Sunday 16 July 2017

DWP Stress and health hassles - the peace didn't last long!

Hi guys, what a mess this month has been!
Remember a few weeks back when I blogged about how our DWP hassles were over for a while at least? Well, the reprieve lasted four weeks exactly and we're back on that treadmill yet again!
ESA have come calling...Arrrrrgggghh!
Honestly and in the circumstances, what is the point of even more assessments and only weeks apart?  This must be costing a fortune in real terms processing costs and I'm less than impressed can you tell?

So just what has gone wrong?
Well, the issues are two-fold!
1. DWP don't share information the departments don't speak to one another is one issue and that needs resolving! The continual vicious circle of  DWP's making people relive their disability with frequent regularity, serves and achieves no positive purpose and has to stop - we're all getting wearier and sicker throughout this abysmal process!
- and the latest incompetent mess ...  
2. Our GP practice which is now directly managed by NHS Ayrshire & Arran and is mostly staffed with locum doctors, has not returned any and I mean -ANY- DWP paperwork since April!
The DWP's current health care assessors have confirmed an assessment is now imminent for Coo as the GP did not respond or return the necessary paperwork! Just how many patients have been failed here? How many have been put through additional stress and assessments unnecessarily? Totally unacceptable situation and all so avoidable!

Coo's stress levels are up and his seizure activity is way off the scale - we got a call from ADOC (our out of hours NHS services), his drug levels have spiked and things are difficult so I reckon the last thing we needed was another injection of yet more stress in the mix! - it's just not good enough!
Typical for Carers - it's all more work and more stress but it has to be done so I've contacted Dr Tyagi - (Coo's Neurologist), who's a great guy and always supportive so least we've got the difficult health bit sorted out, well, we've got a plan anyhow!
I've asked my Health & Social Care Partnership to try and improve this situation quickly and I've a phone consultation with our practice manager- this won't help us this time around but it hopefully should help other patients caught up in this right royal mess - when there are issues, we need to keep working together!

I often blog that we are all in the same boat so must take turns to paddle but it seems we've been paddling really hard this last few months Coo and I, dear God, we must surely be due a break from the oars soon!

Stay strong and keep paddling!
((hugs))
Maz x