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Questions during PIP face fo face assessment

iut044
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Welfare Benefits Adviser, West Lancs Disability Helpline, Skelmersdale

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On the PIP face to face assessment, will the healthcare professional go through all the standard questions or will these be tailored to the claimant’s issues as set out on the form?

stevenmcavoy
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Welfare rights officer - Enable Scotland

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iut044 - 27 August 2015 11:58 AM

On the PIP face to face assessment, will the healthcare professional go through all the standard questions or will these be tailored to the claimant’s issues as set out on the form?

we have mainly done claims via medicals at the glasgow centre and our experience there is pretty good to be fair.

they have went through the form on a section by section basis buts its been a bit of an open dialogue in each section rather than just sticking to the questions in our experience.

Daphne
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Only been to 4 - all in bristol - similar experience to steven - much more open conversation and easy to step in with additional information. Even inquisitorial questioning at times to try and elicit relevant info.

stevejohnsontrainer
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@theflipchart ltd

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I think the PIP2 form is even worse than the ESA50, and that is saying something. The questions (such as they are) do not guide the Health Professional to the correct descriptor, so I am not sure following the question format is all that useful.

I have been encouraging advisers on training courses to to take the claim away from the PIP2 dreamland, and attach follow on pages using a simple pro forma. The attached page connects the claimant to the descriptor proposed, using regs 4 (reliability) and 7 (majority) etc, and give examples of relevant incidents (if any) to support the claim. The PIP2 is still signed and returned etc.

Getting very good feedback from those who have tried this approach. I think it can really assist the Health Professional and then the Decision Maker to get to the right outcome. The attached page effectively becomes the revision request if the claimant is refused.

Of course if you already are getting high award outcomes without this sort of approach, no worries.

Steve

Geri-G
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Welfare reform team - North Ayrshire Council

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I am using the above approach, and always sue the “reliably” “to a reasonable standard” and “for the majority of the time”. If a client has been referred to a Health Care Professional but hasn’t seen them, I put this in additional information with a huge star on the front page, as the HCP doesn’t always read the info. I also put down if a client has previously seen an HCP and state that there is nothing more to be done.

I have been for a couple of assessments with clients-last one showed what she was writing, and I stepped in to correct it a couple of times. Ones I have been to start with the “typical day” stuff

stevejohnsontrainer
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Hi there,

Love the idea of a gold star etc to draw the HPs attention to important or unread material.

The latest PIP Assessment Guide refers to the ‘typical day’ approach three times, whereas the 2013 guide mentioned it 6 times. I had understood that the DWP were coming round to accept that whilst a ‘typical day’ approach may have merits in relation to ESA (which has no defined relevant period), using it for PIP (which has a 12 month relevant period) is far more problematic. If they mean “what is life like most of the time”, then why not say so?

The PIP2 form avoids any invitation for the claimant to assert that they have problems most of the time, preferring to use the tick box option ‘sometimes’.  Is there a fear that knowing the legal criteria might be empowering? That is why taking the matter out of the hands of the ESA50/PIP2 is so important.

Steve

nevip
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Welfare rights adviser - Sefton Council, Liverpool

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The assessor should always ask open and non leading questions both directly and indirectly related to the prescribed activities.

Wrong approach, closed question.  Can you walk round a supermarket?

Right approach, open question.  How do you manage to do your shopping?