This is my honest review of Cosham Benefits Centre and the GOV.UK website for the DWP, as someone who has never been out of work, and has worked since the age of 16 years old. I am utterly disgusted if I am honest the timeline of events is as follows. Having worked in the public sector for nearly 15 years in the emergency services I discovered a lump in my groin. It was operated on under general anaesphetic and diagnosed as stage 3 Hodgkin Lymphoma cancer which was at an advanced stage on 10th July 2014
In November 2014, I was sent a letter by my employer that they could no longer pay me SSP and to submit the SSP/1 form and medical certificate to the job centre. This I did on 5th December only to find on the 27th January 2015 that they had been lost and that I needed to submit a new claim log of events as below
Spoke to Glyn on the phone in Swansea who took my second claim– 27/01/2015
Spoke to Annie Bristol contact centre 02/02/2015 at 0930 hrs
confirmed that the cosham benefits centre is the correct address for ESA claims
Missed call from witheld number 04/02/2015 at 1235hrs –
message left no name ESA claims team Emma no contact number given, stated would ring back in half an hour. Spoke to Emma who confirmed my application.
Letter receieved Cosham Benefits Office 07/02/2015
From manager Mr Stevenson-Bramley dated 04/02/2015 stated medical certificate had expired as of 04/02/2015 and to send new one by 05/02/2015. Medical certificates sent on 27th from 1st December for two months, and then from 26th January to 1st March
Spoke to Dave Exeter – Contact centre at 0835 hrs on 09/02/2015
Confirmed that the letter I received is just a standard letter which is sent out to new applicants for ESA. Confirmed that they have received my two medical certificates and that someone will be in contact within the next couple of days. Has updated file that decision for half pay will not be made until Wednesday
Checked bank account 09/02/2015
Benefits were paid into my COOP account
Letter received Cosham Benefits Office 14/02/2015
From manager Mr Stevenson-Bramley dated 09/02/2015 stated medical certificate had expired as of 04/02/2015 and that if a further one is not received by 18/02/2015 then my benefits will cease.
The DWP are incompetent, refuse to provide a personal contact phone number for the person dealing or in this case the manager, they do not provide an email address. Their behaviour is unacceptable and causing me great stress which I really don't need in my current recovery from cancer. All in all I pity anyone else that has to deal with this organisation. They really couldn't care less about the manner in which they treat people and the stress that their factually incorrect letters cause, it seems very convenient that these letters always arrive at a weekend when you can't even contact their call centre by phone and I am considering now submitting an official complaint. The website itself is poorly laid out and makes finding the correct information incredibly difficult.
