Disability employment assessment

speedalong
speedalong Member Posts: 3,315
Hi, a question

Iris you said,
It might be worth you contacting your local Jobcentre Plus and ask to speak to a Disability Employment Adviser; they can arrange an assessment of you/ your job via Access to Work who will make recommendations to your employer about support or changes to the workplace to assist you to stay in work. AtW may also fund elements of any support package.

Can this be done before seeing occy health? Ie could I arrange this over the hols ready for when the new term begins? I do think more comfortable and suitable seating would really make a difference ... As far as I know my boss hasn't done anymore on the occy health front ... he is all talk.

Speedalong
I have had OA since mid twenties. It affects my hips and knees. I had a THR on the left aged 30 and now have a resurface-replacement on the right - done May 2010.

Comments

  • dorcas
    dorcas Member Posts: 3,516
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    HI speedalong,

    Yes! it is possible to have an Access to Work Assessment before (or running alongside) occy health assess, but remember to tell your employer.

    I had the AtW assessment a month before meeting with the OH doc. AtW assessed the support and workplace adaptations under DDA and made recommendations to my employer which the employer by law had to comply with...
    OH doc assessed and advised employer regarding whether they had duties to make 'reasonable adjustments' under DDA....changes to hours of work etc.

    If you contact your local jobcentreplus office and ask to speak to a DEA....then tell him/ her that you have a qualifying condition under DDA and wish to have an AtW assessment as there are aspects of your job that have become difficult for you and that you require support to remain in post.
    The DEA will ask certain questions to establish your 'eligibility' under DDA and will then complete the application over the phone. (so be prepared to tell him/ her exactly what areas you need help with).

    They will send you the form to check and sign and on return of the form the DEA will either contact you again or allocate you an assessor. Takes only 10days from the point of allocating an assessor to the assessment being completed/ submitted. YOU get the whole report..your HR gets ONLY the recommendations arising from the assessment.
    Employers usually like AtW involvement as AtW will pay a proportion of the costs of certain supports and adaptations so saving the employer money!.

    good luck and let us all know how it goes...

    if I can help in any way please please let me know. Iris x
  • speedalong
    speedalong Member Posts: 3,315
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Thank you Iris, for replying ... I was hoping you would!!

    Well this is something I can do that is proactive this school holiday and then let my employer know when we go back at start of term. Phone calls in office hours are a challenge in the school environment.) It might kick start him to make my occy health referral (tho am very nervous they might say I can't work.) Comfy seating would be a good start. Will start thinking about what else might help ...An easy to push trolley maybe.

    How is work going for you? Are you still finding it as tiring?

    Speedalong (currently in spirit only.)
    I have had OA since mid twenties. It affects my hips and knees. I had a THR on the left aged 30 and now have a resurface-replacement on the right - done May 2010.
  • dorcas
    dorcas Member Posts: 3,516
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi speedalong!

    I wish you lots and lots of luck with your application. :mrgreen:

    I agree it's better to be proactive and to get things moving, so good for you getting the ball rolling. :D:D
    A wee tip when preparing for the contact with the AtW people is to write down a list of all the tasks you do at work, then which bits of these tasks you're having difficulty with and then mark against each one what solutions you think would help. This helps focus the mind and gives you something tangible to discuss with the DEA.

    You can read up on the AtW process on http://www.directgov.uk

    We are here to help, listen and support so please make good use of us. :!: :wink:

    Hope you're feeling a bit better today? do you know yet when you'll have your next op?

    Iris x

    (I am very tired all the time just now but I think it's because my arther treatments ain't working and the pain and arther's making me feel washed out. :roll: )
  • snowball
    snowball Member Posts: 3,465
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi I went to see a DEA today and she has said there wasn't much she could do for me as i had already seen a OC and he had said i wasn't fit to work. It was dificult to talk to her because my manager went with me :roll: HR insisted. She did look shocked that i had been off work for 2 1/2 years and its took this long for them to do something. Good luck with yours hope it goes well for you.

    Julie xx
    ((((hugs)))) n xxxxx to ya all
  • dorcas
    dorcas Member Posts: 3,516
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    snowball wrote:
    Hi I went to see a DEA today and she has said there wasn't much she could do for me as i had already seen a OC and he had said i wasn't fit to work. It was dificult to talk to her because my manager went with me :roll: HR insisted. She did look shocked that i had been off work for 2 1/2 years and its took this long for them to do something. Good luck with yours hope it goes well for you.

    Julie xx

    Hi Julie,
    I'm so sorry to read the outcome of your meeting with DEA. If OH have already made a decision/ recommendation that you are permanently unfit for work there is nothing can be done. :( I take it you had that in writing from occy health? (sorry to sound so suspicious but your boss has been very manipulative and gave you wrong info in the past!)

    IF so then the only issue is to make sure that you are considered for retirement on ill health package. delboy knows more about that than I do so might be worth sending him a PM?

    I'm concerned that your employer insisted that she was present when you met with the DEA as she had NO RIGHT to be there unless at your invitation. :x I could well imagine how inhibiting that was. ...what a b***dy cheek!

    so sorry Julie....you deserved better than this.

    Iris x
  • snowball
    snowball Member Posts: 3,465
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Thankyou Iris yes i have it writing from OH the DEA did give me her phone number so i could ring her, to make it even worse i'd had my pain meds so was out of it a lot if i don't take them i'm in too much pain. She did mention dissmissal on health grounds and retirement but it went straight over my head. I've also got a web adress to go on @equalityhumanrights.com so will have a look at that tomorrow.

    Julie xx
    ((((hugs)))) n xxxxx to ya all
  • speedalong
    speedalong Member Posts: 3,315
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi Iris, thank you for your other post - only just realised you had posted again.

    Sorry you are struggling with pain and fatigue, hope you improve very soon.

    Speedalong
    I have had OA since mid twenties. It affects my hips and knees. I had a THR on the left aged 30 and now have a resurface-replacement on the right - done May 2010.
  • dorcas
    dorcas Member Posts: 3,516
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi speedalong,

    thanks for your kind words (as always you are so supportive)

    I have decided, after much thought, to take an early retirement / redundancy package that my employers have offered me.
    Arther is just too fierce and with more (and yet more) surgery coming up, for my health's sake ..and financially, I need to be sensible and look after myself better than I have!
    at 59 at least I have no dependants to support and I will no doubt immerse myself in voluntary work after I have recovered from the wrist replacement.

    Iris x
  • dorcas
    dorcas Member Posts: 3,516
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Thanks delboy!

    I appreciate your support. :D

    I've realised that I am not wonder woman. (I suppose I'll have to give up the cape and tiara though!?)

    I've been involved in voluntary work of one shape or another over the years and have decided to view this somewhat 'precipitant' retirement as an opportunity to become more involved and widen my horizons. :mrgreen:

    Not an end just a change in direction. :wink:

    Iris x