Channel 4 & BBC2 Both air documentaries casting doubt on the drive to declare people fit for work

[Leithlurker]

Did you see the programmes? What did you think?

I only caught the C4 one, and found it quite sinister. Atos assessors aren't allowed to use their professional judgment, it seems, never mind show compassion to obviously genuine claimants who can't tick the right boxes, if, for example, they are undergoing the 'wrong' kind of chemotherapy. Atos rebuttals of the findings made in the programme didn't ring true at all. There's clearly a moneysaving agenda and their role is to obey their paymasters and come up with the right proportion of claims that will be stopped on Atos advice.

I haven't seen channel four but saw panorama, which sounds similar. I think Chris Grayling should be ashamed of himself supporting people who asked a mentally ill client, after being told of several suicide attempts, why they weren't dead, and then when the support worker told them to stop the interview, told them that withdrawal of benefits would be immediate. Grayling went on to say that the assessments were fair and not in anyway financially targetted.

Chris Grayling is a liar, pure and simple.

Yes, Channel 4s "secret filming" was incredible. Iain Duncan Smithshould defend his Ministry of Work and pensions in view of the 2 tv programmes.

Chris Grayling: The Compulsive Liar at the Heart of Government

johnnyvoid.wordpress.com/2012/04/13/chris-grayling-the-compulsive-liar-at-the-heart-of-government/

Theres also threads on this on the "in the news" board and the Telly Addicts board.

Aren't ATOS sponsoring the Paralympics?

Ironically yes they are!

www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/half-a-million-disabled-people-may-lose-benefits-under-reforms-8002288.html

Atos, and another firm called Capita, have been awarded the contract to asses people for PIP. PIP is the benefit which will replace Disability Living allowance. The government aims to reduce the bill by 20% when they introduce PIP, yet DLA has a fraud rate of 0.5%.

BTW The benefit the documentary was talking about was ESA which is a different one from DLA.

Ive just come across this on the Dispatches section of the Channel 4 website.

www.channel4.com/programmes/dispatches/episode-guide/series-112/episode-3