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Sometimes it feels like there’s an awful choice between: do I get the healthcare I need as soon as possible, or do I get the evidence I need for the benefits system. For example, one major challenge is the current strains on NHS. I have sadly found the NHS has not always been able to make necessary referrals, or doesn’t recommend anything to help for certain issues for months on end... and then the waits can be so long that it has forced me to seek private healthcare. This has been essential for my treatment. But it means my usual gp is no longer really managing my care, I am. I have records in a variety of places and many are private not NHS. It worries me because I heard that the dwp perspective puts more weight on the NHS évidence. Im not sure if that’s true though? I also am concerned that it means if they go to my GP he really isn’t the one who most understands my condition. For a while I tried to keep the NHS updated with everything but being so ill means that I haven’t managed to keep doing this.

I have  Care Plan with the GP which is updated yearly, or more often if requested to add something new. It is reviewed annually and I am given a 20 minute appointment with the GP of my choice. There are sections that we do not fill (in the event of death... and so on), some are filled in automatically such as summary of diagnoses, but can be manually amended if something is missing. I email the Surgery Secretary if I want any changes. I get a digital copy each time. I ensure that everything I want to mention for PIP is included (what I need care for, my restrictions and so on). Last time I applied for PIP this was the only evidence I sent, in the past despite numerous letters I have always had to go to appeal to get my award, this time I got it straight away, both types enhanced, and they awarded it indefinitely! This information was sent in a very nice letter saying that they had hoped I would improve but I obviously, unfortunately, was not going to. I would recommend anyone to ask for a Care Plan from their GP.

I too would agree with summary care records as I used these during a tribunal and as evidence in getting my claim awarded .As previously stated long delays are happening everywhere , this record has all GP & letters from hospital available to print .

It's so hard to even get a face to face with a gp now I have moved home so had to move gp I have seen them twice in 16 months they just won't give you a face to face appointment even though my old doctors used to see me once a month every month to help manage my health conditions they dwp also stay evidence cannot be older than 2 years but how can I get that adult social services can't see me again as tgey don't have enough funding doctors won't see you unless you have new illness and that is only if a nurse tells them to see you my name doctor has never even meet me hospitals discharge me cause there is nothing more they can do for me yet they seem to think it is OK to say we want more evidence have they not been in the same pandemic everyone else has. I read that fwp staff are gonna lose therebjobs in the thousands if that is true then some of them are going to have to go throu what we are serves them right I have list my job last week cause of ill health I now have to claim esa first time ever I am terrified they said in 2 weeks have to go meet a work coach even though they have a 6 month sick note and have been told I have not Neen out in years abs struggle with people and places I do not know they have also said I have to ha e an assessment but I have heard so many scare stories I felt sick just filling in the initial form online which by the way you only have a limited tome to complete or it times out and you have to start all over again what kind of people set something like that up for disabled people to complete its horrible I'm so scared and I won't even get the 650 paymnet cause they said I have to claim new style esa cause I worked but I don't get any extra money because I worked I get nothing so how really can they justify doing what they do even my pip is paper based assessment so why should it all be different

I have never asked for PIP supporting evidence before my last application but I felt there was a need on this occasion as there were so many contradictions in the HP report that I needed backup. Before this, I had relied on sending copies of the continuing appointments and procedures I was having but this time I asked my doctor directly for a letter of support. I did feel I was being a burden to them but did it anyway. It did make a difference. I would advise anyone to take their courage in hands and ask their GP. At least, in my case, it was positive.

Out of interest last year I got access to 20 years worth of my mental health records, it took about a month and was free, I took a load of photocopies of the more recent entries, and some stuff relevant from a few years ago, my claim is still been processed so not sure if it has helped yet or not. 

My top tip is to keep your own copy on a dedicated file of EVERYTHING related to your diability-operations, consultant's letters and reports, medication prescriptions, etc.
These days it is almost impossible to get any intervention, apart from basic records, from your GP. Do NOT rely on DWP obtaining evidence, ensure you have done it yourself and very thoroughly too.
I provided over 50 pages of evidence when transitionining from DLA to PIP and a further 20 before my tribunal-which I won.

I would agree with using the Patient Summary of their medical care notes - at a launch event for social prescribing the GP Lead for Social Prescribing on the local Clinical Commissioning Group and I (Manager of a local disability advice bureau) had a chat about how we could best help each other to support his patients, who were also our clients and needed assistant to claim relevant welfare benefits.  A Patient Summary can be printed off when requested by a patient and has information about medication,  treatment by the practice as a whole and not just visits to the GP, referrals to consultants and results, lists previous medical conditions going back to birth etc.  It is efficient and cost effective for the patient, GPs and practice staff and the DWP seem to find them helpful and actually read them.  The CCG asked me to write an article for their monthly newsletter to GPs about the outcome of our chat and, it has gone on become pretty standard practice locally.  There is no cost to the patient.  

Under the Data Protection Act (2018), you have the right to request access, free of charge, to your medical records, subject to completing the relevant "Subject Access Request" of the institution involved.

As other people have suggested, I requested to be copied in to any clinic letters that are sent to my GP which is also free of charge.

Because I have Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy (DCM), which is incurable & progressive, I requested my neurosurgery MRI scans, CT scans & X-rays to demonstrate how my spine is degenerating - a picture is worth a thousand words. It used to cost £10 for a password protected CD but now that too is free of charge under the act.

