you can't plan a route to an unfamiliar place yourself. 1.6.26 For some conditions different time periods will need to be considered, such as the potential impact of different times of the day. 1.3.6 On receipt of a referral from DWP, the HP should conduct an initial review of the case file to determine whether: the claim can be assessed on the basis of the paper evidence held at this point (a paper-based review), a consultation will be required. If this is not feasible for example, if the consultation is carried out in the claimant's own home the HP should make a note of the circumstances and carry out such assessment as they can while the claimant is sitting or standing. Unsolicited DS1500s should be sent urgently to the DWP, with an explanation as to the reason why the AP is sending the form. Have you read something you think others need to know? 1.6.69 The HP has a duty to protect the confidentiality of the information obtained during the consultation. 1.15.27 In cases treated under the SREL process, a telephone call to a different health professional should be considered. 1.2.5 If the Provider or HP has any concerns about the claimant or those who are within their care, in all cases, they should direct their concerns to the appropriate agencies, healthcare professionals and services who may provide further assistance to the claimant. PIP telephone assessment. It is not the HPs opinion of what the claimant should be able to do. The PIP assessment is an opportunity for you to talk about how your condition affects you - it's not a diagnosis of your condition or a medical examination. For any award review case referred to the AP, all relevant supporting and further evidence will be visible. 1.7.5 If the claimant states that they are nearing the end of life when applying for PIP, they will be advised by the DWP to obtain form DS1500 from their GP, consultant or specialist nurse. 1.6.65 Claimants and companions taking part in a consultation with the claimant are entitled to take notes for their own purposes. There may be some activities that have been done for them all of their lives and that a young person without a health condition or impairment of the same age may do themselves. The roll-out of PIP to existing DLA claimants commenced from October 2013. In addition, variability in a condition may suggest findings which initially seem inconsistent. Pip telephone assessment experience. | Mental Health Forum 1.6.74 The request for a home consultation may come from a GP or other health professional involved in the claimants care. 1.14.5 Considerations that the HP should make include, but are not limited to: whether the claimant has a condition which is likely to have fluctuations in the functional effects over time, whether the claimant has a condition which is likely to have sequelae which cause deterioration or fluctuation of function, whether the condition is the same condition but with a different diagnostic label - for example mitral valve disease / mitral stenosis, whether the original diagnosis has been amended but the underlying impairment and functional effects remain the same for example bronchial asthma in the past but now suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) which is substantially the same condition, whether the same condition is present and responsible for the functional effects but deterioration has occurred due to a second condition. 1; 2; First Prev 2 of 2 Go to page. Hi everyone, Thanks for letting me onto the forum and for all your help! Contact a Welfare & Benefits Advisor if you need additional advice or support. 1.5.3 Apart from examination and informal observations that can only be obtained at a consultation, the HP must complete the paper-based review in line with the advice given in this guidance. You can also bring someone with you in the course of your assessment. Any new evidence about how your condition affects your daily life, which you have not already sent to the DWP: A copy of your PIP claim form with you. 1.4.14 If the claimant states that they want to tell the HP something in confidence that they do not want recorded in the HPs advice, the HP should explain to them that they are unable to take such information into account, as the CM making the decision on their claim would have no access to it. You can read further in this article on what you need to expect from the PIP assessment with questions on mental health. Following this you will receive a PIP medical assessment appointment letter from Atos or Capita - usually within four weeks, however in specific areas there are delays, and it could take longer. The telephone assessment should last between 20 minutes . In this aspect of the PIP assessment with questions on mental health, the health professional will be asking you questions on how you are feeling with your condition. 1.15.2 Consent may be written, verbal and in certain circumstances given by a third party. In some cases, you might be able to argue that they are discriminating against you. This will include details of the claimants key supporting health professional and basic information about their mobility. At a telephone assessment, consent should be captured verbally on the recording. This information should be included in the assessment report provided to DWP or via the PIPAT. everything you need to know before the call - Daily Record This question in the PIP assessment with questions one mental health means that you find it hard to do the following: This question shows that the DWP is interested in knowing about how you deal with the long and short journeys that you will be going to buy some groceries or other necessities. For each medication record the frequency, dosage and purpose (where known) in full. HPs should allow a companion to contribute and should record any evidence they provide. Charities like Citizens Advice and Scope can look over a draft for you, or they can help you write the entire form. 1.7.31 Should an HP identify that a claimant is likely to meet the SREL conditions during a consultation and the claimant is aware of their condition, the HP should treat the case as a SREL referral. The HP will choose a descriptor for each activity and a DWP CM will review the suggested descriptors and decide if the evidence supports those choices. Your appointment should be a minimum of seven days away. Well enough: For example, you may be able to make a meal, but you will not be able to eat it if it is undercooked. Where there is a complex, fluctuating condition strong consideration should be given for individual justifications being required. You should check for yes if you have one of the following conditions: This is another sample PIP assessment question on mental health: Are you unable to go out because of severe anxiety or distress?YesNoSometimes. They should not move the claimants limbs. However, the HP should bear in mind that for claimants with stable long-term conditions, the evidence available may be older. 