“The use of a dosette box is not classified as an aid”

My client has a range of physical and mental health problems, and is prescribed 14 different daily medications, including morphine. He stated on the claim form, at the assessment, in his MR request and over the phone to the DM that he is forgetful and that he can’t manage the packaging that his medications come in, and so relies on a dosette box and prompting from his carer to get his medication correct. He is 1 point short of Enhanced rate Daily Living. The MRN states: “The use of a dosette box is not classified as an aid”...!

From their guidance: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/665635/pip-assessment-guide-part-2-assessment-criteria.pdf

(i) Examples of aids to help manage medication include dosette boxes,
alarms and reminders. Consideration of their use for the purpose of this
activity should be directly linked with the reliability criteria – in other
words the claimant is unable to reliably manage their medication
independently and the use of aids or appliances is required.

Also note in CSPIP/666/2014 the SoS argued that:

It is my submission that “aids or appliances”  are used where the claimants are unable to manage their medication due to their health condition or impairment and include items such as dosette boxes, alarms etc.

Extract from the PIP assessment guide:
(i) Examples of aids to help manage medication include dosette boxes, alarms and reminders. Consideration of their use for the purpose of this activity should be directly linked with the reliability criteria – in other words the claimant is unable to reliably manage their medication independently and the use of aids or appliances is required.

So the likely issue is the old chestnut that the HCP has probably stated that they choose to use this rather than it being required. Still… should be easy enough to counter this by showing there is a cognitive etc impairment meaning that the use of the dosette box is required.

Edit(Looks as if Jon beat me to this one, so sorry for the repetition!)

IanP - 22 February 2018 03:48 PM

My client has a range of physical and mental health problems, and is prescribed 14 different daily medications, including morphine. He stated on the claim form, at the assessment, in his MR request and over the phone to the DM that he is forgetful and that he can’t manage the packaging that his medications come in, and so relies on a dosette box and prompting from his carer to get his medication correct. He is 1 point short of Enhanced rate Daily Living. The MRN states: “The use of a dosette box is not classified as an aid”...!

Well Mr P - are you suggesting the quality of decision making hasn’t improved? You need a few beers. Cheers P&N!

At a recent hearing, a PO submitted that a dosette box is no longer regarded as an aid in the context of a claimant who has a substantial amount of medication.

I suppose a clumsy way of saying that some people who use dosette boxes do so simply because it would be completely impractical to manage their medicines without one - rather than because of any mental or physical barrier to doing so.

Thanks everyone for your detailed and very helpful replies!

I guess I posted this because it just seemed like this week’s outstanding example of “curious” decision-making…

So, Pete, you seem to be saying that if I inadvertently seemed to imply that the quality of some decision-making remains somewhat below the standard one would hope for, given the public scrutiny that PIP & ESA assessments have been receiving lately, perhaps my perspective has simply been warped by a lack of beer. That’s brilliant! Where else could one get that sort of insight? Cheers, guys!

Round this way, we’ve never seen the box itself accepted as an aid by Atos unless assistance or prompting is needed as well. So they might just now be saying what they’ve always been doing.

A dosette box has been consistently used as an illustration of an aid by DWP and this has been equally consistently supported in case law, although the most recent I could find was a 2016 decision. That said, does the prompting from the carer not get them there anyway?

Elliot Kent - 22 February 2018 04:45 PM

At a recent hearing, a PO submitted that a dosette box is no longer regarded as an aid in the context of a claimant who has a substantial amount of medication.

I suppose a clumsy way of saying that some people who use dosette boxes do so simply because it would be completely impractical to manage their medicines without one - rather than because of any mental or physical barrier to doing so.

as they only take the medications due to an illness or disability, and it would be impractical to take them otherwise and the likely result of not taking them would be worsening health…you have to wonder why they think even that’s a good argument?

Indeed. The PIP2, Q.5a:

Do you need to use an aid or appliance to monitor your health conditions, take medication or manage home treatments? For example, using a Dosette Box for tablets

Billy Durrant - 23 February 2018 10:49 AM

Indeed. The PIP2, Q.5a:

Do you need to use an aid or appliance to monitor your health conditions, take medication or manage home treatments? For example, using a Dosette Box for tablets

quite.

the appeal i’ve just put submissions in on involves, amongst other things, this…...wholly ignored by the HCP and DM…

Mr Finch - 23 February 2018 10:09 AM

Round this way, we’ve never seen the box itself accepted as an aid by Atos unless assistance or prompting is needed as well. So they might just now be saying what they’ve always been doing.

Likewise - convenience versus necessity.

At the last hearing this came up none of the panel had ever seen or heard the like of a DB given by the hospital with an alarm fitted to it that my client pulled out of her bag. Once the wonderment had worn off they were furiously scribbling down 1 point in unison…and mulling asking the next appellant not having one , why not?