Here's a useful link with more information  https://www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/about-the-nhs/how-to-get-your-medical-records/

I asked GP receptionist if I can see doc about one and she printed me out summary care record! This was indeed helpful as it showed all dates of appointments, what it was for, prescription requests and non repeat prescriptions given! I won Mandatory Reconsideration but seeing as I also supplied latest Hospital letters, I do not know if print out helped but I have a feeling it did! 

I asked my GP several times for a letter detailing my disabilities and how it affects me but was refused point blank even when I offered to pay. They said that PIP will contact them direct even when I showed them the instructions from PIP detailing how the claimant had to gather the medical evidence. My medical notes just said I had arthritis but no details on how severe it was. Luckily I had recently had a fall due to arthritis resulting in me having surgery. Thank heavens the surgeon mentioned my condition in more detail as I doubt my claim would have been successful. Similarly, I had no luck getting information from the physiotherapist either other than appointment details. It is obvious the system is geared to refuse as many applications as possible.
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I ask to be copied into any emails or letters sent by Doctor to Doctor or any other practitioner,  you are entitled to this for free. If you don't continually collect letters you can ask the Hospital for a copy of your notes, most charge around £50.

My GP wrote a 12 page letter including all the Descriptors etc for ESA and she updates it every few years.

Over the past 10 years I have sent copies of everything to ESA and PIP Dept's, in total 10  reams of copied paper to each. I do wish these departments would share the info after they scan it rather than me having to send everything twice. 

I always ask for paper assessments and have always been put in Support group ESA, and both higher rates of PIP , now for 10 years.

My experience is flood them with so much information as you can. They obviously won't be able to read it all in my case, but that alone would be grounds for MR or appeal.

Remember carer or friends evidence is taken into account, if all else fails. 
it’s a nightmare at the moment trying to get a gp appointment let alone persuade them to help with benefit issues. My gp practice not interested, they even put up a notice saying so in not so many words.
I declared up front to assessor I had very little evidence this time  round due to gp not seeing me, specialists appointments long delayed, didn’t have any impact on my results thankfully. 

I've had to move to another town and find a surgery in which I could 
have a gp    appointment online  as I find it very difficult face to face or on the phone. I sent many letters to the previous surgery requesting help and support for my mental health conditions and not even the the local IAPT mental health team offer an online service. So as you can imagine when I asked the first surgery via and email for access to my records. I received a reply which said I had to come in with 2 forms of id. I just couldn't do it because of my social anxiety . They had never heard of the term 'reasonable adjustment' . Hopefully have better luck at my new surgery,
which at least has mental health support staff on its staff list.

I have a spinal curvature at the top of my C2 neck vertebrae which affects the muscles and tendons in my neck, shoulder, front of chest and misaligns the rest of my spinal structure. The pain can get very severe, which is why I visit my Chiropractor on regular occasions. I have TMJ associated pain too. I will have this condition for the rest of my life. I sent PIP every piece of documentation and evidence. Even proof of a bad fall I suffered some years back which left me with painful arthritis in my shoulder joint with limited mobility. On my assessment day, the lady that called was abrupt with absolute no compassion whatsoever. The call took 1 hour 15 mins. I asked her if she had actually read my notes, or even looked at my proof that I sent in. She said no. I'm here to ask just the relevant questions. I felt like she treated me like a naughty school girl. I was awarded nothing. I spoke to my Doctor and Chiropractor to ask if either of them had received communication from PIP and they both said no. Well, that told me heaps about the system and the way they continue to treat claimants in line with Government discourse.   

It was a nightmare. Because my local mental health trust is the worst in the country staff are grabbing at chances to retire and leave and thanks to Covid and decades of cost cutting referrals are through the roof. I was discharged to primary care because years of treatment hadn't worked and understandably no-one wanted to go through four thick files of records to substantiate my claims when they had never met me. My GP wrote a supportive letter but otherwise it was up to what I told them and the empathy and knowledge of the assessor. Thanks to your guides and getting lucky with the assessor it went OK

I’m afraid lack of Medical Evidence has always been a pitfall for me. I have just completed a PIP review, for the first time ever, I had my MS Nurse help me. Now I’m really hopping that this time around I will get the rate that I’ve already had before, and lost. If it goes against me (which as we are all aware could happen) I don’t know what effect it will have on me! My MS Nurse has assured me she will be willing to help me with what comes next. So that’s good to know, but I have been there and done that several times before!! Just hope I don’t have to go it again. Just like to add my MS is Stable so thankfully I’ve not needed much medical intervention, but I think this goes against me with DWP. But that’s not to say I’m not entitled! But with all the points you have to get, I tend to lose out?? And that’s unjust.

I have a cautionary tale which hopefully will help prevent anyone going through the same thing. I have been under care of hospital MH services for nearly 20 yrs, I was originally referred by my GP. As I do not take daily medication & instead rely on psychotherapy as treatment, my GPs know almost nothing about my care. Last time I had a review I sent all the evidence from my current NHS therapist and made it clear in several places on my form that she was the one to whom any enquiry about my MH should be sent and not the GP as they were not involved in my care. However the DWP naturally ignored that & sent their standard form to the GP. Since I had been referred over 10 years previously, not only were the GPs unfamiliar with me, they also had no record on their computer system of their original referral and consequently sent the form back to the DWP with the devastating note that I had "no known mental health history and no known substantial risk" when in fact as I suffer daily with suicidal ideation this was the opposite of the truth. As a result I was not only almost stripped of all my benefits I was nearly prosecuted for fraud. Only a panicked and lengthy intervention by one of the GPs when I informed them of their mistake saved me from a terrible fate. So - if your GP is not your regular HCP, fgs make sure they are fully informed of your claim anyway & of any information you want them to pass on if asked.