My ESA medical..

traluvie

Just thought i would write and let people know how my ESA medical went as it can be a very daunting experience for some, so if i can help others who are due to be assessed soon that be great.

My appointment was scheduled for 1pm. arrived at half 12 to be early..
The waiting room was very full so had a feeling it would be a lenghty wait..
On booking in, the receptionist was very helpful and polite which always helps.. She informed me that they were behind and i could be waiting another 40 minutes after my scheduled appointment, she said that i could reschedule if necessary.. I said that i had struggled in getting there from another town and would rather wait..
Some people had been waiting 2-3 hours, this was because(i found out when i was assessed) an assesment should take 20mins by there guidelines but some peoples could take an hour or longer..(my advice would be on the day of your appointment ring and see if there are any delays as it can be very uncomfortable on them seats lol and not fair to have to be waiting around for ages)Some people after waiting got sent home after waiting 3 hours in a taxi ti be brought back for another time(sorry scaring folk now lol)
I waited an hour and half, so was good compared to others..The person i saw was a male nurse..And to be honest he was great..He read through my medical letters and then asked me how a typical day went knowing that obviously it varied.. he asked me how i managed at home and getting about.. i was truthful and honest and he said it was refreshing to see a genuine case..He said he put everything down as i said so it was in my words and not his.. The assesment was about an hour long, he said once he had finished off his report it would then be looked at by someone who then decides if your fit or not for work.. it can take 2-3 weeks for a copy of the report and the decision to come..
So other than the uncomfortable sitting around and long journey i felt it went well and wasn't half as bad as i was expecting..

justinbarrow

Glad it wasnt as bad as expected, I was surprised to hear so many people where waiting and those waiting times were a bit on the long side. How many people where there I bet everybody was looking at everyone else waiting.

Least it wasnt as bad as you expected.

traluvie

The whole room was full.. People that came in after me were told the waiting was 2hr long .. evryone of them rebooked for another day and there must have been at least 30 people while i was waiting coming in for there appointment.. One person got sent home after 2 and half hrs as she was complaining only to be told that there was an error on the system and her name wasn't on system.. she was not happy..neither i would have been..
I definately think they need to be more organised and allow an hour for each person.. i know that would take more time but would save so many people hanging around and being uncomfortable.. I hope they sort it out..

barbara12

Hi Tracy
Its good of you to share this, I am sure it will help lots of people on the forum, I do think the waiting is awful knowing that people are suffering, I
wonder if this is part of the test.
Sorry thats me being cynical
I really do wish you well with it.

lilyflower

Hi Tracey, I'm glad your ESA interview went well, I am on ESA and no doubt will be having an interview soon.
I hope mine goes as smooth as yours.
Good luck for when you get your report.
Lily

tjt6768

It wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if this wasn't planned.. I know that they watch you like hawks from the minute you come in. I wouldn't put it past them to be sat among you seeing who genuinely can't sit comfortably etc etc.. I'm truly glad that you didn't find it too bad & hope that you get a good outcome.. I just resent the feeling of having to be judged as such.... Don't ask me what an alternative system could be but there has to be a better way. I personally can't sit comfortably for long at all, especially lately, standing is no option. I doubt they'd be happy if I took my mattress topper & bolster and tried to make myself more comfortable, lol...

I do think it's wrong that we get assessed by a nurse.. I don't know what nurse training could make them qualified to judge someones varying ailments enough after some questions and possible movements etc to make a report that in reality could make a very big change in their lives..

In case you can't tell, I'm no fan of the system, lol....

Ow.. That's made mi hand hurt, haha...

traluvie

Tony you know your prob right about them watching you. . One man came in on 2 crutches then sat down and crossed his legs with ease. . Here's me with one who can't cross legs and can't d even sit comfortably in them chairs. . You can tell some are fake as fake as can be. . . Maybe they are trying to find the fakes??. . The crazy thing is it's not even the nurse or doctor who makes the decision it's someone who sits in an office and reads your file and then decides. . I think that is awful. . . I agree a better system should be put in place. .

dreamdaisy

I use crutches because of my toes, knees and ankles being so painful when walking, but I can cross my legs with some ease (should I choose to) because my hips are unaffected. We think we can judge people by what actions they perform but actually we can't. This is the flaw of the whole system: they assess you on the snapshot of one day and if you are having a better day then heaven help you. DD

traluvie

I understand what you mean DD, it is wrong to judge..
And that is what is wrong with society today so yes i prob was wrong to judge without knowing the full facts..I suppose if you were there you would probably would have seen what i meant..
It just frustrates to think that so many people fake the symptoms becasue they can't be bothered to work and get away with it and so many legit people have to end up fighting there case and don't always succeed.
Sorry if i offended anyone with my words.. wasn't intended too..

stacey

This ESA system is a nitemare. I was taken off it, appealed against it and of course lost. Was assessed by someone who was not even qualified in arthritis. Am now on unemployment benefits as a result.I have bad arthritis in the lumbar spine. Very painful. Anyone else experienced this? I think we should get DLA as it really is disabling and we are expected to work with it? Ridiculous!

julie47

Hi tracy

just popped in to say I am glad your interview went ok and I hope after all the waiting around you had you get the esa.

Love juliepf x

woodbon

When I had my medical, I waited 2 hours only to be told by an old hag of a receptionist that the appointment was cancelled as the doctor had gone home!!! :roll: They gave me another appointment and we had to go back a couple of weeks later. My husband was very annoyed and asked to have a petrol claim form as we'd come over 15 miles, which totalled 30 miles in all. We did get a check in the end! Maybe its coping with stress thier testing us for!! Love Sue

Ros33

Hey All (It's not all bad)x

I too had a bit of difficulty getting to my Esa Medical the appointment was at 8am so that meant I had to get up at 7am which we all know is not easy. I was a in terrible state once I got there had to use 2 orthapedic sticks to walk and they didn't even have a lift on the ground floor you had to walk to the first floor to get to the lift!!!! I mean this is a building were they are assessing people with disabilities it is terrible (But as you say toni they may be spying on us to see if we can manage it). This is were it gets better didn't have to wait longer than half an hour and the nurse I saw was excellent really listened to me so the appoinment was successfull. So anyone out there with an Esa medical soon they are not all bad.

Also I got help from my Rheumatology nurse to fill out my dla forms I was rejected first time but was given it after appeal. It is really worth giving it a go it really helps things when you don't have to stress about money on top of everything else. Good luck to anyone going down the benefits road it is stressfull at the time but is worth it when you don't need to worry about money when it somes through.

Love Roslynx