1.6.61 APs must publicise these conditions and include them in communications sent to claimants before they attend a consultation. Pip telephone review sprung on me out of the blue. I keep - Scope Physical and psychological or mental examination: If obligated, and with your consent, these health professionals will administer a short physical and mental function examination. Personal Independence Payment (PIP) Telephone Assessment You will also be qualified with this kind of benefit when you are aged 16 and over. It is important that claimants feel they have been listened to and that the consultation feels like a genuinely two-way conversation. Get help if you need it. Nine months later both lower limbs were amputated following a road traffic accident and he applied for PIP again. 1.6.2 Consultations may be carried out at a range of locations, including an assessment centre, local healthcare centre or in the claimant's own home. You can get Personal Independence Payment (PIP) if all of the following apply to you: Examples of these circumstances may be appropriate to: a claimant with severe depression and anxiety, with children under 18 providing care and support to the claimant, during the assessment, the claimant states that they are experiencing psychological/emotional abuse in their home, a vulnerable claimant states that they are about to be made homeless, adding to, or exasperating existing conditions. 1.4.13 Any written information that is marked by a claimant or a third party as confidential or in confidence cannot be used in a claim for PIP as it cannot be further disclosed to a DWP CM. They will discuss your capability to do daily tasks with your disability, illness or health condition. These kinds of psychological disorders are referred to as such since they can make a person impaired and dysfunctional in his or her important areas in life. The DWP and HPs will be expected to verify that this is the case. It is strongly recommended that the HP seek the claimants consent to telephone their GP and inform them of the finding as soon as possible. 1.6.12 The HP should record a succinct and relevant history of all the health conditions or impairments that affect the claimant. You should explain the following: These general PIP assessment tips will also help you: We recommend that you record the audio for your face-to-face PIP assessment. 1.6.75 HPs may also consider whether other options may be acceptable for example, if travelling on public transport is the issue, could a taxi be considered? They should also provide advice on the mobility component based on the evidence received with the referral and/or gathered at the consultation. 1.15.15 An officer acting on behalf of the Secretary of State will authorise an appointee to become fully responsible for acting on the claimants behalf in any dealings with DWP or its contracted APs. How are gambling and mental health conditions linked? This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. 1.6.33 HPs need be aware that it is possible that the assessment room may, for some claimants, provide an environment that appears to artificially enhance functional ability, for example for some claimants with hearing impairments. You can be eligible for the PIP benefits if you are aged 16 and your State Pension age. You are currently in the en section of the site. If you miss your assessment, the DWP will contact you asking you to explain why. When returning the form, you must include all tickets and receipts. He was awarded the daily living component and mobility component at the standard rates. Simply use the buttons below to share on your social network. Other conditions might be unlikely to see significant changes in impact, which might suggest a longer period between reviews. 1.8.18 Advice about variability should be clarified by looking at the effects of the health condition or impairment on daily living and/or mobility on good, bad and average days and not on how the claimant was on the day of assessment. This kind of assessment is done by Atos or Capita based on your location in the country. Always explain how doing something would make you feel afterwards and the impact it can have on you if you had to do it repeatedly in a short period. 1.7.15 If the claimant is already in receipt of PIP and the case has been referred under SREL as a change of circumstances, the HP must include an indication of when the claimant first became terminally ill. Failure to provide this information may result in the advice being returned for rework. 1.7.7 Where a BASRiS form has been provided, DWP should treat it as other medical evidence and refer the claim to the AP for review in all cases. Her condition improved with treatment but 6 months later she re-claimed benefit because of depression and paranoia. If you plan to do so, you should call the assessment centre in advance explaining that you wish to record the assessment they will explain what guidelines you will need to follow. the safety implications for a home consultation for the HP for example, where the claimant has previously displayed unacceptable behaviour towards the DWP and this has been noted in their case file. Cost-of-living crisis and your mental health. They are there to ask you questions and are not there to ensure you get PIP. You will need to contact the assessment provider and request a home assessment. They should not simply request evidence from all professionals identified as standard. 