Fuming

[davidgillon]

I just tracked down the indecipherable phone message that was waiting when I got home to my GP's surgery. Apparently Wheelchair Services have refused to give me an assessment as 'you ticked the box for using it three days a week or less'. What I actually said to the GP was 'I don't know how much I'll use it, if it makes enough of a difference to let me get back to work it could be every day, but I just don't know.' She was the one who decided to tick the three days a week or less box. This is why tick-box exercises don't work for disability (as Atos repeatedly demonstrate).

Due to the family situation meaning I need to head back North as soon as possible I had to say I couldn't sort it out by asking for another appointment with the GP to rehash it, but I need to go back to the GPs to pick up a repeat prescription, so I'll probably drop off a letter asking her to resubmit the form with 7 days a week checked, and possibly include a covering note explaining exactly why I need specialist seating advice, and ask her to include it.

Grrr! *headdesk*

Comments

[kaberett]

FOR FUCK'S SAKE. THAT IS INFURIATING. Dropping off a letter (or maybe getting a phone appt...?) sounds like a good plan.

[rmc28]

ARRGH how utterly unhelpful of the GP.

[jesse_the_k]

......grrrrrrr.....

Categories: if you don't fit them then you must go directly to hell.

[nanila]

So wait. Does that mean the only "right" answer to that assessment question, in order for you to get an assessment, would have been, "I'm going to use it all the time"? How could you possibly know that in advance? Is that not the point of having an assessment?

[davidgillon]

Yes, welcome to the wonderful world of NHS wheelchair services. I've had several friends in situations where the only chair wheelchair services would give them was one they were physically unable to use! I've got wheelie friends queued up on FB telling me what to say/what not to say and some of it is mutually contradictory, plus policies vary from area to area, and my only local wheelie friend hasn't used them in a decade.

[davidgillon]

A friend just noted over on Facebook that in her area Wheelchair Services have redefined 'outdoors' to include your living room in order to limit the circumstances in which they are required to supply a chair!

Thinking of retitling this thread 'Kafka lives!'

[davidgillon]

NHS ‘resisting modernisation’ of wheelchair services

Oh, hell, if the Chief Exec of WhizzKidz can't get a chair out of her local Wheelchair Services, what chance have the rest of us got?