You may be interested in an experience here in Derbyshire where the schemeis being trialled.

I persuaded a guy on In capacity Benefit to make a claim for Carer's Allowance in order to get the carer's premium included in his CT and Housing Benefit. He suffers from severe anxiety and was reluctant to do this, as he was worried about possible implications. Having reassured him and filled in & sent the form, explaining on there that he is only claiming to get the premium and provided precautionary supervision for his wife, I was unpleasantly surprised when he rang me on Monday to say theclaim had been passed to the local office in Chesterfield and he would be called for work-focussed interviews.

The poor bloke had been climbing walls with anxiety all weekend.

I expect everyone on IB will get called in eventually but was certainly not expecting this to follow from a CA claim. So it's something to bear in mind for the future.

I have now been in touch with the local Jobcentre Plus office and they tell me everyone who claims CA will automatically get an iterview whether they are on IB or not. (Presumably though this won't apply to people over pension age!)
More worryingly perhaps I have now heard of someone being called in under pathways even though she is on high rate DLA care component and should be exempt. Fortunately the staff at Matlock Jobcentre+ are approachable and are trying to be helpful but as they have recieved no information to show that she should be exempt they are still calling her in tomorrow.
There is not much point in having exemptiond built into the regs if the Jobcentre people are not supplied with the information to help them recognise who is exempt and who is not.

As you know, we are one of the other pilot areas and I wonder if you and Renfrewshire would be intrested in exchanging information about the path ways e.g. our Local Health Board has appointed a team of professionals to run health condition management courses for claimants have they with you ? and what is their brief over there?

On the strictly benefit front at present I have 2 main worries

1. we have been told that no records will be kept to see how many claimants will actually leave Incapacity (and earnings replacement benefit altogether) for fear of having to attend the series of work related interviews that are planned.

2. During the medical board the doctor will draw up an IB85 and also a capability report. In how far will caring tasks and reponsibilities be seen as capabilities without looking at the reality of the person
e.g. Just a very basic example : Carer has mental health condition states concentration is affected but also states that she cares for her mother and gives her her daily medication. This she does because the care for her mother is part of her anxiety and pre-occupation.Whilst she frequently forgets her own.Will the doctor establish that in his interviews?
Similar concerns about all the daily tasks really because in many ways the decision process is turned on its head.

Sure to be you willl have other concerns and I feel I will have many more soon because the interviewing has only just started
So if you are intrested in the exchange, please let me know.

That's a good idea.

You are very welcome to contact me on chris.connolly@derbyshire.gov.uk.

Even though not subject to the joys of Pathways yet, I'd still be interested to know how it's going, especially in the context of mental health... Perhaps then you would be willing to keep us posted via this site, or you can e-mail me at wellfarerights@btconnect.com

Many thanks, Judy Stenger