|
Abandoned ESA medical & social worker leaving and discharging 3/4 of caseload...*help* sorry
Hi everyone
im sorry for making a thread.i know i have not been around to support others recently.
My anxiety and worry has been really bad at the moment.i have been really anxious and worrying most of the time. and today has just made it worse.
i turned up to my ESA medical [my last one was only last year!]with my NHS employment advisor from the metnal health team, her student who is meant to be shadowing her and my new Guide Dog.
Well first we had a problem cos the receptionist said the student wasnt allowed in and so that was a bit difficult but in a sense i was relieved as i hadnt met the student before and find it hard to talk in front of too many professionals at once.
So then we waited half an hour cos they were running late.And then the nurse came over to where we all were [as apparently it is nurses not doctors who do most of the benefits medical where i am now].
But she proceeds to go on to say 'Your file here says you have Nystagmus?' [for those that doent know that is a sight condition and i am registered blind with little sight though i do see some shape and large print].So i said 'Yes' and so then she said that cos of my sight condition and level of sight problems she cant do my medical - it has to be a doctor.
As she explained this is in my best interests as the doctor can do a more thorough examination and therefore really get across the extent of my sight problems to the benefit people which hopefully increases my chances of keeping the benefit but they also said they cannot tell me how long i will now have to wait as the doctor is not usually in this town [they sometimes make patients who need to see the benefits doctor go to a town an hour away instead but they are hoping not to have to do that with me].They said it may be at least a month or so.
Its just all made me feel even more anxious and like its all just hanging over me when i at leat thought the medical would be out of the way today and i know its stupid and petty but nobody seems to understand how really anxious things like this can make me and how distressed i can feel and i know its wrong but it really does.i find it really hard.i know its wrong and i shouldnt i do, i do, i do.But it just does.
It also makes me angry and i just wish she had looked at her file earlier and realised she couldnt do the assessment.It was like i had got the mental health team to go with me and everything and then suddenly its not happening and we are just kicked out the door!Though the mental health team also think it would be better for a doctor not a nurse to see me so they werent too upset but still you know, we had turned up and then this.i know its just one of those things, not their fault etc.im just unsettled.
Then my social worker came over for our appointment.She says she is leaving in four months in August.She says that the mental health teams in our county have to save £600,000 this year alone and that when she leaves they will not be recruiting for a replacement.She says that she doesnt feel able to hand over many of her patients to her colleagues because of how busy and really stretched they already are.She says she is left therefore having to discharge 3/4 of her cassload before she leaves.She says she hopes i will be one of the few passed on to someone else after she leaves but she simply does not know.She cant guarantee anything.i may be or i may not be.She simply doesnt know with how things are.
i just want to cry today.i just cant cope with all this on top of other things going on for me.
i dont even know what i want from this post.Just somebody to be there maybe.
im sorry.
|
