u/spacecrustaceans

I've just received a random text message from UC saying I have a new to-do, I am on LCWRA it's asking me to 'Check and confirm your claim details' is this a sign of something nefarious? I've never to my memory had one of these before and been claiming UC since 2018 - I could be wrong, and it's something I have done before (I have memory issues) it's just caused a massive spike in anxiety as it seems completely out of the blue.

I've got two questions, so I thought I'd put them in one post rather than clog things up with two.

I'm on Universal Credit with LCWRA, awarded under the substantial risk rules, and I get PIP at the enhanced rate for both daily living and mobility. Both awards are based on my mental health.

Question 1: reporting a new diagnosis

I'm finally being assessed for ADHD next week after a long wait, and it's been flagged to me that I'm probably autistic too. If I get an ADHD diagnosis, and then an autism one later, do I need to report either as a change of circumstances? I can't really see how it would change anything, since I'm already on LCWRA and the enhanced rate of both PIP components, so there's nothing higher for me to be awarded. Am I right in thinking I just mention them at my next assessment, or is there something else I'm supposed to do?

Question 2: posting hobby videos

I've got back into collecting Pokémon cards lately, purely for the nostalgia. I'm not selling them and I've no plans to, they're just for my own collection. I buy them online, or at my local card shop, which is about 45 minutes away. I only go when my sister or a friend can take me, since I can't plan or follow a journey on my own, which is what my PIP mobility award is based on rather than any trouble walking.

I've also started posting videos of myself opening packs on TikTok and Instagram. Neither account is monetised, and I don't make a penny from any of it. It's just something to do, and a nice way to talk to other people who collect Pokémon cards. One of my cards has a market value of £250, and is steadily increasing in value over time, do I need to tell UC about this? I thought personal possessions were disregarded when calculating UC entitlement and capital etc - at least that's what I understand from looking on Shelters website. I have traded cards at the shop, but nothing of any real value like twenty cards worth maybe £2-3 each at most, for a card I was after, but no money has been exchanged.

Here's the bit that's worrying me. A friend of my Mum's from her crafting group used to be a work coach (she didn't even pass probation, but now acts as if she's an expert on benefits and often makes comments to my Mum about things), and she's told my Mum I could get in trouble for posting these videos and buying Pokémon cards. I've no idea what she means by that. Nothing in the videos contradicts what either award is based on, as far as I can see. I'm wondering if she's assumed I'm selling the cards, or making money from the videos and not declaring it.

It's really rattled me, so I'd just like to know if there's anything I've actually done wrong here, or anything I should be doing differently.

Mod request: once one of the mods has answered, would you mind closing the comments? Notifications from this sub tend to set my anxiety off.

I've read through similar posts, but I'm honestly a bit confused by all the conflicting information. Some people say they've recently been told the wait is 52 weeks, others say six months, and some brand new patients report waiting only three months, with everything in between.

When I first looked at CareADHD a couple of weeks ago and got my GP to refer me, I'm sure I saw something on their website about existing patients having to wait longer for titration than brand new patients. I couldn't work out why new patients would be prioritised over existing ones.

Does it all come down to your ICB and whether they've been restricted by an Indicative Activity Plan? I've seen more than a few people who were diagnosed a while ago still waiting, while others diagnosed much more recently are getting titration appointments quickly. It seems a bit all over the place, so I'm hoping someone can make sense of it for me.

For context, I've only just sent off my forms for the initial assessment, so I haven't been contacted about a date yet and I don't have a diagnosis. It's a little anxiety-inducing to hear that if I am diagnosed, I could be waiting more or less forever before I can start titration, especially with the worry that my ICB might bring in an Indicative Activity Plan restriction in the meantime.

I'm a little surprised, as I've been applying for a mix of roles, mainly EO grade with some AO thrown in. I've always done well with personal statements and have never scored below a 5. However, I recently applied for an AO role as a PA and Business Support Officer and scored a 3, despite having more than the relevant experience. Clearly I did something wrong and didn't present my evidence in the right way. It's just a little hard to know where I need to improve based on a score alone.

I'd rather not post my personal statement publicly, but if anyone with sifting or interview panel experience wouldn't mind having a look, I'm happy to send it over along with the essential criteria.

