prevents you from working in your online account, and provided a fit note from your GP for this condition, you will be invited to attend a Work Capability Assessment (WCA) where DWP will determine your ability to work or complete work related activities (i.e, prepare for a return to work in the future). Until such time as you've had a WCA you will be required to attend appointments. Once you've had a WCA, depending on the outcome you may no longer have to attend appointments or you may still be required to attend. If you don't engage and attend as required, they will stop your payments (called a sanction).

If you go to your appointments and discuss with your Work Coach, they will explain all of this to you.

Surely the Jobcentre wouldn’t expect you to go in if you have norovirus or Covid.  Both are highly infectious and thoroughly nasty.  

Spoonie_Turtle

Murphybear said:

NedS said:

sambda said:

NedS said:

sambda said:

Hi,

JobCentre visits are really, really, stressing me out at the moment. I am sick (at home) before the meetings and I worry about them continuously for the whole two weeks between them.

My GP has indicated willingness to write a fit note to get me off the appointments for a break. Will this mean I don't have to go up there, and how long can the note be for.  Anything else to know?

A fit note from the GP will not get you out of attending mandatory appointments at the jobcentre. A GP fit note certifies your fitness for work (hence the name) and has no relevance to your ability to attend appointments at the jobcentre.

Thanks. So what is it I ask my GP for to get off the appointments?  There clearly must be some mechanism if you are too ill to attend?

Your GP cannot get you off appointments. If you want to claim UC, you will need to engage with the jobcentre.

You have to engage with the jobcentre and go through the WCA process. Once you have reported a medical condition that prevents you from working in your online account, and provided a fit note from your GP for this condition, you will be invited to attend a Work Capability Assessment (WCA) where DWP will determine your ability to work or complete work related activities (i.e, prepare for a return to work in the future). Until such time as you've had a WCA you will be required to attend appointments. Once you've had a WCA, depending on the outcome you may no longer have to attend appointments or you may still be required to attend. If you don't engage and attend as required, they will stop your payments (called a sanction).

If you go to your appointments and discuss with your Work Coach, they will explain all of this to you.

Surely the Jobcentre wouldn’t expect you to go in if you have norovirus or Covid.  Both are highly infectious and thoroughly nasty.  

I wouldn't be at all surprised if they say for people to go in with covid, but you're using examples of acute illness which could be viewed as 'good reason' for not attending one appointment, with the expectation of resuming attendance once recovered. 

The context of the thread is talking about a fit note for something chronic, and OP hoping to not have appointments required because of it.

For the OP: my experience whilst very unwell (and visibly so) was that my work coach tried her best to make appointments as far apart as possible while I waited for my WCA.  I was fortunate with her, to be fair.  But that was because I wasn't well enough and wouldn't be for the foreseeable future (in fact I'm much more unwell now than I was then, 6 years ago!), it wasn't just needing a break.  The best course of action for you probably depends on the reasons why the appointments are making you so ill, which I assume is why NedS asked the questions they did.

huckster

Sounds like your GP is not able to get to the root cause of your current health.  Have you been referred for therapy sessions?

NedS

Murphybear said:

NedS said:

sambda said:

NedS said:

sambda said:

Hi,

JobCentre visits are really, really, stressing me out at the moment. I am sick (at home) before the meetings and I worry about them continuously for the whole two weeks between them.

My GP has indicated willingness to write a fit note to get me off the appointments for a break. Will this mean I don't have to go up there, and how long can the note be for.  Anything else to know?

A fit note from the GP will not get you out of attending mandatory appointments at the jobcentre. A GP fit note certifies your fitness for work (hence the name) and has no relevance to your ability to attend appointments at the jobcentre.

Thanks. So what is it I ask my GP for to get off the appointments?  There clearly must be some mechanism if you are too ill to attend?

Your GP cannot get you off appointments. If you want to claim UC, you will need to engage with the jobcentre.

You have to engage with the jobcentre and go through the WCA process. Once you have reported a medical condition that prevents you from working in your online account, and provided a fit note from your GP for this condition, you will be invited to attend a Work Capability Assessment (WCA) where DWP will determine your ability to work or complete work related activities (i.e, prepare for a return to work in the future). Until such time as you've had a WCA you will be required to attend appointments. Once you've had a WCA, depending on the outcome you may no longer have to attend appointments or you may still be required to attend. If you don't engage and attend as required, they will stop your payments (called a sanction).

If you go to your appointments and discuss with your Work Coach, they will explain all of this to you.

Surely the Jobcentre wouldn’t expect you to go in if you have norovirus or Covid.  Both are highly infectious and thoroughly nasty.  

Neither condition would require a fit note from a GP as you can self certify for up to 7 days and neither are going to prevent you from working in the longer term.

The point here is that when a GP issues a fit note, they are declaring you fit or unfit for work. Attending an appointment at the jobcentre to claim benefits is not work.

If you are able to attend the GP surgery to discuss your health (and request a fit note) then you are able to attend the jobcentre to discuss your health (and provide a copy of your fit note). Both are able to offer you support, depending on the health condition. The jobcentre decide who is required to attend jobcentre appointments, not the GP. That is the point I was trying to make.