AIBU? GP refusing my mum a blue badge

[JollyJunee]

I’m so cross with my mum’s GP! Maybe we are in the wrong.
Mum is in her 80s. She has a pacemaker and defib due to a genetic heart condition. She can walk upstairs but slowly and would sometimes need to stop half way up. If we were walking and there was an incline/steep bit, she would have to rest. If it was more than a domestic flight of stairs she wouldn’t even try it.
she walks the dog every day. Slowly, on a totally flat route. She has told me that on the ‘bad’ days she knows the spots where there is a bench/low wall and she can rest.
She also has severe diverticular disease and would occasionally have pretty big bleeds from that which leaves her totally wiped out for a few days. She asked about blue badge last year, and GP refused to fill in the form. Told my mum he wasn’t allowed to lie and she can walk perfectly well. But she struggles a lot at times. He told her if she walks and doesn’t get her heart rate up it’s not worth walking at all.
she saw new cardiologist recently with me. We asked him about it and he was amazed GP refused. Said he would write on the letter to GP about mums issues again. He is arranging a procedure for my mum and it will definitely set her back for a while. She saw GP again today and really fought her case, but GP adamant, my mum can walk and so doesn’t need a blue badge.
Are we being lazy so and so? I would have thought my mum was an ideal person for a blue badge? It’s really knocking her. AIBU?

Yes, here is hoping. Thanks x

So NOW its good for older more immobile people to get out and about. Pity that didnt occur to the idiot authorities who were taping up benches two years ago.

Blue Badge applications will likely rise sharply because of all the people waiting for hip and knee replacements on the NHS.

Based on his conduct following your dad passing away and what he said to your mum, can I suggest that you try to find a different GP in her locality that she could be seen by? This guy sounds pathetic to be honest and has a terrible bedside manner!

The opposite of your comment saying that if she isn't entitled, then she isn't entitled could be happening here. If she is entitled but due to the GP not signing off, she is still entitled to a Blue Badge. He might see it as a 'oh she's going to be lazy and be parked closest to the shopping centre doors' or whatever. But if you phrase it as "I'll be seeing that she gets out and about more. We'll have more options of places to go with her etc. etc. etc." so he can see that she is getting her exercise and whatever he thinks is good to get her heartrate up (which by the sounds of it is actually not the best for her heart or her) then that might appease him???

Are there other GP's in the same practice or is there any chance that this one might go on holiday and you could get your mum seen by a locum?

You have no idea what conditions or how the conditions affect them so you shouldn't be judging. As you can see from this thread, blue badges are not handed out like sweeties. There are very strict criteria. It's not all about walking v being in a wheelchair

Have you any idea of just how much evidence you have to provide for a pip assessment? It isn't a case of just having a face to face assessment and lying through your teeth. You have to be able to prove your conditions and how they affect you.

It doesn't have to be the GP who signs it in Ireland, her consultant can sign it. See advise from citizen info. Also - you can just ask your local county councillor and they will help get it signed within a few days

www.citizensinformation.ie/en/travel_and_recreation/traffic_and_parking/disabled_persons_parking_card.html#:~:text=You%20can%20apply%20online%20on%20the%20website%20of%20the%20Disabled,part%20of%20your%20application%20form.

I didn’t ask a GP when I applied for my dads badge. Just filled the form in online

Where did you get the supporting information that my local authority demands?

Whata's your local authority requiring, @Blossomtoes ? Maybe we can come up some suggestions to help?

Blue badge scheme is a joke, most don’t need it (I used to work right outside large disable car park area). The number of people rocking up in the most unsuitable cars and hopping out after putting there badge in the window. Then there were those who could barely drive and barely walk, death on the road we would call them. They’d hit posts, leave handbrakes off, drive the wrong way in etc. God forbid if they needed an emergency stop!

I applied for my mums through her council, they asked for GP information but didn't contact them. You should be able to apply direct with them.

we are in a London Borough in East London, my husband applied to the local council online. They don't ask for anything from the GP, I've worked at a GP surgery for 2.5 years and only had one patient ask the GP for a letter listing his "medical problems" but it is not an NHS function so the GP doesn't have to do it and if he does he can charge a fee. You can ask for a basic summary and/or list of problems print out, that's free.

That’s kind but my mum’s dead now so it’s no longer an issue. This is what they currently want but when I wanted one they also needed a GP letter.

Letter of diagnosis
Confirmation of ongoing treatment, clinic attendance or referrals
Evidence of prescribed medication relevant to the condition
Evidence of specialist consultations or referrals
Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCP)
Experience and coping strategies
Personal Independence Payment (PIP) decision letters
Social housing reports or assessments from Local Authority
Care plans from local care teams
Patient summary or summary care records
Please be aware GP letters of support must not be the only source of evidence

Those people making the link between PIP & the blue badge are wrong. For a start you can can't apply for PIP over retirement age so for older people that would rule them out anyway.
We just applied for my FIL's Blue Badge as due to back problems relating to osteoporosis he can neither stand up straight or walk even one step without a walker at home or when out. . He does not receive any disability benefits despite needing daily help at home.
Application was on-line with in depth information about his condition & details of GP & consultant. It was awarded without any face to face assessment.

It isn’t up to your GP and you don’t have to be getting a disability benefit such as PIP. Have a look at the CAB’s advice on their website.

www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/sick-or-disabled-people-and-carers/help-for-disabled-travellers1/

The message coming across loud and clear in this thread is that it’s a postcode lottery. It appears that where I live you have to jump through so many hoops it’s a miracle anyone gets one.

That list is from the council website, by the way.

It’s got nothing to do with your gp. You fill the form in yourself online and submit it. It then gets reviewed and either granted or refused. Sometimes they will send someone to see you to see how you are.

Well clearly it is something to do with your GP here or the website wouldn’t say Please be aware GP letters of support must not be the only source of evidence.

As many have said, GPs don't fill in the form for the blue badge. It's nothing to do with them really and and I doubt the council will even contact them. Your mother will need to apply online and supply any evidence e.g letter from the cardiologist stating how her walking is affected. She will probably be assessed by someone to decide whether she needs it.
www.gov.uk/blue-badge-scheme-information-council

It's nothing to do with your GP, it's down to your local council - apply via the Gov.UK website. You automatically get a badge if you're on PIP or Attendance Allowance but you can get one, with or without assessment, if your application satisfies the local council that you qualify just on medical grounds even though you are not on any benefits.

I used a letter that my consultant sent to my GP after a routine appointment (and copied me in on) as evidence of my condition.

GP doesn't have to be involved, complete online form, may be issued without an assessment. Or your mum may be called to an assessment

That’s ridiculous. She clearly needs it. My mum had to get it signed off by her GP as well.

If she fits the criteria she will qualify. I have a physical disability that means some days I can walk for miles, the next I can't walk my length, but I don't qualify for a blue badge or disability benefits, as I am not disabled enough. It is what it is!