I have an upcoming interview for an AO role. The behaviours are Managing a Quality Service, Delivering at Pace, and Working Together. In previous AO interviews, I've consistently scored 5 for these, except Working Together, where I once got a 6 (though honestly I'd have given myself a 5). I've been doing more EO interviews lately, and for both Managing a Quality Service and Delivering at Pace, I again scored 5, but for Working Together, I scored 4. I really want this AO role, so I want to learn what more I can do to lift my answers from a 5 to a 6, beyond the obvious of actually answering the question they're asking. What separates a candidate who scores 5's vs 6's?

I am putting together a personal statement for an AO PA and Business Support role. I understand that, at interview, I should focus on the AO criteria, such as Working Together, rather than relying on the EO examples I have prepared for previous applications.

However, at application stage, they are not asking for Behaviours directly, despite the essential criteria clearly linking to the three behaviours that will be tested at interview. One of the essential criteria states: “Ability to build good relationships with colleagues from many different teams, departments and external stakeholders, and use these connections to drive goals forward.” This is clearly aligned with Working Together.

Would I be wrong to use my EO Working Together example for this criterion, given that it directly covers the skills being assessed?

My EO example focuses on identifying a gap in patient experience data and working collaboratively with colleagues across teams and external stakeholders, including licensed producers (pharmaceuticals), private medical clinics and medical professionals, to develop a survey. The aim was to collect meaningful data that could be used to create a market intelligence report with commercial value for both our organisation and the wider sector.

Given that the example demonstrates relationship building, stakeholder engagement and using those connections to achieve an outcome, I feel it aligns strongly with the essential criterion, but I am unsure whether using an EO-level example would be inappropriate for an AO application.

I attended a drop-in session for an AO role, and the hiring manager mentioned something I found interesting. Apparently, there's a recent view within the Civil Service that behaviour examples at the application stage are putting candidates off applying, particularly at AO grade, so more focus is now being placed on personal statements.

This seems a little contradictory, though, since behaviour examples are still used in the interview. Candidates would still need to prepare examples regardless of what happens at the application stage. It might just be specific to how that particular team or department recruits, but I hadn't heard this before. Has anyone else come across something similar? For reference, this was HM Treasury.

Was anyone here diagnosed with dyspraxia as a kid and then ADHD as an adult?

I've got a referral for ADHD and honestly I'm a bit worried everything will just get pinned on the dyspraxia, since the symptoms overlap loads.

If you've been through this, how did it go? Did the dyspraxia come up in your assessment? Did it make things more complicated, like stuff getting blamed on the dyspraxia when actually it was ADHD the whole time?

Mainly asking about inattentive type, since that's the one that seems to fly under the radar as a kid.

Would just be good to hear from someone who's been through the same thing.

In essence, I've been applying for EO roles and scoring fairly well, getting a mix of 5s, but obviously not well enough to succeed at interview, otherwise I wouldn't still be applying 😅 I've mostly been going for Diary Manager and Business Support roles, and I'm currently putting together an application for an EO-grade Diary Management role at HM Treasury, which I need to submit by the end of this week. I'm fairly confident about the application. I have more than relevant experience, I meet the essential criteria, and I've had good feedback on my behaviour examples and personal statement from friends who are serving Civil Servants.

However, I've just seen a PA and Business Support role come up at HM Treasury at AA grade. When I've applied for AA/AO roles in the past, I've scored 6s and 7s and was successful twice, though unfortunately both roles were withdrawn due to a mix of AI and funding cuts. Looking at the AA role, I strongly suspect it sits within the same team as the EO role I am already applying for. The responsibilities and wording are almost word for word the same as the EO role. Both are, in essence, managing the diaries and inboxes of three Deputy Directors and providing surge support for the Director General's diary.

Am I being daft applying for this AA role, given I've been scoring fairly well at EO level and am already applying for the EO position? I just want a foot in the door, and there haven't been many jobs coming up in my area lately. Given my history of scoring 6s and 7s on previous AA/AO applications, I thought I'd be in with a fair chance for this one.

