Urban75 Home About Offline BrixtonBuzz Contact

Atos are still doing (re)assessments despite what Gov and Press say..

I tend to agree with Greebo here.

As interesting as your rants may be to someone else somewhere else zippyRN, what the fuck has any of it got to do with the topic of this thread???

I don't want a debate on who fucked up the economy or who is worse off between the public/private/third sectors etc etc. If you do, or you have anything else you wish to rant about kindly start your own thread.

This is about ATOS and the fact they are still doing assessments despite the Gov clearly stating they are unfit to do so
 
No sign yet of my MP getting back in touch informing me that he's had stern words with the DWP/ATOS and as a result I don't have to attend on Mon. Maybe I credit him with having more power than he actually does. Oh well, so much for wishful thinking eh...
 
Apologies for last post(for anyone who read it before I deleted it). Was feeling a bit down and just needed to vent. :oops:

Anyway, question for you. What is the quickest time between getting assessed and getting a decision anyone's had?

ps sorry for constant edits but my heads up my arse today :rolleyes:
 
Last edited:
Chris.H.1961 said:
Apologies for last post(for anyone who read it before I deleted it). Was feeling a bit down and just needed to vent. :oops:

Anyway, question for you. What is the quickest time between getting assessed and getting a decision anyone's had?

ps sorry for constant edits but my heads up my arse today :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

For Incapacity Benefit, about 10 days. For DLA about 16 weeks.
 
Chris.H.1961 said:
Apologies for last post(for anyone who read it before I deleted it). Was feeling a bit down and just needed to vent. :oops:

Anyway, question for you. What is the quickest time between getting assessed and getting a decision anyone's had?

ps sorry for constant edits but my heads up my arse today :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

It's always been about a fortnight for me. All the best anyway.
 
Frances Lengel said:
It's always been about a fortnight for me. All the best anyway.
Click to expand...

Thanks mate :)

Most people I know/have asked said roughly the same time as you and Panda.

Apart from my answer ^ there were 2 other times while I was on IB (had several assessments back then) which both took over a week. So I was surprised @ the speed they phoned me last year after moving me from IB to ESA.

Here's hoping today's assessment goes just and well and I get the same result.
 
Excuse my language here but For Fucks Sake!!!! Just got a call from ATOS cancelling my appointment because guess what, no fucking doctor available again!! Useless Motherfucking Bastards couldn't organise a 3 way in an orgy!! :mad::mad:
 
Chris.H.1961 That is terrible. Useless the lot of them. Is this extra stress causing you distress or worsening your condition - if so write and tell them. Have you got to organise some one to go with you - what about the inconvenience to them? if so tell them. Did they cancel at short notice - don't they have good service guidelines or targets? Complain - be polite and blunt.

Good luck.
 
friendofdorothy said:
Chris.H.1961 That is terrible. Useless the lot of them. Is this extra stress causing you distress or worsening your condition - if so write and tell them. Have you got to organise some one to go with you - what about the inconvenience to them? if so tell them. Did they cancel at short notice - don't they have good service guidelines or targets? Complain - be polite and blunt.

Good luck.
Click to expand...

Thanks FoD :)

It does my nut in to be honest, and yes, my stress levels have been through the roof. They phoned at about 10.30am and my app was for 3.30pm.

The poor girl who phoned to cancel got a bit of an earful - I told her what I thought of Atos and that I'd be contacting my MP amongst other things - and she promised to pass on my remarks to her team leader as soon as she got off the phone.

As soon as she was off the phone I emailed my MP, but, having calmed down now, what else can we expect from a company even the Gov have no confidence in??

Not sure about the last bit but I'll investigate.
 
Chris.H.1961 said:
Excuse my language here but For Fucks Sake!!!! Just got a call from ATOS cancelling my appointment because guess what, no fucking doctor available again!! Useless Motherfucking Bastards couldn't organise a 3 way in an orgy!! :mad::mad:
Click to expand...

I am so sorry to hear that, there is just a possibility that they will re look at the evidence and make a decision based on that. Going back to my long process (which ended in me winning my appeal) I was called for re test about 2 months after I was placed in support group, it was an error and I made them write a letter saying that, but getting anyone to talk sense was difficult, however my renewal date is November and as we get near it my anxiety/blood pressure raises.

