The INVALIDITY interview scheme is beiing tried

[GabbyLoggon]

Tried out in BURNLEY (Lancs) And spread all over the country next year...

Most of Us on Mumsnet are theorists..there must be a lot of people in Burnley who have experienced the system

I gather the press are onto it, and Ministers say the scheme is being "modifified." I susprct it is.

They aren't doing assesments for dla surely ??

It's practically impossible to get, and how will this effect people with mental health problems/ learning difficulties ??

but she doesn't get ESA
just DLA

wannabe - if after the initla 14 week assessment you are placed into the Work Related Activity group then you already get support to get back into work - so you're not expected to stay on it indefinitely. And it's very hard to get anyhow. Frequently medical evidence isn't look ed at on the initial assessment, meaning that people are turned down. They appeal and their medical evidence is then looked at and it's awarded......often by the time that happens they're already on the mend and nearly ready to go back onto JSA anyhow

The problem is that many employers don't want to take someone on that's got ongoing MH issues, or other health problems.

wannaBe - I agree. However, the current tests are a total joke. They don't need to be made harder, they need to be made more accurate. What would help that would be actual qualified doctors awarding the points, not people with a checklist. It would also help if they weren't given quotas to fill, that's no way to help the vulnerable. On top of that they could just try employing common bloody sense to the whole process.

YOu can get ESA and DLA.

Why isn't she getting both?

They do have qualified doctors you have to request to see one. I only see a qualified doctor.

she is only 15

2shoes - wish I knew. When they assessed me for DLA the bloke came round and never asked me a single relevant question (eg. applied due to back pain, only looked at my legs), that was a few months back.

oh yes the checklists - which are based on the answers given by the person on the day.

Many of them seem to have the attitude of "well you managed to get to the assessment, and came on your own so you are fine and are capable of work"

Can we get a test for Gaby to see if she's fit to post?

1. are the words in the proposed topic arranged in random order?

2. Have capital LetTers been deployed to similarly random effect?

3. Is there an underlying faint but discernable waft of something nasty in the woodpile? A vague sense of homophobia, a whiff of prejudice against those with disabilities?

4. does the OP intend to pop up occasionally on the thread claiming persecution and asking questions which grow more and more derranged?

Ticked 'yes' to all? I am afraid that your post will not be accepted at the current time. Please notify us should your circumstances change

so riv are w back to paper weights then?

classydiva - the problem we found was that they had a qualified doctor for the ESA, but whoever goes through and awards the points based on the doctors notes had very selective reading abilities. So, if you read the notes through you could see that there were enough points, but they'd only taken into account the notes that didn't award points.

If you go to a ESA medical then you have to be at your worst, they have to see how the worst day you ever have is. If they don't they don't care. The questions are trick questions you have to really put your bad head on, go in your pyjamas if necessary.

Knowing what is to come is a great help, and it is easy to find out what is expected of the ESA medical all the questions are online.

When they tell you you are fit, you get the name of the person who saw you, you check them online to see what qualifications they have if they have non relevant to your illness you can base your appeal on their ignorance.

Luckily for us, all we had to do was turn up to the tribunal with the original notes and highlight the points they'd conveniently forgotten. Shame we had to do it at all though :(

Not only do you want a qualified Doctor you want one knows about your condition. DH came across one who didn't consider hypertension worthy of a prescription there are some real tools amongst the medical profession and none that I know would do this kind of work.

mamatomany - you aren't kidding. According to the doctor chronic fatigue syndrome sufferers don't suffer fatigue.

Doctors are qualified in all areas, nurses are not qualified to diagnose, hence I refused to see a nurse. The first nurse has no mental health qualification so how is she qualified to do anything?

Im happy with any GP just not a nurse who knows fuck all other than what she thinks is how things are.

Oh yeah, remember that one. Apparently if you are disabled you must spend your life staring at blank walls in deepest misery. Anything else and you are obviously perfectly fine

I never went the the tribunal, I dont go out the house. I compiled a report of 13 pages providing evidence of my incapacity. worked for me.

Its hard enough turning from a social butterly, and being in work for 20 years all through my kids childhoods until they left school/college then becoming ill and turning into someone I don't even recognise, becoming what I call an emotional cripple, without having to fight for what you are entitled to.

Very true classy and sorry to hear that. We had to, they told us we couldn't do it any other way :(

Have to say, for somewhere that deals with disabled people they have the crappest access and the most painful seating. I could barely stand afterwards.

There are some brillian comments here. I am pleased to see the subject taken seriously

I am also pleased to see some of you would prefer to be assessed by a proper doctor

Gabby, is it really called an invalidity interview or did you just make that bit up?