The other thing that's entered my mind is behaviour examples. When I previously applied for AA/AO roles, I used examples that directly matched the criteria set out in the Success Profiles for AA/AO, and I still have those examples to reuse. But since then I've written stronger examples pitched at EO, and a few at HEO. So I'm wondering, for this AA application, would I be in with a better chance using my higher-level examples, or should I stick with the ones written specifically for AA/AO? Working Together, for instance, where I have a version of the example at more than one level. I just thought I might get penalised and sifted out if I presented an EO Working Together example as part of an AA application, or similar at interview, as I've heard some sifters can be very strict about this, or might not recognise that you're writing to a higher grade, and therefore exceeding expectations at that grade.

I'm debating whether to choose CareADHD. Whatever provider I look at, someone has had a negative experience, or there are negative reviews on Trustpilot or Google. What I actually want to know is who carries out the assessment. My GP has agreed to refer me and agreed to shared care - but only on the condition that the assessment is carried out by a psychiatrist. She's not comfortable taking over the responsibility of shared care, if it's not carried out by a Psychiatrist. So, I am not sure if CareADHD can even do this or not.

Hello 👋 I'm trying to decide whether to go with HarrowHealth for my ADHD assessment and/or titration. I'm a bit concerned, though, because I have a prior diagnosis of Mixed and Other Personality Disorders under the ICD-10 from around 2017, and I was discharged from the community mental health team in 2018 after completing DBT. I went through the DIVA form with my mum, since I struggled to remember details from ages 5 to 12. I'm 35 now, so that's a long way back for me 🤣 She could answe Yes, to a lot of the questions, and had lots of different examples from my childhood.

Anyway, I'd like to hear from people with a prior mental health history, either similar to mine or otherwise, who can share their experience of how HarrowHealth treated them. My concern isn't specifically about HarrowHealth. Some people have reported negative experiences with different providers during ADHD assessments and/or titration once the provider learns about a prior mental health history, including being dismissed entirely or refused an assessment outright. I am just worried, that due to my prior mental health history, I will be dismissed, and they'll blame my diagnosis, rather than taking me seriously.

I was going to go with Health Harmonie Minds, now called Medinet Minds, but I've read some concerning reviews, so I won't be choosing them. The providers I'm looking at are Xyla Services, Berkeley Psychiatrists (though they haven't responded to any of my emails, so I probably won't choose them either), Harley Street Mental Health, Well Life ADHD, Mentalwell, Skylight Psychiatry, and Insight Diagnostics. All the other providers I looked at have too long a wait for initial assessment and/or titration. The ones I've listed have either no wait or only a couple of weeks.

I am applying for a diary management role and the job advert states that the personal statement should be:

"A Personal Statement of up to 750 words, explaining your motivation for applying to this role, and evidencing how you meet the essential and desirable criteria listed in the job specification."

I've never come across a role that specifically asks you to explain your motivation for applying, so I'm not sure how much of the statement should be dedicated to this or what sifters are generally looking for. I also need to cover five detailed essential criteria within the 750-word limit, so I'm wary of spending too many words on motivation at the expense of evidencing the essential criteria, which I'd imagine carry a lot more weight.

I am also not sure how to approach the desirable criterion, which states:

"Experience of supporting senior leaders or working in a business support, private office, or team coordination role."

I do have some potentially relevant experience? 😅 I've volunteered as a Company Secretary, providing administrative and governance support to the Directors of a Community Interest Company, and I've also chaired the board of a non-profit organisation, supporting the Directors in day-to-day decision-making and, on occasion, representing and deputising for them in their absence. I'm just not sure whether this aligns with the type or level of experience they're looking for.

My instinct is not to address the desirable criterion if I do not feel I have directly relevant experience. However, I am unsure whether that is the best approach. Should I simply omit any reference to the desirable criterion, or would it be better to include a brief explanation that I do not have direct experience in this area? I just want to make sure I don't risk being sifted out because either way I did not address the desirable criteria.

I am looking at applying for a HEO Policy Adviser role at HM Treasury, but the application format is unlike anything I have seen before, and I am not sure what is expected or how best to approach it.

Unlike EO roles I have applied for, there is no essential criteria listed. This is my first time applying at HEO level, but the role states no specific qualifications or experience are needed, and people who have reviewed my behaviour examples in the past have said they are what they would expect to see at HEO, so I figured it was worth a shot.

I am under no illusion that I will remotely be in with a chance for an interview, I understand competition for this will be fierce, but I still want to put my best foot forward. I am more treating it as an opportunity to practice writing STAR examples at the level that is expected at HEO.

