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Help with atos pip assessment needed

Well they rang my mate before the appointment and before I got to him engaging him in sneaky beaky conversation about a lack of doctors and asking him to reschedule?

He was a bit sleepy but insisted it go ahead. I had taken a day off, the Taxi was booked. He asked if he should come later but they were adamant he arrived on time. So off we go to the Bunker. No windows, ex community centre building. Your arrival is observed and recorded from the car park onwards.

The car park is designed as a walking test. A slope to get to the door. Then an observed mandatory wait. A long corridor when its your turn, this is designed and measured to be the walking test, no one tells you this. By the time you reach the consulting room, well if you got there on your own legs, you just lost.

Not sure about saying any more. But fingers crossed.
 
I understand if you don't want to give personal details away about your mate TopCat but I am always interested to hear people's reflections about these appointments in terms of questioning and behaviour of the assessors. What were your main observations?
 
TopCat said:
Well they rang my mate before the appointment and before I got to him engaging him in sneaky beaky conversation about a lack of doctors and asking him to reschedule?

He was a bit sleepy but insisted it go ahead. I had taken a day off, the Taxi was booked. He asked if he should come later but they were adamant he arrived on time. So off we go to the Bunker. No windows, ex community centre building. Your arrival is observed and recorded from the car park onwards.

The car park is designed as a walking test. A slope to get to the door. Then an observed mandatory wait. A long corridor when its your turn, this is designed and measured to be the walking test, no one tells you this. By the time you reach the consulting room, well if you got there on your own legs, you just lost.

Not sure about saying any more. But fingers crossed.
Click to expand...
Was it obvious that they were watching/recording you on the way in, or was it a two-way-mirror jobby like where I went? I had some trouble convincing my mate I was with that it was indeed a two-way-mirror at the end of the entrance hall, facing out the doors and down the car park. I still made sure I did things like drop him off, then park, leaving him there wobbling rather than walk the length of the car park. We got full enhanced rate everything, so we must have done everything right.
 
Before the appointment we found someone who had previously had a PIP assessment at the same assessment centre , failed it, and had successfully requested a copy of the assessor's report which they shared with us.

It was grim reading but illuminating and very useful.

The assessment started when you arrive. They are videoing you in high resolution. They observe you getting out of a vehicle, walking or not up the slop to the door, this distance is measured.

They observe you in the reception area for twenty minutes. The reception staff remind me of dole office employees in the 80's, showing barely concealed contempt.

They assess whether you respond to your name being called. They assess the ease or not of getting up out of a chair. The walk to the health care professional's office is also measured, with a hand rail along one side. My friend was in a wheelchair, his mobility is very poor at present.

We had requested a male assessor over a week before and had been assured that this would be arranged. He would feel more comfortable discussing intimate issues with a man. Just as I wheeled him into the consulting/interrogation room I reminded them of this. They were on the back foot now.

We did not want to wait more and as they explained with summonsed reception staff that they had no record of such a request, we relented.

She took a detailed account of ailments and mobility issues and impact on mobility. She seemed increasingly embarrassed by the obvious foolishness in having such a sick man endure an assessment process such as this. She asked me if I was writing down everything she said, I responded I was taking notes of salient facts and ailments to ensure they were all covered. She seemed rattled by this. I just smiled.

I was amazed at the end when she openly said her report would recommend he get the full entitlement and not to worry he would keep his benefits.

It was a very stressful experience for both of us. We await the result.
 
TopCat said:
Before the appointment we found someone who had previously had a PIP assessment at the same assessment centre , failed it, and had successfully requested a copy of the assessor's report which they shared with us.

It was grim reading but illuminating and very useful.

The assessment started when you arrive. They are videoing you in high resolution. They observe you getting out of a vehicle, walking or not up the slop to the door, this distance is measured.

They observe you in the reception area for twenty minutes. The reception staff remind me of dole office employees in the 80's, showing barely concealed contempt.

They assess whether you respond to your name being called. They assess the ease or not of getting up out of a chair. The walk to the health care professional's office is also measured, with a hand rail along one side. My friend was in a wheelchair, his mobility is very poor at present.

We had requested a male assessor over a week before and had been assured that this would be arranged. He would feel more comfortable discussing intimate issues with a man. Just as I wheeled him into the consulting/interrogation room I reminded them of this. They were on the back foot now.

We did not want to wait more and as they explained with summonsed reception staff that they had no record of such a request, we relented.

She took a detailed account of ailments and mobility issues and impact on mobility. She seemed increasingly embarrassed by the obvious foolishness in having such a sick man endure an assessment process such as this. She asked me if I was writing down everything she said, I responded I was taking notes of salient facts and ailments to ensure they were all covered. She seemed rattled by this. I just smiled.