1.6.48 No opinion on entitlement to benefit should be given by the HP. Such a telephone call should be followed up with a written notification to the GP. You can learn more about autism in affected people by buying this book here. where there is uncertainty about descriptor choice because of contradicting or unclear evidence has been received. HPs enable CMs to make fair and accurate decisions by providing impartial, objective and evidence-based advice. 1.7.25 Should the HP fail to obtain an unequivocal answer to whether the claimant is terminally ill or their prognosis, their advice to the CM must be founded on the balance of medical probability, which should if possible be evidence based. How do I manage my money if I have to go into hospital? The HP can assess the disabling effect of the pain by considering such description (where applicable) along with all other aspects of the case, for example disease activity/severity, effect on daily activities, treatment, pain relief, pain management strategies, examination findings and informal observations. I thought about going into detail on what is PIP, who can apply for PIP, and everything you need to know about it, but instead, I'll leave it to the link below and just get on with my first PIP phone assessment experience and what . 1.6.68 Very rarely during the consultation, the HP may identify that the claimant appears to have a significant undiagnosed medical condition. 1.15.6 For consent to be explicit it must be affirmed in a clear statement. 1.6.35 HPs must also take into consideration the invisible nature of some symptoms such as fatigue and pain which may be less easy to identify and explore through observation of the claimant. 1.8.7 For a scoring descriptor to apply, the claimants health condition or impairment must affect their ability to complete the activity on more than 50 per cent of days in the 12 month period. Atos and Capita are obligated to administer PIP medical assessments with questions on mental health to people who are applying for this benefit program. 1.3.13 If further evidence is requested and returned, a further PA1 or the relevant screen in PIPAT should be completed to inform DWP of the next steps after the review of the further evidence. Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned. Advice should be clear, succinct, justified and in accordance with the consensus of medical opinion. Consideration should also be given to whether, as a result of the claimants health condition or impairment, the claimants companion or advocate may be better placed to describe their needs. 1.6.28 The functional history is the claimant's own perspective on how they manage the daily living and mobility activities. In these cases, it may be particularly important to distinguish between what a young person can or could do for themselves and what the parent does for them as part of their caring role. How do I manage my money if I have mental health problems? In circumstances where it is not possible to copy the further evidence, perhaps during telephone or home consultations or where the claimant does not wish to part with the evidence, then it is permissible for the HP to make notes from the original further evidence documentation. It is not a diagnosis of your condition or a medical examination. The AP then conducts the assessment, gathering any further evidence necessary before providing an assessment report to DWP. 1.6.51 If the claimant is uncooperative during a consultation, the HP may terminate the consultation where they have gathered sufficient evidence to complete the assessment report and provide advice for the CM. (More information on the additional support marker is in the following section.). He lives in supported accommodation and there has been no change to his functional ability in the last few years. Source: PIP Statistics to January 2021, Table 1. PIP telephone assessment questions was created by drummer53 I have a telephone assessment tomorrow and I've been through all the guides but can find anything about what to expect in a telephone assessment, like what questions they ask or how they trip you up. HPs should give consideration to the fact that in cases of complex conditions, knowledge and involvement of the GP may be limited, with specialist practitioners potentially better placed in some cases to provide useful evidence. We are a friendly, safe community supporting each other's mental health 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Such telephone calls should be made by approved HPs, not by clerical staff. You should also. you only attempt a journey during quiet times of the day - for example, when the shops aren't busy or there's less traffic on the road. The HP should explore how long it takes the claimant to carry out a task and whether they experience any symptoms such as pain, fatigue or anxiety, either during or after the activity. 1.15.12 It is good practice to check that there is valid consent every time further evidence is sought. What are my options for dealing with debt? HPs may be able to observe relevant aspects of the claimant's appearance for example how well kempt they are and whether they look under or over weight, during face to face consultation. At every stage of the proceedings the claimant should be advised as to what is going to happen and agree to it happening. The assessor will investigate the information you gave on your PIP form but also make judgements based on what you say and do during your PIP assessment. 1.7.30 If evidence that a claimant meets the Special Rules criteria is uncovered following receipt of the claimant questionnaire or additional evidence in a non-SREL claim, then advice should be given to the DWP that the claimant fulfils the criteria for SREL and the case should then be treated as an SREL referral. No two people are affected in the same way but let us look at some of the possibilities. PIP stands for Personal Independence Payment. Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is a benefit for working age people who have a disability or long-term health problem and have difficulty or need help with daily living activities and/or getting about. It will take only 2 minutes to fill in. Those details will go through to the provider and the invite letter should be sent to that person only. 1.6.30 In general, HPs should record function over an average year for conditions that fluctuate over months, per week for conditions that fluctuate by the day, and by the day for conditions that vary over a day. It is important to remember that GPs and specialists are responsible for any information divulged by the administrative staff and HPs must ensure that the person they speak to has the authority to provide the information. 