Atos ESA Medical Assessment - A Positive One?

I had my medical assessment in relation to my claim for Employment and Support Allowance today, just wanted to post a bit about it.

I *think* it went okay; my appointment was scheduled for half-past nine this morning, but I arrived shortly before 9am and was called in at five past. My appointment lasted for 35-40 minutes (which I've read may be a good sign; one post I read somewhere said if you were in and out in 15 minutes it's not a good sign.).
I had a nice lady doctor with a friendly Scouse accent, and she went through a variety of questions about how my mental health affects my day to day life; such as:

How many hours do you sleep?
How often do you shower?
Have you ever been admitted to hospital?
What medication are you on?
Do you see a specialist?
Have the police ever been called?
When was the last time you self-harmed?

My mother was with me and she asked my Mum some questions about how I am generally as well.
I think it went well, it wasn't as brimstone-and-hellfire as I had believed it would be: the reasons for my beliefs being various horror stories that I have read and my usual anxiety about going to see someone I don't know in a place I don't know.

The doctor seemed fairly empathetic towards my case and had an approachable demeanour; however, this obviously could be just a front they put on to make the people undergoing the assessment more likely to 'slip up' in what they are saying (they refer to your claim sheet afterwards, as far as I'm aware - she had an orange folder that blatantly had documents relating to me in it).
She didn't try to pressure me into answering all the questions more than I was capable of doing so in the state I was in, and even gave a little not-sarcastic involuntary 'Ahhh' at one point when I was describing my non-existent social life due to my mental health problems.

When asked about accidents in the kitchen (I think this may be to do with your perception or awareness of hazards), I told her about accidents I have had such as leaving the oven and gas on as I'd forgotten it was on, she said "Oh, I'll just put 'Not Safe In Kitchen.'
As I've read people's testimonies of these doctors writing down the opposite of everything that people say, this seemed almost reassuring to me as it appeared that this doctor wasn't doing this.

Anyway, it may be that I'm looking too positively at things; my mental health co-ordinator told me to expect to fail it, so that's what I'll do; although if I do fail, I don't know how I'm going to cope and get by as I'll have to appeal it.
I should have the letter by next Friday (or a payment next Friday as that's when one's due) letting me know, so I'll update as the situation is.


Mel x

Good luck - i hope u get a resultxx

any news? passed?

Hi ya, I really hope you get good news hun. Was this your first ESA medical? I was just wondering why you were expecting a 'verdict' in one week, is that what you were told to expect? I had mine in Feb and still haven't heard back, the one before - this was my second - I was 'failed' on but won my appeal for, that time I heard back from them in about 2-3 weeks max.
I'm not sure now whether no news is good news?
I think from what you've said that it could well be positive for you, but the advice to expect to fail is good because the majority of cases get a bad result, it's a ridiculous system.
All the best for your outcome, crossing my fingers for you! :)
Jackie x

i have mine in few days. sigh. feel awful. might start a thread if i can focus on it.

Good luck darlin :hugs:

Good luck hope you get a positive outcome:)
Had mine last month and they gave me 0 points and said I was suitable for work - I have no idea how the came to this decision, as I thought my medical went 'well'. (similar to previous ones)
If the outcome does not go your way you can always appeal, which I am doing now, and apparently you will get money while this goes through ( which I havn't received either) - can some one clarify?

Good Luck:hugs:

thanks
so the appeal process is like they do it without youre input?
or are you expected to go to some meeting and fight your corner?
appeal is same thing as tribunal?

Good luck, mine was totally diff last year, they were 40 min late, even tho I arrived half hour early, some man did mine, didn't ask me any of those that she asked you, I had a physical test, and asked what I can and can't do, was in there 20 mins or maybe less, and I scored 6 points, got my results in a week, I failed, so im trying to claim again.

Hi Anybody, In my case I phoned them and they told me to check this out on the direct gov site.

http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/gl24dwp.pdf

There is a form you fill in on why you do not agree with the decision, I had a few pages worth. I just explained in the form why each point they had put me as fit for work was wrong, I think they go back to the person who looks over your case so they can re-assess it.

If they still think you are not eligable for esa you can then take it to a tribunal. It explains all in the link above. Hope your medical goes ok for you.

I was quite suprised by my last descision as she was very empathetic took a geniune interest and looked very concerned for me. Not like previous assesments where they did not make any eye contact, or hand me a tissue!

Just hope it gets sorted as they have put my rent and council tax benefit on hold since as well, and they want a load of info I can't supply.

thankyou

might start a new thread.
had the medical.

the guy said he didnt even read all my form/questionnaire that id filled in!
he said i had written too much and hed be there till next week reading. basically he couldnt be bothered to read it.
i said will anyone read it? he said maybe. (?!?!)

the interview/medical was alot of new questions that were not in the form.
im wondering if the decision will be made by the face to face medical or in conjunction with the form i filled in.
or does one carry more weight?

there was a little physical test at end, very very very simple and basic. Wasnt aware they did this.

so much of what i wrote in form was not even spoken of.
looking back, this face to face was a bunch of easy questions to catch you out.

not sure what to make of it, if it went well or not.

i was asked to describe all health problems, i said its in the form. theres so many, my mind was blank. i didnt know where to start.
they couldnt be bothred to read the form! not happy with that.

so he said i cant even see the report (incorrect isnt he?)

whats my next step? wait? or request the report he has written or something like that?

thankyou

Hi Anybody,

Last year I went through the appeals process after getting 12 points - needed 15 I think - and when they wrote to tell me they had failed me they sent me a list of the required points and how many points I received for each part... Won my appeal but it took almost a year.
This time around I still haven't heard back - my medical was in Feb and it's June soon...?!?! That said, I am still receiving the same amount of esa so far and have been told sod all... Hmmm.

Keep us posted, really hope you get good news and if you don't hear anything back don't worry - starting to think they just don't bother to get back to you if you don't fail. The system is disgusting.

Good luck :hugs:

Jackie x

Quote:

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Originally Posted by just-jax

Hi Anybody,

Last year I went through the appeals process after getting 12 points - needed 15 I think - and when they wrote to tell me they had failed me they sent me a list of the required points and how many points I received for each part... Won my appeal but it took almost a year.
This time around I still haven't heard back - my medical was in Feb and it's June soon...?!?! That said, I am still receiving the same amount of esa so far and have been told sod all... Hmmm.

Keep us posted, really hope you get good news and if you don't hear anything back don't worry - starting to think they just don't bother to get back to you if you don't fail. The system is disgusting.

Good luck :hugs:

Jackie x

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thanks

so you just wait after the medical?
you dont have to take any steps or make calls to do something in the meantime? i think i read somewhere that you can request a copy of the medical/report or whatever they call it, after the medical. But the interviewer said nothing of the sort.

what was entailed in your appeal? did you just have to write a letter?
or go somewhere and fight your case in person?

cool....wow

good reading.

Just fyi, I was due to have mine Feb last year and didn't turn up "due to the exact reasons I needed the medical in the first place" (my words) they rejected my request to retake it, I appealed, waited a year till December (wtf do you call that, I was in "The Systems queue?) to have my appeal (in a matrixy style faceless office), won (how chuffed was I....the judge said I put forward a good argument and wrote in his thing i had a panic attack during the meeting thing, altho I just felt normally apprehensive,, which is good actually it's the only place i've got written down officially about having a PA), the tribunals didn't contact the DWP people, quite a few phone calls and sending photocopies of appeal results 5 months after the appeal, and I got paid. So a year later success.

The woman on the phone said my medical would be "sometime before 2014". which i coughed at. she asked if i was ok. but i get now, 2014 is next election time.