Loss at PIP Tribunal. What next?

Fire_Fox wrote: »

What help and support is your mother getting from the NHS and other organisations (eg. charities) for her mental health? Do you have a local branch of MIND? Has she been referred to the NHS community mental health team? A community mental health nurse (CPN) can write a supporting statement for PIP.

Support workers from these organisations can help complete forms, go to unfamiliar places or cope with new situations, help action any debts, access funding for household appliances, furniture or essential repairs, and more. Cannot see why someone could not have a worker who focusses on the mental health side and another worker who focusses more on physical disabilities.

Staff from different organisations can communicate with one another to better support your mother if she gives consent. That can be hugely useful when applying for benefits inc. PIP or other funding streams, or if there are concerns over medication say. Would be worth reviewing and updating what the Lisieux Trust have on file.

Is your mother on Employment Support Allowance or equivalent? Is she actually 'signed off sick' by her family doctor? I ask because you suggested it was "biased" to think she cannot work. Her family doctor or a mental health professional certainly needs to know that your mother has felt suicidal recently.

Have you considered completing a full Statement of Affairs - see Debt Free Wannabe board - to see if her finances can be managed better for the time being?

HTH!

She has been seeing something called Healthy Minds. I think this is their page https://www.bsmhft.nhs.uk/our-services/birmingham-healthy-minds/

She only gets Universal Credit. She does get a pension from her time as working as a nurse, but they deduct that from the UC payment so she is no better off.

As far as I'm aware, she is signed off from work by the GP. But then I remember she saw the DWP again not too long ago to be assessed for fitness to work - they said she was only partially capable. But am I right in saying that as PIP isn't a judgement of ability to work it is a separate benefit? This whole thing is confusing to someone trying to help with no experience. I do appreciate the replies here.

We have the same GP surgery still - they know us well because we've been seeing them almost 25 years. But I don't know if I'm allowed to raise my concerns with them about her comments in the tribunal. I'm not registered as a carer or appointed person etc.

Attempting to budget for her - She already knows what is coming in and going out. There's not really anything left to trim. She pays her rent, council tax, fuel bills, other household monthlies, car running costs (its a 13 plate Punto, so it's nothing expensive) and a bit of food and that's enough to exceed her income. She already gets the reduction on council tax for being a single occupier, she's moving to a council 1 bed flat to avoid the bedroom tax and is hoping that she'll spend less on keeping warm in the building he's moving to. She already shops at budget stores etc. Whilst we've not written it out - believe me I've done all I can to reduce her outgoings. From looking at her phone and broadband packages, to seeing if putting me on her car insurance policy (with 6 years NCD) saves her anything. It's still not enough.