ATOS Medical

[Empusa]

Link here

A report from the select committee on work and pensions has been published about welfare reform. Specifically work capability assessments (WCA) as they move people on to ESA from income support.

My personal experience is that the WCA is a farce, and although they are reporting huge numbers of people being deemed "fit for work", a huge amount of those are later overturned at tribunal.

Finally this awful practice of taking people off benefits when their health isn't enough that they can work is being taken notice of.

But what will they do about it?

For all of those who I'm sure will come on and tell us about their friend of a friend who is claiming fraudulently, that's a different issue.

We are talking about those who are genuinely disabled who are finding themselves not only without financial support, but also under suspicion. In my own experience the whole process took over 6 months.

That's 6 months of stress on top of the daily stress of disability. Stress and fear.

Surely we all agree that the most vulnerable in society should be protected? Not treated like criminals?

The cancer treatment determining your suitability to work thing is true. I was 'lucky' enough to know that oral chemotherapy didn't count when I put my ESA application in. I had four cycles of intravenous chemo and was then supposed to go on a four cycle tablet/injection regime - not IV.

Again, 'luckily' for me, the oral chemotherapy tablets didn't agree with me and made me too nauseous to continue, so they gave me the intravenous version of the drug. Also luckily, the drugs supposed to be given via injection ended up being infused slowly as I reacted to getting them too quickly and needed them to be dripped in mixed with saline.

My public sector employer now uses ATOS as an occupational health provider. Through work they assessed me as not being eligible for pensionable pay, as I was still undergoing treatment and they were unable to say whether I'd be fit enough to return to work. If I hadn't had switched my chemo, they would have assessed me as fit for work.

I was put straight into the support group without needing an assessment. I suspect the words 'I have been advised by Macmillan cancer support that as I am receiving intravenous chemotherapy, I should automatically be placed in the support group according to your guidelines' had a lot to do with that.

Check out Black Triangle facebook page. There seems to be somthing really weird going on. DH tried to log into his yahoo account and http.yahoo/atos comes up. Dh is not actually a member of Black Triangle but does recieve e mail updates from the benefits and work site. But members of BLack Triangle are having similar problems according to their facebook page.

Oh god I am so relieved to hear that everyone (with 1 exception?) on the thread is so angry and frustrated with this WCA. I watched both programmes last night and I think the thing that struck me most was (as someone has already mentioned) this merrygoround - you are found "fit for work" and you appeal and it is upheld - phew - only to find that within a very short time you are called back in for another WCA and found "fit for work" and on and on it goes.

That bloody Chris Grayling acknowledged that this was "maybe happening too quickly and they were thinking of increasing the time before claimants were being called back in for a further WCA after a successful appeal. Then the hypocritical bastard said something like "we can't just wave these people off and leave them stranded in their homes.........." OMG as if they give a flying fuck about sick people.

I haven't heard anyone mention that there are very few jobs available in any event, and many people in employment are having their hours cut, and you have to work 26 hours a week to be entitled to Housing Benefit, so if your hours are cut beneath 26, you earn less and are not eligible to claim HB.... the rug is being pulled from underneath people every whichway. I hear now that people on JSA (after a period of time) are going to be forced to work for nothing, or lose their benefit.

As for anyone who says "we can't afford the welfare bill" - does that mean we can afford the millions of pounds this coalition is paying out to private companies, like AforE (who have been fraudulent but the director has quit but with a huge pay off) and GforS with the Olympics debacle, and the £50 million that the appeals system is costing because so many claimants are quite rightly appealing.

Oh I'd better stop or I will go on all night.
This coalition is evil pure evil - they make Thatcher look reasonable and I never thought I'd live to see the day when those words would be uttered.

They dont seem to have a problem with leving disabled ex servicemen "stranded in their homes"

johnnyvoid.wordpress.com/2012/07/23/cameron-will-allow-disabled-squaddies-to-fester/

If you are called in for another WCA just months after winning an appeal that is pure vindictiveness on their part throwing a massive bureaucratic tantrum because of a claimant winning an appeal.

You are so right Carernotasaint but I think the length of time after winning an appeal and being called back for a WCA is weeks not months. Well you see someone winning an appeal could have managed to be cured of cancer, found the ability to walk unaided or suddenly have a massive remission from a serious illness, so you have to ensure that they aren't going to be stranded at home. You have to understand that this is nothing to do with money!! That soddin Chris Grayling actually used that word! Incidentally I bet that French woman on Dispatches who was "teaching drs how to do the test" has been fired, after calling the test TOXIC (which it is)

Thing is in other European countries they are out of the streets demonstrating and we're talking about it online. We should be taking action, but as a nation we are much more passive. You can see the anger and passion in the faces of the Spanish and Italian people - mind it doesn't do much good.

We're all going to hell in a handcart I reckon!

Thanks you lot are you telling me that if DD wins appeal she will be called back again, have they found a cure for Down syndrome, repair her grotty heart (perhaps they should let Great Ormond Street know)
Does her cardiologist's letter mean nothing or is she a liar too.
As you say NanaNina bring on the handcart to hell.
Own up you bastards who voted this fucking lot in
Why are we being so weak and feeble about it ?
Sorry to be so self centred we are a lot better off than many poor buggers

The journalist Sonia Poulton twitter.com/soniapoulton has written a letter to Ed Miliband and is collecting signatures - it is a google document but it is having technical problems because so many have tried to sign. See the twitter link for the latest. The text of the letter has been copied to here ramblingsofafibrofoggedmind.wordpress.com/2012/08/01/open-letter-to-ed-miliband-please-add-name-and-postcode-if-you-agree-with-contents/, so you can read it now, even if you have to wait for the technical fix to be able to sign it.

