To consider working for ATOS?

[milkysmum]

I am a mental health nurse and have been qualified 14 years. I work in a particularly challenging area supporting clients with emotionally unstable personality disorders in the community. I have periods of poor mental health myself and right now I am exhausted with my job. I feel I am too emotionally fragile myself to continue with the level of stress this job brings. A couple of people have suggested looking into working for ATOS as a disability/ PIP assessor and I am wondering if I would be being unreasonable to consider this? What are people's thoughts?

It depends. Do you vote Tory and think disabled people are malingerers and scrounges? If yes go for it.
Otherwise no , it would be soul destroying.

I'm a nurse and wouldn't . On the guardian online a few weeks ago there was an article from one of their HCPs. Seems to be very harsh and target driven. I think you may end up even more stressed and morally conflicted.

What seven days!

No I absolutely do not vote Tory. Am I deluded to think I could provide a fair assessment to people, that surely if they have decent clinicians doing the assessments then that is a good thing?

Sadly I think you are deluded , my pip assessor, who was incidentally a mental health nurse was really nice.
I was awarded pip based on my physical needs. However the assessment did not accurately portray my functional needs because it's impossible to do that in what is essentially a tick box assessment.
There was a good program on a few months ago panorama/dispatches from a pip whistle blower. They resigned because they were not able to carry out fair assessments.

In the article I read there were targets and if you were seen to be too lenient you got called in to the office and warned.

Op yes it's good for claimants to a point , you said you are emotionally fragile and stressed. I don't think the job would be a good thing for you.

I've heard the targets are ridiculous to meet.

I've never had a good experience.

Went from 0 points to higher rate care and standard mobility at a tribunal.

I'm bi-polar with PTSD fwiw.

No I wouldn't. You recommend that someone is fit for work because youve been told to hit targets, and They commit suicide as a result.
Do you want that on your conscience

There was an undercover filing type documentary about the demands placed on caseworkers. Maybe Channel 4?

I would think it would be the double whammy of being bad for your own MH whilst also being treacherous to your fellow sufferers.

Absolutely not, you will be told to meet targets NOT make a fair assessment.

m.youtube.com/watch?v=2rQmAfrKEic

Don't think decent assessments are what they are aiming for. Tbf though from what I saw from ds's pip assessment, the assessor just had set questions to ask, they mark them in the scale of one to ten and send off results. No dealing with the claimants after that.

No, no, no! I worked for Capita as a PIP advisor for a few months. The whole system is discriminatory towards those with MH problems or invisible illnesses. I resigned is point of principle, and it was severely affecting my own MH. I'll find my thread on here and repost it.

Here you go:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/2764894--to-give-people-assistance-with-claiming-PIP

Maybe take a look at this recent thread from a former PIP assessor (not sure which of ATOS, Capita, etc she was with): AIBU to give people assistance with claiming PIP?

She left as a matter of conscience.

I thought the exact same as you, OP. That's why I initially did it. You can't beat the system, though. You'll just get your reports returned to you for rewriting so that people get a lesser payout, or don't qualify for PIP at all. This happened to me and I felt I had to refuse and leave. ATOS and Crapita are having to continually recruit because anyone with a conscience can't do the job for very long.

to IwasateenagePIPassessor.

It was me, Pausing.
I even appeared in this programme talking about my experiences.
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b080ysnh

Someone I know did this, they left after a few months as you have no autonomy, it's completely target driven and pressured. I wouldn't leave a stable job for it, but if you're unhappy in your current role could you look for a new job elsewhere?

You , teenage.

You said there was something in the pipeline, so many thanks for the link to the programme.

Though not sure I can bring myself to watch... It's gruesome enough spending months dealing with my own assessments (filling in forms & crafting own statement, being called for assessments, arranging the recording - official one & covert one - being sent home because they've deliberately overbooked and are bumping people, dragged in again, having to lie on the floor underfoot because they won't let me lie in a side room like they used to, then the challenge to the result, chasing them for the redecision... I don't have much of a life, and the assessments suck up huge amounts of what I do have.)

But they rely on people giving up. So I won't.

I got the reasons behind my 0 points back and it was ridiculous.

They wrote i wasn't on medication, I was on 8 and took them with me good on you teenage.

Don't do it. Those fuckers tried their best to confuse my poorly mum at her meeting - she is on FUCKING MORPHINE for her chronic pain and walks with crutches - they still kept pushing and the silly bitch tried to shut me down when I as her representative spoke in her place. I'm proud to say I WON the appeal. Bastards

I think it would be the most demoralising, stressful experience. I don't think it could ever be a positive experience.

And thanks for that link, Manumission.

I note the way the woman tries to push the responsibility off down the line: "Could they do any job? Even if they've only got one hand, that's the JobCentre advisor's role."

So, not the assessor's fault then.

Then of course the JobCentre advisor can look at the file and say, "Medical assessor nurse says you're fit to work."

So not JobCentre advisor's fault either.

That's how you manage things when you want to systematically inflict cruelty, and you think individual humans might baulk at what they're being asked to do. You set it up so there's always someone else on whom each one can shuffle off the responsibility.