1.15.16 An appointee can be either a named individual, or an organisation (usually with an advocacy role), known as a corporate appointee. As the disabling condition was substantially the same she did not have to fulfil the 3 month qualifying period. Before treating a standard claim under the SREL process, the HP should take steps to discreetly gain an understanding of the level of knowledge the claimant has about their own condition and prognosis. The HP should always attempt to respond to any issues or concerns they express. Once you have completed and sent your PIP form back to the DWP, you will receive a letter acknowledging they have got your claim. For example, it may be used to respond to a request for clarification about medication or treatment that affects the claimants health condition or impairment. The report and all other evidence available will be used by the CM who will contact the claimant in due course. We also use cookies set by other sites to help us deliver content from their services. 1.6.44 If an area of function is examined, the HP must record all findings in the assessment report, even if function is found to be normal. Physical and mental examination: If required, and with your consent, they will conduct a brief physical and mental function examination. PIP telephone assessment | Page 2 | Mental Health Forum Unanswered threads Talk with people who know what it's like! In a reasonable time: Does it take you a lot longer to do the activity than it would take most people? What a bad day is like for you - for example, on a bad day, Im so depressed I cant concentrate on anything, and getting out of bed is a huge struggle. Your assessment centre might ask you for a letter from your doctor or other evidence that you need an alternative location for your assessment. Simply use the buttons below to share on your social network. 1.6.23 The HP should record the occupation and the nature of the job for example, activities on a daily/weekly basis, including any reasonable adjustments made by the employer. 1.6.60 In some circumstances, claimants may wish to use their own equipment to audio record their consultation. The advice should fully justify why the claim is being treated under the SREL process. 1.15.23 The position that proof of consent is not required is supported by the General Medical Council (GMC), which advises that: you may accept an assurance from an officer of a government department or agency, or a registered health professional acting on their behalf, that the patient or a person properly authorised to act on their behalf has consented. Go. The fact that consent has been given (or not) will be made clear in the referral from the DWP and APs should always check that this has been provided. 1.7.18 If there is insufficient information in the claim file to confirm terminal illness and consent is clearly indicated on the file, the HP should telephone the health professional such as a GP or hospital specialist identified by the claimant in PIPCS. 1.15.22 Proof of consent given by claimants need not be routinely sent by APs when requesting further evidence. 1.8.4 For each activity area, the HP should use evidence to choose one descriptor which best reflects the claimant's ability to carry out an activity, taking into account whether they need to use aids or appliances and whether they need help from another person or an assistance dog. By contrast most people with mental health problems we talked to expected and assumed their GP would be contacted after including their details on the PIP1 form. 1.15.24 If GPs, consultants and doctors request proof of consent they should be reminded of the GMCs advice. Citizens advice. Hi Zoe, I had my PIP telephone call last July and I have only just won my case. 1.6.58 Upon prior request, providers have the facility to audio record telephone and face to face consultations. This should be explored through further questions to develop this detail. A written record should be taken of any telephone discussion seeking further information, using the claimants own words as precisely as possible. That said, the HP should make every effort to obtain evidence in order to conduct a paper-based review in these circumstances. Summary: Claimant experience of telephone-based health assessments for In these cases, the AP and the DWP must ensure the claimant is not inadvertently advised of their prognosis. 1.3.7 Should the HP discover a case that appears to fall under the SREL provisions, it should be processed under the fast-tracked SREL arrangements. Benefits assessments continue to fail people with mental health If the individual is claiming under the Special Rules for End of Life criteria (SREL), the case is instead referred directly to the AP and dealt with as a priority. The horror stories are, if anything, even worse than they were in May of this year. If you cant attend your appointment date for PIP assessment with questions on mental health, you can send a letter to the private assessment provider to change the date. This may be particularly important where the claimant has a mental, cognitive or intellectual impairment. where, in reassessment cases, further evidence may confirm whether or not there has been a change in the claimants health condition or disability. In addition, the guidance is not a stand-alone document, and should form only a part of the training and written documentation that HPs receive from APs. 1.6.70 The HP should ensure the referral form is sent to the claimants GP within 24 hours. This includes the different processes for Special Rules cases, paper-based reviews and consultations, including guidance on when the different types of assessment should be used. This PIP assessment question on mental health is important for people who may be suspected to have hearing complications, learning complications, autism, stress, anxiety, or other mental health concerns.