waiting for medical assessors

[vickyb69]

Any updates on time for assessment. Medical was sent start of march

[SueDonim]

Mine was sent around the same time. No response yet

[bbotalina]

Mine , same time - 3 March 2010, and still no news.

Alina

[vickyb69]

it's really rubbish. It makes it so hard to keep to plans. I've let my job know that my start date looks improbable but I'm gonna look a real idiot if I can never give them anything more accurate!! We also need to rearrange our flights - again no problem and not that expensive, but for when!! I'm going to end my changing them again and again (mind you, maybe i can blame that on volcanic activity...)

[JandM]

Someone on the forum has said they've been notified that there is a backlog with medical assessments because there have been staff shortages. At the height of the problem I believe there was up to an eight-week turn around for information to go and a response to arrive. It looked as though this may have eased a bit recently.

However, I'm surprised that you've got the impression from somewhere that anything about the processing of an application, or the medical, has a precise time-frame. Nobody can ever tell you exactly when you're going to hear, because it depends on so many variables.

[sophiedb]

hi Vicky,

Yes, it is irritating - but unfortunately the only answer is to be very Zen and accept that it's going to take as long as it takes. This doesn't mean that I'm impatient, though. I am, very. I can't do anything about it though, even if it feels as though the backlog has worsened.

My medicals were first referred on 15th December, and we heard back on 25th Feb - a 10-week wait, but then I know the MA took at least 2 weeks' holiday off during that time.

I got answers to the MA's questions back in time for re-referral on 8th March.. nothing since then other than confirmation that the backlog is still alive and well. Going by the last spell, I shouldn't hear anything until the middle of May so anything sooner is an absolute bonus!

Someone here posted a while back that some new MAs have been recruited - they might not have an impact on processing speed for a while though. For all we know they're still working off their notice from the last job.

[Sun777]

Having gone through this MA iterations 3-4 times, I totally empathize with your situation, rather it's one of the most frustrating wait throughout the application process. I think it'd be best to fast track MA process for the one's with job offer.

Sophie, I did the same Zen mantra to keep sanity throughout last year-end

[vickyb69]

I wonder if you forget that we have paid over £700 for a SERVICE. Therefore, yes, I believe that we should have a right to expectations about timescales. I completely agree with you that they cannot say with certainty about the length of the complete application. But with reference to medicals, they most certainly could say that, e.g, any medicals referred to the MA will be examined within 4 weeks and that any re-referrals after more information is provided will be examined within 2 weeks etc. I do not think that open-ended waiting is at all reasonable.

[SueDonim]

Fair enough. But I don't know what could be done about it.

[vickyb69]

They could use our money to pay for more MAs (that's said slightly tongue in cheekly as obviously i do not know how many MAs they have or why the process is so slow or how they spend our money - but more transparency might not go amiss)