I had to stop reading, as this is making me feel worse. I get lower rate DLA and am already having nightmares & anxiety over any re-assessment.

I look absolutely normal (to look at), but look at my X-rays/MRIs and you will see what the probs are. However, it took 20yrs to get an accurate diag of the cause because v.few expert cons in my condition. Last cons said no point seeing me any more as there is no more they can do to help my cond (apart from v.strong painkillers, so am heavily 'doped up' each day and told to avoid anything that causes the pain/fatigue). You CANNOT judge on appearance. Before qualifying for DLA or IB you need a med assessment. Years ago I had IB when I couldn't work. As soon as I was fit enough, I came off IB. My GP was very clear that as soon as he felt my health was good enough, the IB would stop (and I agreed). The JobCentre OTOH were awful - trying to force me into unsuitable work. Thankfully I was able to get hold of their disabilities adviser. Pretty useless, but referred me to a special adviser who helped me get a more suitable job for my disability.

It would need a qualified expert (of which only around 4 in the UK for my cond), to explain the cause of what is wrong. How the heck can I explain that in a short interview? I now need an op on the 'functioning' hand. I am avoiding this (needed) op because without the limited use in that hand (which I rely on) I will not be able to dress/eat/wipe bum etc and will have to rely on my 6yo dc for those weeks that hand is out of action. OR I could wait 14hrs until DH gets home from work - 14hrs with no change of clothes/food/drink or toilet - plus I couldn't feed/water DC if home (she would have to fend for self). I am lucky, that scenario would only be for a few weeks and then one hand should recover enough to start doing those things again.

I asked my DD's cardiologist & GP for reports and 1 from the Heart Hospital in London. Also her support worker and social worker all stated not fit for work.
Decision maker placed her WRAG for 365 days.
Requested interview report
It says not fit for work 4 times Can they not read? I have appealed
Karen try not to worry too much get your consultant who last saw you to write a comprehnsive report also GP should help. Seems to me your DLA is a bit miserly
I just hope there are enough of us to revolt.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-17139088

"Billions in benefits go unclaimed"

Why not? Stigma?

Carer re getting a link to Atos when trying to get on the Black Triangle site, can I ask which browser you're using? I'm using Firefox with Private Browsing enabled and have HTTPS Everywhere as an Add-On, and have no problems getting on there.

Its my husbands yahoo e mail account thats playing up and it was coming up with http.yahoo/atos. mine seems to be ok. it just seems highly suspicious.

It does seem very dubious. I wonder what Yahoo get out of redirecting traffic to Atos?

The Channel 4 TV programme exposed atos for what it is ...a money saving venture run by twwdry Tory government. Backed up suprsiingly by Nick cleegg (But not by Liberal actovists) Same old Tories. Do cruel things to the vulnerable and lie about it.

Tbf tuckchop ATOS were exactly the same under Labour. Much as I hate the Tories, and would like to blame them, it isn't just them responsible for this hideous situation. Obviously they aren't making it any better though - if anything they are making a bad situation worse.

Looks like they have just won the contract to assess DLA claimants for PIP

Jesus.

www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/aug/02/atos-disability-benefit-tests?commentpage=8#start-of-comments

True that the last government were just as keen to 'review' cut disability benefits. However, it is the government in power now which must be made accountable for what happens at the moment and in the near future. (I don't think the last lot set the same targets of cutting DLA by X per cent did they? And they certainly weren't playing the horrid trick with council tax benefit that this lot are...)

There was a feature in my local paper recently about the council tax benefits that are to come. We are only a smallish town in Essex but i remember one of the people interviewed did say to expect civil unrest.

Sorry i meant council tax benefits CUTS that are to come.

I was talking to my mum this morning about PIP, she runs a supported living unit for people with learning disabilities and has recently been for training n completing the PIP forms.

It seems that anyone who is able to move 200m with any kind of mobility aid except a motorised wheelchair will be deemed capable of getting around and one of the other tests is being able to move an object. Being able to move it with your teeth, elbow or limb stump is deemed to be enough whether or not you can can actually use a hand to move anything.

I feel scared and sick to think of the future for disabled people, of all people David Cameron should know what a difference disability makes.

That's appalling but sadly not surprising Pnut. And yes, it's sickening that Cameron of all people, who traded on his 'we aren't the nasty party any more, look at me, I have a disabled son and sent a card to the ambulance crew who used to take him to regular appointments' schtick can treat disabled people like this.

Tigerseyemum You have summed up my feelings far better than i could have written myself.
I would like to add as medicine advances more and more children are now surviving so we have more disabled people surviving.
I can suggest a solution

1. Compulsory amniocentis and abortion if fetus shows any abnormalities.
2. Non rescusition of any infant showing abnormalities 3)God help anyone who should become disabled during their life 4)Shoot anyone if they have the audaciity to reach 65(that's me gone) just think no DLA, no ESA,no mobility cars and no pensions and care problems. Reminds me of a previous regime even worse if you were Jewish Would it

Christ Mrs Pnut thats APPALLING MY GOD im so ashamed of this country. Really ashamed.

Just saw the following comment on the Guardian website.
The Tories ......putting the cunt back in cuntry.

hit wrong key sorry--save this country that much money except what is paid to ATOS