HOW TO SURVIVE THE ESA ASSESSMENT PROCESS - PART 2

HOW TO SURVIVE

I have been gathering anecdotal evidence from as many people as I can who have undergone this ordeal, as well as taking advice from some experienced ‘mentors’ with expertise in the field.  In addition, I have researched ATOS’ own and a number of related websites (which have been and will be linked to the blog) and the following draws on all this, together with a healthy dose of cynicism and some common sense!  So, let’s move on to:

Before The Interview

First things first, The ATOS Healthcare website includes a downloadable list of assessment centres, in alphabetical order by town/city, on the "What A Claimant Can Expect" page.

• Research your nearest centre or centres – can you get there?
• When you are there, are the assessment interviews held at ground level and if not, how feasible is it that you can reach the level at which the interviews will be held? 

Have all this information to hand so that when your interview date is fixed you can bring up any problems you may have in attending without delay.  Remember – always assume the worst case scenario! 

• How will you manage the journey to the interview on your worst days?  If this could be a problem, make it clear as soon as you receive your appointment.
• If you can manage stairs on a good day but not on a bad one, insist on an interview at ground-floor level!  Remember - you don’t have good days!

When you have researched the place[s] where your assessment is likely to be held, go back to the "What A Claimant Can Expect" web page and start doing your homework on the list of things “it will be helpful to think about before your assessment”.

1.      “Any relevant information and key dates in your personal medical history”.  This is likely to be a real pain for most people.  Unless you are one of the lucky few who can keep dates and sequences of events clearly in your head, you need to go to your GP’s surgery and ask to see your medical records, with a view to photocopying any and all relevant pages.  You are initially likely to meet with a degree of resistance from the admin staff, and possibly even from your GP.  Don’t be deterred – this is your right!  Stand your ground and insist that you need this information for a forthcoming ESA Assessment.  You will not be allowed to remove your notes from the surgery so they must allow you to copy the parts you need on the premises.  To prevent unnecessary delay, ring the surgery in advance and make an appointment to go in and carry out this research.  No matter what they say – it is your right to do this!

2.      “How does your medical condition affect you in daily life?  What are you able to do and how do you do it?”  The wording of this is, in itself, designed to catch you out, because it asks you to think about what you CAN do, not what you CAN’T do. Go through the copies you have made of your initial questionnaire and make a bullet list of all the ways in which your physical and/or mental condition affect your daily life on a really bad day, and how you cope with the things you absolutely have to do.  Take this bullet list with you to the interview. 

3.      “Does your condition vary day-to-day or over periods of time?  What are good days and bad days like?”  If you do have good and bad days – remember that this interview is designed to establish that you ARE fit for work, not the reverse.  Use your bullet list again, minimise the difference between bad and good days (without telling lies, obviously!) and ensure that your emphasis is ALWAYS on the bad days.  Remember that anything you say about good days will be what they focus on.  Minimise their opportunity to do this!

4.      “What is the difference between what you can do and can’t do?”  Of all the vaguely-worded, ambiguous questions I have ever come across, this has to be one of the worst!  The difference would appear to be obvious – either you CAN do a thing, or you CAN’T!  But be careful here – the question is vague and ambiguous for a reason.  They will be trying to establish a range of things you can do with relative ease, so that they can say that with the right “support” you are fit to be employed doing this type of task!  So consider this – how do you cope with the strange and unfamiliar?  How do you cope with people you don’t know?  How do you cope with the day-to-day environment that healthy, able-bodied people take for granted?  How do these things affect the difference between what you can and can’t do?  This is the hardest line of questioning to deal with and all I can say is BE WARY!  I believe this area to be the “catch-all” under which so many "ATOS Miracles" are performed!

5.      “If you have a condition that affects your mental health, please try and tell us how this affects your daily living.”  Picture this – it’s a dark morning in February and the rain is battering off the windows.  What do you have to do to get yourself out of bed on a day like this?  If you received a phone call from the bank on this morning, how would you cope?  If you had to go out for any reason how hard would that be?  Would you put it off?  Would your first instinct be to stay in bed, not get dressed, not make meals or eat them?  This is the kind of day you need to describe in detail in answer to this line of questioning.  How do you relate to other people on this day?  How do you deal with stress, conflict or just the unfamiliar on this day?  Whatever else you do, remember to emphasise what your daily life is like on your worst day – if possible, gloss over any good days and turn the subject back to the bad ones!

So – you’ve completed your questionnaire, copied it and sent it off.  You’ve done all your advance research and made yourself notes and lists.  Now put it all in a file and REMEMBER TO TAKE IT WITH YOU TO: - See Part 3!