Help please! Letter Regarding Medical

[Silver_Spirit]

I went for my medical in feb, got a letter approving my sponsor last week and everything got forwarded to the london office. (Im in the uk as is my canadian husband)
Now today i have just recieved this letter and could use a little help understanding what i should be doing.

'Dear Doctor [doctor that did my medicals name],
The above named applicant has undergone preliminary medical evaluation by this office. In order to complete this evlauation, the following additional information is required;
-An up to date report from: Psychiatrist
To include details of current clinical status of any relevant investigation performed, the aetiology/diagnosis treatment and prognosis, of the following: ?Underage Counselling? Reason. Please provide diagnosis and exclude risk of potential harmful behaviour.

Please quote the immigration medical system number shown above on all medical correspondance pertaining to this applicant.'

It also has a sticker on it saying 'Applicant - Please take this letter to the designated medical practitioner, who origionally examined you'


I self harm and was informed by the doctor who did my medical that this would not be a problem, however it states underage counselling which i recieved when i was about 14 (boy they really find out everything!) i left this without 'completeing' it as such - will this stand against me?

Also do i now need to drive the few hours back to the medicals doctor, or does this need to go to the doctor that diagnosed me with depression etc? Also am i likely to have to wait the few months i had to for my medical? And will i now have to wait in one of the (Extremely large) ques to see a psych aswll? or is this assessment something the doctor can do?

If anyone has any experiance of this situation or can help me know exactly what im meant to be doing now it would be really helpful! I was meant to be going to wait out the process in canada, but if im waiting in ques for medical assessments etc i guess im staying here...

 

[Siouxie]

My son had a similar letter but for "marijuana use" .

What he had to do was call the DMP and explain the letter. The DMP said he could refer him to a psychiatrist or he could find a psychiatrist himself and call the DMP's office with the name, address and phone number and he would arrange the referral and make the appointment. You have to see a private one (No NHS) and the report, once completed, is sent to you for approval before being sent onto the DMP. Once the DMP receives it they send it to the Medical Division for the Chief Medical Officer to look at and make a decision on.

In my sons case he found a psychiatrist and the DMP made the referral. It cost £300 including the report for a 1 hour appointment. As you have to go to a private psychiatrist you should get an appointment within a week or so.

We had the psychiatrist rewrite the report because it was so inaccurate (and contravened the privacy laws) - the first one actually said "has mental issues" - when he called their office the secretary apologised and said it was a typ0 - it should have read "NO mental issues!" As you can imagine, I was very angry about that as it could have meant him being refused.

Once the report gets sent to the Medical Division it will take between 4-10 weeks for it to be assessed. (I wrote e-mails every week asking for updates - my son's was reviewed after 9 weeks) and once a decision is made it is passed onto the Immigration Case Processing Officer to continue with the application.

You can plan on this delaying things by between 2-4 months, depending on when you are able to get the appointment and the speed of the report being done. In our case it delayed things by almost 6 months, but that was exceptional.

Once the report has been submitted there should be no reason that you can't return to Canada to wait out the results. As a spouse, you are medical exempt but what they are trying to ascertain is if you are a danger to public health or public safety (the only things you can be refused on medically). I wouldn't think you have a problem with either of those, it's really a formality.

Get in touch with your DMP as soon as possible!



this is only my opinion.... CIC are a law unto themselves!

 

[Silver_Spirit]

Thankyou, hopefully i can get this sorted in time and still be able to wait it all out in canada then.
Am i right in thinking DMP is the visa doctor not my own?

 

[Siouxie]

Yes, the "Designated Medical Practioner" - the one you had the Immigration medical with

 

[Silver_Spirit]

Thankyouuu Hopefully this can be sorted without me having to go in to the doctors surgery...its a long drive to just drop off a letter!

 

[Silver_Spirit]

A further question about this, and i dont want to start a new thread lol
Just a thought but as ive been reqested to find myself a psychiatrist. Can it be anyone or is there a list ive got to go off like with the doctors? And what exactly am i asking them to do, the letter i recieved isn't very clear.

 

[kisunja]

I self harm and was informed by the doctor who did my medical that this would not be a problem, however it states underage counselling which i recieved when i was about 14 (boy they really find out everything!) i left this without 'completeing' it as such - will this stand against me?

