Access to work application process time

[monicaspurpledoor]

Has anyone had any recent experience in applying for access to work assessement?
I have just completed my application and it says it could be up to 37 weeks.
A little background:
I work as a Nurse practitioner and have hearing loss (wears hearing aids) and I’m advised to have an adapted Bluetooth stethoscope and other aids to allow me to hear/communicate efficiently.

I found mine was quite quick, it was 12 weeks. Mine was also because I am deaf.

Thank you for your reply, was this recently?

It depends on your circumstances. Current wait times are

if you apply before starting the job, 6-12 weeks

if you are employed and apply after starting the job, at least 9 months

if you are self employed and apply after starting the job, at least 18 months

which applies to you?

As employers have to pay the first £1k, can’t they supply the items you need directly?

@PotatoFanjust started a new job, they advised to apply as need assessment for equipment.

That would be much easier but I’ve been advised by occ health to apply for access to work

So you applied after starting not before? And you’re employed? That will make it about 9 months wait then. Would have been a few weeks if you applied before starting but sounds like you applied after.

I’ve never not been employed. This is a new job which has come about at the same time my hearing has deteriorated further and new hearing aids (which are now Bluetooth compatible) and with this job I require different equipment.

Not sure why you’re not understanding. I know you have a job. Whether it’s an employed or self employed job is very important to your question about access to work waiting times. Can you just answer the questions that matter here?

1. Employed or self employed?
2. Applied for A2W before or after your first day starting this job?

I have said that I am employed, not self employed.

I applied on the first day of my new job.

Unfortunately, that means you'll be an exisiting employee so you could wait 38 weeks. If you had applied when you had the job offer, but before starting the job, you would have been fast tracked with the aim to clear your case in 28 days.

but if I was already employed and never been out of would this still be a 38 week wait?

I applied beginning of march and was told 30 week wait and haven’t heard anything. Mine is for mobility

It would have been a new job, so you would have been fast tracked.

You should hear roughly next April / May ish then. If you’d applied before your first day it would have only taken a few weeks, worth remembering for next time.

If you applied beginning of March you wouldn’t expect to hear anything yet. Should be about Dec / Jan ish if you’re employed and applied after starting the job

Presumably you served a notice period? That was the time to apply.

@PotatoFan thanks, I’ve been in my job for a very long time but suffered a life changing injury last year. It’s frustrating having such a long wait but sounds like it is what it is

I was 11 months (already employed)

Your company are required to make reasonable adjustments in the meantime so make sure you have those in place. A2W expect the company to make those first anyway.

Speak with your employers and see if they have a budget for workplace adjustments. It may be that they can supply it to enable you to perform your role. Mine does fit things like this or active noise cancelling headphones due to the wait for access to work funding.

Have you spoken to Occupational Health at all ? They are normally quite good.

Also, I wonder if that estimate is time from application to funding being received. It might be that they can get you to the point of seeing an approved assessor relatively quickly. Once you have the equipment list and the WNA (Workplace Needs Assessment) it’s possible that OH might fund some of the essential equipment then you can claim for it to be paid to them. Otherwise, assuming you can’t afford the front the costs yourself, you are looking at getting pro forma invoices issued then you have to submit that claim which adds time. Having said that it’s much quicker now that they have an online portal but they will still take 5-6 weeks to pay the company.

So I would recommend A: speak to OH if you haven’t already, and B: give ATW a call and ask what their current time period is for assigning to a case manager.
Then diary that and call them every few weeks to get the name of the case manger dealing. You should be able to speak with them directly (or ask for email if you have hearing issues) and find out how quickly they can allocate you an assessor.

good luck. I used to deal these all the time. Some of the case managers are great others not so much. Hopefully you get a human being.

Sorry I see you’ve already spoken to OH

Can you use an ordinary stethoscope safely in the meantime or is your employer making adjustments while you wait? I think you could make a strong argument on patient safety and productivity grounds - enabling you and the NHS to be fully productive. I can’t believe Access to Work waiting times have deteriorated to the times quoted.

It’s irrelevant. Once you have ATW you have tell them when you are going to move employers and they start a new claim - people can end up with huge gaps even with the fast track. It’s a very flawed system but it better than no system. They no longer support claims for new civil service posts, I do wonder if the NHS will be next. It is worrying as high level employees are likely to be supported but I can see lower levels just being managed out or made redundant.