Michael Wood v Secretary of State for Work and Pensions

Facts

The appellant, Mr Michael Wood, suffers from a number of medical conditions, including a problem with his left leg causing constant pain, especially when he places weight on the foot; he has been prescribed morphine. He claimed Personal Independence Payment by telephone on 4 November 2022, submitting his questionnaire on 25 November 2022, and a telephone assessment with a Healthcare Practitioner took place on 16 January 2023, at which he was recorded as able to peel, chop and prepare food, able to stand for five minutes before needing to sit, and able to use an oven and microwave at waist height. By decision of 7 February 2023 the Secretary of State awarded him 9 points on the daily living activities and 12 on the mobility activities, giving him the daily living component at the standard rate and the mobility component at the enhanced rate; on daily living activity 1 (preparing food) he was awarded descriptor 1b. Mandatory reconsideration confirmed that decision on 27 March 2023. The First-tier Tribunal, at a hearing in Lincoln on 18 July 2024 which he attended in a wheelchair with two crutches, added a point for activity 3 but otherwise dismissed his appeal, holding that a perching stool would enable him to prepare and cook a simple meal. He appealed, contending that moving around a kitchen and carrying items form part of activity 1.