Medical examination
Important
On 27 October 2008 Incapacity Benefit and Income Support on the grounds of sickness or disability were replaced by Employment and Support Allowance for new claims. People who are already on Incapacity Benefit or Income Support will continue to receive those benefits.
You should only continue to refer to these pages if you have an existing claim for Incapacity Benefit or Income Support on the grounds of sickness or disability. Otherwise you should refer to Employment and Support Allowance.
Medical examination
You may be required to attend a medical examination. You should be given at least seven days notice. If you fail to attend, your benefit will stop unless you have 'good cause' for not keeping the appointment. It is important if you cannot attend to contact the Medical Assessment Centre as soon as possible and confirm any telephone calls in writing. Examples of 'good cause' include:
- You are too ill to attend the medical on that day
- You wish to be seen by a doctor of the same sex as you
- You are experiencing a crisis such as bereavement or illness in the family
- Other reasons may also be accepted.
At the medical
It is important to remember that the only information the examining doctor has about your health problems will be the completed 'personal capability' test questionnaire and a form from your own doctor. It is advisable to take along the medicines you use, and any hospital appointment cards or admission letters. The medical examination will begin as soon as the doctor collects you from the waiting room. The doctor will watch you rise from the chair and walk from the waiting room, and may use this information as part of the medical assessment.
If you get nervous at examinations, it may be worth making some notes to take with you. This will remind you to tell the doctor about how your health problems affect you day-to-day.
The doctor will ask you how you spend your day, and will use your answers when considering your health problems. For example, if you say you watch television, the doctor may ask what programmes you watch to get an idea how long you can sit comfortably, rather than ask you a direct question about sitting. If you have ticked the box on the 'personal capability' questionnaire that you have no problem with that particular activity - for example, hearing - the doctor will probably not consider this point in the medical report.
The medical examination should not just be a 'snapshot' of your health problems, but rather should consider how your illness affects you over time. The doctor should consider whether you experience any stiffness, pain, or tiredness when performing the activities on the 'personal capability' questionnaire. It is known that some medical conditions vary, so that you have 'good' and 'bad' days.
If you are examined on a 'good' day you should tell the doctor about your 'bad' days as well. Remember, the doctor will base his or her opinion of your incapacity not only on the direct medical examination but how you appear when, for example, bending to put shoes on or getting on or off the couch.
You may take a friend with you to the examination for support. Perhaps your friend can remind you of any problems you have not mentioned to the doctor, but he or she must not stop the doctor from carrying out the examination.
If you have a mental health problem the doctor will look at four main areas:
- Completion of daily tasks
- Daily living
- Coping with pressure
- Interaction with people.
The interview will look at how your problems affect your daily living, and it will not consist of the doctor simply asking the questions in the 'descriptors'. It is important to explain as clearly as possible how your mental health problems affect you. For example, if the doctor asks if you read books, you need to explain if you have any problems with concentration that means it takes a very long time to read one story.
After the medical examination
It may be useful to make notes of what happened at the examination for later use.