Activity 3: managing therapy or monitoring a health condition
Descriptors | Points |
|---|
a. Either: (i) does not receive medication or therapy or need to monitor a health condition; or (ii) can manage medication or therapy or monitor a health condition unaided. | 0 |
b. Needs any one or more of the following: (i) to use an aid or appliance to be able to manage medication; (ii) supervision, prompting or assistance to be able to manage medication; (iii) supervision, prompting or assistance to be able to monitor a health condition. | 1 |
c. Needs supervision, prompting or assistance to be able to manage therapy that takes no more than 3.5 hours a week. | 2 |
d. Needs supervision, prompting or assistance to be able to manage therapy that takes more than 3.5 but no more than 7 hours a week. | 4 |
e. Needs supervision, prompting or assistance to be able to manage therapy that takes more than 7 but no more than 14 hours a week. | 6 |
f. Needs supervision, prompting or assistance to be able to manage therapy that takes more than 14 hours a week. | 8 |
Definitions1Sch 1 Part 1 SS(PIP) Reg ‘Manage medication’ means take medication, where a failure to do so is likely to result in a deterioration in your health.
‘Medication’ means medication to be taken at home, which is prescribed or recommended by a registered doctor, nurse or pharmacist.
‘Monitor a health condition’ means detect significant changes in your condition which are likely to lead to a deterioration in your health, and take action advised by a registered doctor, registered nurse, or health professional who is regulated by the Health and Care Professions Council, without which your health is likely to deteriorate.
‘Manage therapy’ means undertake therapy, where a failure to do so is likely to result in a deterioration in your health.
‘Therapy’ means therapy to be undertaken at home which is prescribed or recommended by a registered doctor, nurse or pharmacist, or health professional regulated by the Health and Care Professions Council, but does not include taking or applying, or otherwise receiving or administering, medication (whether orally, topically or by any other means), or any action which, in your case, falls within the definition of ‘monitor a health condition’.
Therapy for a mental health condition can include, for example, talking therapies (see here) undertaken at home. As the descriptors about therapy refer to the amount of help you need during ‘a week’, you should not be excluded from scoring points if you only need help with therapy on a minority of days. General supervision provided in supported accommodation is not regarded as ‘therapy’.2DC v SSWP (PIP) [2016] UKUT 11 (AAC) Monitoring your health condition could include someone checking on how you are – eg, if you have a mental health problem which is normally controlled by medication.
Aids and appliances to help you manage medication could include a dosette box to organise pills, and/or alarms and reminders, if you are forgetful due to your condition.
It is particularly important to consider what you can do ‘safely’ (see here). If you could suffer severe harm if you failed to take your medication or while your condition was not monitored, this must be taken into account, even if the chance of this actually happening is relatively small. Mental health and medication, monitoring and therapy checklist
•Is there a risk that you will not take your medication when you need to – eg, because of poor memory, or because your condition makes you distrust the medication?
•Do you need prompting either at the times when you need to take your medication, or ongoing prompting to convince you of the need to take your medication?
•Do you use a dosette box, alarms or reminders to take medication?
•Is there a risk that you will take too much of your medication – eg, because of poor memory, or deliberately?
•What are the likely consequences if you do not take your medication, or take too much?
•Does the nature of your condition mean that you are at risk of significant harm if you are not monitored by another person (even if the likelihood of the harm is relatively small)?
•If you have good and bad days, can you manage to take medication or monitor your condition on the majority of days?
•If you have better and worse times of day, are there times when you cannot take your medication or monitor your condition?
•Do you need help or encouragement to do self-directed therapy at home? Do you have sessions with a therapist at home?
•Do you need prompting, supervision or assistance, even if you do not currently get it?
See here for more information about mental health symptoms that might be relevant to this activity.