Its not quite Friday afternoon but found in an ESA85 healthcare proffessionals report:

"owns 2 guinea pigs"

The relevance to ESA is?

Well, clearly it is proof that this person is employable, they must need guinea pig keepers in pets shops and Zoos. Send him to the job centre at once!

The doctor probably thinks he's breeding with them. Should I re-phrase that?

Oh the old guinea pig ownership clause huh ! Well i might have you know that as our furry little friends (Cavia porcellus) do not exist naturally in the wild, they require a great deal of capable nurturing, therefore the assessment required in the handling and rearing of such delicate beasts, quite clearly qualifies the applicant in a limited capability for work, due to the demands Guinea pig ownership can have upon Physical, Mental health and cognitive functions. Simples !!

I'd love to see the guidance to doctors about guinea pig ownership - does the decsion rest on how big or incontinent the guinea pigs are and therefore how much effort is needed to care for them! Would mice be OK?

Sorry. its Friday and I'm beginning to ramble!

Playing devil's advocate....

I would have thought this is potentially relevant. Keeping a pet requires responsibility, memory, motivation and the ability to carry out a routine.

By itself, hardly relevant, but in the context of a person's typical day I would say that it is relevant.

Of course, the health professional would probably not ask about how well the pet is kept, which is probably more important than the fact a pet exists.

If it were a meerkat however, findings of fact in this regard would be much more straightforward as comparisons can readily be made via a well known website. Simples!

nice one Tony. It might be even more interesting to have a website which compares the decision making outcomes from each healthcare professionals who prepare reports for the WCA/PCA (given that DMs merely rubber stamp their opinion).

The same healthcare proffessional (a GP) who thought ownership of a guinea pig was so important considered another clients mental health had no relevance at all (0 points). The briefest medical evidence from the healthcare proffessionals actually treating him clearly showed he should be in the support component group. Oh and she is the same healthcare professional who thinks clients arrive at the Oxford medical examination centre by ferry (Yep in an IB85 report).

Still who are we to question the abilities of such highly trained and paid healthcare 'proffessionals'.

Its no surprise that the only thing not changed under ESA is the quality (sic) of medical opinions provided by Atos Healthcare.

Sorry, it really is Friday afternoon now!

Any thoughts on one that says "decorates most days"?

Or "likes to do housework"?

A single bloke I repped recently "went shopping for bread and milk most days". Must be up to his freakin' eyes in bread puddings by now.

Possible they will be 'hinting' that can care for them bending, kneeling etc. Recently had medical report state client enjoyed 'gardening, regularly maintains garden...', turned out that he was actually 'tending two flower pots'.

Unless there is a suggestion that they are running some kind of lab? Can never tell with some of the healthcare professional reports.