Making difficulties with Blue Badge

Mirek
Mirek Member Posts: 4
edited 15. Aug 2020, 17:12 in Chat to our Helpline Team

I have arthritis left and right hip joint from 7 years. Disease cause excessive pain while I walk. I must use frequently elbow crutch. Pain and stiffeness seriously affect my mobility to carry out daily tasks. I am on a waiting list for surgery.

I applied online for blue badge and they sent me request by email for provide evidence of my walking disability from my GP. My doctor said she had no obligation to give me that evidence. The Nurse at the reception were mischievous and after many requests she printed me medical report that lists all diseases except arthritis hips joints. I can't myself belived that disabled person can be treated like this by the health service . I will add that the clinic discriminates against people with disabilites.

Please help me solve this problem embarrasing for our comunity. Thank you in advance.

********

Name and location of the clinic have been removed as naming it is against our community guidelines - https://community.versusarthritis.org/discussion/51413/community-guidelines#latest

Shell, Moderator

Comments

  • Shell_H
    Shell_H Member Posts: 548

    Hi @Mirek and welcome to the online community!

    You have had a frustrating time trying to get evidence of your walking disability in order to get a Blue Badge. This sounds really awful and I can only imagine how frustrated you are with this.

    In the first instance I would highly suggest you get a second GP to look at you and your medical record and see if they will help you - you are always allowed to go to a different GP, in the same practice or a different one as you choose. You may well find a second GP will be more helpful with this.

    If you get the higher level of Disability Living Allowance or a higher level of PIP you should be automatically get a Blue Badge, rather than having to prove anything. According to the guidance I’ve read the preference is for a letter from a professional expert, such as a Rheumatologist or Physiotherapist or Consultant as opposed to a GP. If you have access to one of these specialists I’d ask them instead of your GP.

    Citizen’s Advice should also be able to guide you in the appropriate needs and make sure the form is filled in correctly.

    Some of the other members of the community may well have experiences which may help with your issue. You may also find more help with different issues or other things of interest to you elsewhere in the community.

    I look forward to seeing you in the community and I wish you the best of luck with the Blue Badge and your doctor issue.

    Shell

  • Mirek
    Mirek Member Posts: 4

    Thank you Shell for advise. It's very helpful for me.🙂

  • Dear Mirek

     

    Thank you for your forum post. I am sorry to hear that you have had such a difficult time trying to get a blue badge.

    I can see that there have been many suggestions about how to go forward with this from the responses you have already had to your post. I see these include speaking to another GP at your surgery, you could also speak to your surgery’s practice manager about this concern. If you see a specialist such as a consultant you could also speak to them about this. We also have information about eligibility for a blue badge on our website and the link for this is below.

    There is also more information about the Blue Badge scheme on the website of Disability Rights UK. The link for this is also below and as already been suggested to speak to the Citizen’s Advice Bureau regarding your rights.

    You have not specifically said which type of arthritis you have but I have put a link to our website for information about osteoarthritis and ways to help manage this. If you have another type of arthritis then we can guide you to information about this.

     

    ·  Blue Badge and Driving

    ·  Osteoarthritis

     

    You may also find the following general information from other organisations useful. We have no control over the contents of these resources and are unable to guarantee their suitability for you, but we hope they’re helpful:

     

    ·  Disability Rights UK - Blue Badge Scheme

    ·  Citizens Advice Bureau

     

    I hope that the above information is helpful to you. You could also post on our ‘Living with arthritis’ forum for others comments and experiences Living with arthritis forum

    You are very welcome to call us on our freephone, confidential helpline on 0800 5200 520 (weekdays 9am – 8pm), where you can talk through your concerns with one of our helpline advisors.

     

    Best Wishes

    Dawn

    Helpline Advisor

  • Mirek
    Mirek Member Posts: 4
    Thank you very much for your reply. I have osteoarthritis left and right hip joint. Tomorrow I will have another telephone consultation with my GP, regarding handing over of my documents to blue badge, confirming my chronic disease - osteoarthritis. The last time the medical practice on reception, printed me a document in which they maliciously deleted all information about my osteoarthritis of the hip joints and and included in this document diseases unrelated to walking disability. I have this disease from 7 years. It's very sad that some people from NHS discriminate against people with disabilities. I don't need social security disability benefits. I need blue badge as help me with overcoming a long distance to work. I work in city centre. I am surprised that some people don't understand it and make me hassles.
    Best regards
    Mirek