Instead of the usual essential criteria, I need to write a single 250-word statement covering three behaviours:

1. Delivering at Pace: Ability to plan, prioritise and deliver on a broad portfolio of work at pace and to a high quality, in an often busy and uncertain working environment.

2. Working together: Ability to build and maintain relationships with a wide network of stakeholders and collaborate to deliver results

3. Changing and improving: Ability to identify and implement improvements to processes and/or ways of working and support people to manage change.

My question is about how targeted the examples need to be. Previously when writing behaviour examples, I have kept things fairly general, drawing on work, volunteering, hobbies and so on, and matched them to the broad success profile descriptors at the relevant grade. But each behaviour here has a specific description attached to it. For example, Delivering at Pace is described as the ability to plan, prioritise and deliver a broad portfolio of work at pace and to a high quality in a busy and uncertain environment. Does that mean my examples need to speak directly to that specific description, rather than just demonstrating the behaviour in a general sense? Or is the description just there for context?

I should probably mention I am neurodivergent, which for me means I tend to overthink things and take wording very literally, so I wanted to check with people who have more experience than me rather than second guess myself.

If you are currently in an HEO or Policy role, or have experience sifting HEO applications, I would particularly welcome your input. And beyond the obvious point that the criteria are different, are there any general tips for writing behaviours at HEO level compared to EO?

Any advice welcome.

I'm currently applying for Personal Assistant roles in the Civil Service and may have an interview coming up with the Ministry of Justice. I have some PA experience from a previous role at a small not-for-profit, but I'm aware the Civil Service is a very different world and I want to go in with realistic expectations.

I'm less focused on interview prep and more just wanting to hear from people who've actually been there, on either side of the relationship. Things like:

• What should I realistically expect in the first three to six months? How steep is the learning curve and how much support is typically there?
• What is actually expected of you day to day, beyond the job description?
• What separates a genuinely good PA from an average one in the Civil Service?
• Is there anything you wish someone had told you before starting, or that you wish your PA had known coming in?
• How different is it to a third sector or private sector PA role in practice?

Any honest reflections welcome, whether you were the PA or the person being supported.

I interviewed for a role on Tuesday, and I'm feeling slightly misled. Something really feels off about the position, and I've spoken to friends who are civil servants who all independently raised very similar concerns.

I'm based in the North East and came across this role as it was advertised across all the regional offices for this particular department, including Edinburgh, Manchester, Belfast, London and beyond. The essential criteria stated that "frequent travel to London" would be required.

When I initially made contact with the Hiring Manager, she was adamant that if I were successful at interview, I would need to cover the cost of travel myself. I challenged this after making a post about it here and being told that the department would, in fact, cover the costs, and I highlighted the relevant policy in my email. My message went unanswered, which I felt was a bit rude, as though she didn't want to admit that what she had told me was factually incorrect.

I later contacted the Resourcing Team, who confirmed that I had indeed been given incorrect information, and that yes, the department would of course cover all travel and accommodation expenses. They also clarified that the expectation would be up to two days a week in London, and that this wouldn't be all the time, only as and when needed. I can only presume this would be for meetings where I'd be required to attend in person.

I continued with the application, partly because I wanted the feedback on my examples. It was my first application at EO level and I thought the experience would be valuable to me regardless. I was invited to interview, and it all seemed to go rather well, until the end, when the Hiring Manager said that this would be considered a London-based role. She said the department would cover the costs, but that I would be expected to be in the London office a minimum of three days a week.

So it now seems I would be expected to be in London three days a week, yet wouldn't be entitled to London weighting because technically my home office would be outside of London, despite the majority of my time being spent in the London office. I can't help but feel that at some point they wanted the role advertised for London only, were told no, and that it must be advertised across their regional offices, and that this is simply their way of getting what they want and making it a London-based role by default, and a way for them not to have to pay a candidate outside of London the London-weighting pay.

I didn't have an issue with occasional travel to London, but a mandatory requirement of three days a week, with the expectation that I'd travel two and a half hours from where I live down to London, and two and a half hours back, for three days a week at minimum, is a bit much. Especially when I'd only be entitled to around £29k, compared to the £36k I'd receive if I were truly London-based.

I want to withdraw, but I'd like my interview feedback first so I know how my examples scored and where I can improve. My worry is that if I withdraw now, I won't receive that feedback before the results are announced.