Hi Silver_Spirit,
I am sorry to hear that they requested an additional report from you. I heard before that London has some sort of idiosynchrasy towards applicants with mental health issues...
I have depression/anxiety in the past and have gotten a letter from the psychiatrist who used to see me, stating explicitly that I was of no harm to others and no follow-up care is needed in my case. My medicals are in then end of April, I'll see how it flies with the London health branch

BTW, just wondering, did you report on the exam that you had counselling as a child or did the medical officer found it out by herself? do you think they accessed your medical records?

 

[Silver_Spirit]

Unfortunatly the people that saw me dealt specifically with under 16s and refuse to see me for any further issues, and wont give me any kind of letter either! (doh!)

In the medical i had dressings on my arms and decided honesty was the best policy (which apparently in this case it wasnt since it just cause a hella other troubles!) but the 'underage councelling' they found out about on their own, so yes i believe they must have accessed my medical records - or at least part of them.

I hope your letter is enough for you! I didn't find out my medicals weren't satisfactory until everything was forwarded on - which sucked cause i got my hopes up and then dashed in one week!

Good luck!

(My question still stands about the psych if anyone knows?)

 

[kisunja]

Thanks for the information!

(My question still stands about the psych if anyone knows?)

They told me in the DMP's office that if an additional report is needed, the examining DMP will write a referral letter for the applicant and suggest a list of psychiatrists who are available in the nearest future.
So I'd suggest you call the DMP office first, he/she should have received this letter, too, and should be aware of the problem.

Also, the medical office in London should have granted you additional time to see the specialist (usually, its 60 days). If they did not, you might want to contact the CHC and ask for such extension.

Good luck!

 

[Silver_Spirit]

my DMP didn't gte the letter, it asked me to forward it on to him. When i called him he said find my own locally as he couldnt help locally, then post him the full details and copy of the letter i got, once i had it all together.

Also nobody ever mentioned anything about time or additional time being granted, what i typed there at the top is literally all the explanation i got of that letter, it had no cover letter or anything.

If all else fails it looks like im driving back to the DMPs area for a psych! Im meant to be leaving april 24th to wait it out, and thats gaining rapidly and this isnt getting any more sorted lol so i may be staying behind!

 

[Siouxie]

You should be able to find a psychiatrist locally by searching either google or the following websites.

http://www.privatehealthcare.co.uk/hospitaltreatment/find-a-treatment/psychiatric/psychiatric-findaclinic/

http://www.privatepsychiatry.co.uk/

Also BUPA have private hospitals that should have psychiatrists available.

No need to travel too far!

 

[Silver_Spirit]

Thankyou siouxie, you're a star Ill get on booking that tomorrow now ;D

 

[matthewc]

From what I understand, additional medical investigations have to go through the DMP - i.e. the DMP has to refer you to a psychologist, it can't be any psychologist of your choosing.

Also, note that although spouses are exempt from excessive demand, they are not exempt from the requirements to not be a health or safety danger to the public. I read one appeals decision where it was decided that being a danger to yourself does count as being a "danger to the public", so you could get refused on those grounds. Careful how you deal with this - that's the reason they wrote this:

Please provide diagnosis and exclude risk of potential harmful behaviour.

If a risk of harmful behaviour isn't excluded, your PR application could be denied.

 

[Silver_Spirit]

My DMP suggested i find my own so i could be closer to home, then fax/post him the details once i have them so he can register it etc

And thanks for mentioning that, i didn't realise that could be a problem with regards to a danger to yourself. Hopefully they wont think i am!

 

[Siouxie]

From what I understand, additional medical investigations have to go through the DMP - i.e. the DMP has to refer you to a psychologist, it can't be any psychologist of your choosing.

Also, note that although spouses are exempt from excessive demand, they are not exempt from the requirements to not be a health or safety danger to the public. I read one appeals decision where it was decided that being a danger to yourself does count as being a "danger to the public", so you could get refused on those grounds. Careful how you deal with this - that's the reason they wrote this:

Please provide diagnosis and exclude risk of potential harmful behaviour.

If a risk of harmful behaviour isn't excluded, your PR application could be denied.

Whilst medical investigations do go through the DMP, they give you the option to find your own psychiatrist close to home. Once you have found one you contact the DMP with the name, phone number and address of their office/clinic. The DMP then refers you to the psychiatrist (letter of referral and appointment). It CAN be by any psychiatrist of your choosing, I assure you, having been through this process already.

I concur on the OP needs to convince the Psychiatrist that she offers no threat to public health or public safety.