I was amazed at the end when she openly said her report would recommend he get the full entitlement and not to worry he would keep his benefits.

It was a very stressful experience for both of us. We await the result.
Click to expand...
I'm glad your friend had your support

Pls let us know how your mate's case turns out
 
If anyone is interested or needs any help with this sort of thing, I have a standing email with examples, filling in instructions, and the book they use to train the assessors attached. Just PM me with your email address.

As mentioned earlier, my method got my mate into the support group, and got him full rate PIPs from not having any within a few months.
 
Sue said:
Very good news. And you're a good friend helping him get what he's entitled to. :thumbs:

(Obviously he should've just got that anyway but with these fuckers and the system as it is... :mad:)
Click to expand...
It was a job of work to be fair with huge stakes. The stress felt by my mate was severe. I shudder thinking of the unsupported and how they manage illness and disability in the context of possible loss of essential income.
I am still er cross about the structure and staffing of the assessment process.
I like helping out people over this. Good for my anger management.
 
TopCat said:
It was a job of work to be fair with huge stakes. The stress felt by my mate was severe. I shudder thinking of the unsupported and how they manage illness and disability in the context of possible loss of essential income.
I am still er cross about the structure and staffing of the assessment process.
I like helping out people over this. Good for my anger management.
Click to expand...

Well done, your friend is lucky to have you. Disgraceful that he had to go through this though.

You can never have too much preparation for something like this.
 
stuff_it said:
If anyone is interested or needs any help with this sort of thing, I have a standing email with examples, filling in instructions, and the book they use to train the assessors attached. Just PM me with your email address.

As mentioned earlier, my method got my mate into the support group, and got him full rate PIPs from not having any within a few months.
Click to expand...
Might be worth reposting this on the main atos support thread.
 
equationgirl said:
Might be worth reposting this on the main atos support thread.
Click to expand...
Please go right ahead. I'm just hoping the time I spent researching the subject can help as many people as possible, as is my friend who's edited claim I've included as an example.

There isn't anything in there really that isn't already openly published on the .gov website, and my many years in a range of crappy/temp office jobs has provided me with the skills to know how to search it out. The main thing is to read all of the instructions, and try to hit as many of the points in full as you can - making sure also to meet as many of the "final criteria" at the end of the (ncluded) ESA assessment officer training document.

Meeting one of these slightly-different-to-the-main-questions criteria is a prerequisite of receiving top rate for anything. This is in addition to meeting your 15+ points for the "main" questions. If anyone is in zany doubt, then I highly recommend seeing a charity like Shelter or the CAB to get help filling in their application forms. They may not manage to do it badass-ninja stylee like you would be able to by using my method, but you won't at least make any major fuck-ups - fuck-ups which are afaics built in to the application's wording and execution deliberately on purpose to make as many people as possible have to appeal a decision.

The main gist of it is to read all the stuff through before filling anything in, including the PIPs stuff. That way you can make sure that your initial claim covers as many of the key points as possible, start mentioning things to your GP so it's all on record, etc...

E2A: Feel free to cross-post this for me equationgirl - I didn't even realise that this wasn't the main thread... :facepalm:
 
Last edited:
stuff_it said:
Please go right ahead. I'm just hoping the time I spent researching the subject can help as many people as possible, as is my friend who's edited claim I've included as an example.

There isn't anything in there really that isn't already openly published on the .gov website, and my many years in a range of crappy/temp office jobs has provided me with the skills to know how to search it out. The main thing is to read all of the instructions, and try to hit as many of the points in full as you can - making sure also to meet as many of the "final criteria" at the end of the (ncluded) ESA assessment officer training document.

Meeting one of these slightly-different-to-the-main-questions criteria is a prerequisite of receiving top rate for anything. This is in addition to meeting your 15+ points for the "main" questions. If anyone is in zany doubt, then I highly recommend seeing a charity like Shelter or the CAB to get help filling in their application forms. They may not manage to do it badass-ninja stylee like you would be able to by using my method, but you won't at least make any major fuck-ups - fuck-ups which are afaics built in to the application's wording and execution deliberately on purpose to make as many people as possible have to appeal a decision.

The main gist of it is to read all the stuff through before filling anything in, including the PIPs stuff. That way you can make sure that your initial claim covers as many of the key points as possible, start mentioning things to your GP so it's all on record, etc...

E2A: Feel free to cross-post this for me equationgirl - I didn't even realise that this wasn't the main thread... :facepalm:
Click to expand...
I meant you should repost it - it's your post not mine! I would add that this method isn't guaranteed to work for everybody because there are so many factors involved though. Well done again for successfully helping your friend.
 
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