Keep your head, keep talking
 
Celt said:
I am so sorry to hear that, there is just a possibility that they will re look at the evidence and make a decision based on that. Going back to my long process (which ended in me winning my appeal) I was called for re test about 2 months after I was placed in support group, it was an error and I made them write a letter saying that, but getting anyone to talk sense was difficult, however my renewal date is November and as we get near it my anxiety/blood pressure raises.

Keep your head, keep talking
Click to expand...

Thanks Celt

If that turns out to be the case I'll be overjoyed, but it's not the first time for me with the no-doctor saga. :rolleyes:

My original move from IB to ESA had to be stopped because the HCP suddenly realised part way through that she wasn't qualified to see me. That time there was a Doc on the premises so it went ahead, albeit late. This last one however - originally for August but after a venue change was rearranged for 1st Sept - was cancelled again because of no Doc, and this time I was sent away with an assurance that my next date would deffo be with a Doc.

When the app arrived ATOS had fucked up the venue again so after a phone call, still with assurances I'd get to see a Doc, it was arranged for 15th Sept. Hey presto 15th arrived and I get that phone call....

Have complained again to my MP so maybe it will get cancelled full stop, but I won't hold my breath :D
 
Chris.H.1961 said:
Thanks Celt

If that turns out to be the case I'll be overjoyed, but it's not the first time for me with the no-doctor saga. :rolleyes:

My original move from IB to ESA had to be stopped because the HCP suddenly realised part way through that she wasn't qualified to see me. That time there was a Doc on the premises so it went ahead, albeit late. This last one however - originally for August but after a venue change was rearranged for 1st Sept - was cancelled again because of no Doc, and this time I was sent away with an assurance that my next date would deffo be with a Doc.

When the app arrived ATOS had fucked up the venue again so after a phone call, still with assurances I'd get to see a Doc, it was arranged for 15th Sept. Hey presto 15th arrived and I get that phone call....

Have complained again to my MP so maybe it will get cancelled full stop, but I won't hold my breath :D
Click to expand...
No, what ever you do breathe in AND out
 
I'll try to remember that Celt :thumbs:

It's been a few days with not much happening and haven't been feeling too hot so I thought I'd take a break.

Anyway my MP contacted me today for some more info before he gives Atos a bollocking. Not sure what good it will do as they have already sent me yet another appointment for early Oct..
 
Chris.H.1961 said:
I'll try to remember that Celt :thumbs:

It's been a few days with not much happening and haven't been feeling too hot so I thought I'd take a break.

Anyway my MP contacted me today for some more info before he gives Atos a bollocking. Not sure what good it will do as they have already sent me yet another appointment for early Oct..
Click to expand...
Sorry your not so good ((Chris.H.1961)) Glad your MP has bothered to get in touch. Fingers crossed for next time.
 
I haven't been around for a while as I've had too much on my mind, but finally had the assessment today. With a Doctor no less :thumbs:

He went through virtually all of my medical history, even stuff that had sweet f a to do with my claim, and he took great delight in pointing out to me that one of the GP's at the surgery I go to had said on the medical report that I had been non-compliant with my meds?? :hmm: News to me.

I told him quite firmly that it was bs as I have been taking the meds regularly and the only time I hadn't was when some of the meds had caused intolerable side-effects. He agreed eventually that that must have been the time they were meaning in the report.

His attitude mellowed even more when he took my bp and found it to be 230/120 :eek: - it was 170/90 the previous day - and insisted on getting me a taxi home (at their expense). I said to him is it any wonder it's elevated having to go through this crap time after time just to prove you should be given some help. I said it'll be up for a while as I still have to wait for the decision from the DWP.

He told me - even though he said he shouldn't - that regardless of my bp/heart and other problems I'd scored 15 points just because I have a form of epilepsy. However, he said the rules have changed now and just because you get 15 points for epilepsy it doesn't mean you will automatically be put in the support group. He did say though, in his opinion, I should be okay to be left where I am. I hope so, cos I really can't go through the shit of having to appeal.

I guess time will tell.
 
Chris.H.1961 said:
I haven't been around for a while as I've had too much on my mind, but finally had the assessment today. With a Doctor no less :thumbs:

He went through virtually all of my medical history, even stuff that had sweet f a to do with my claim, and he took great delight in pointing out to me that one of the GP's at the surgery I go to had said on the medical report that I had been non-compliant with my meds?? :hmm: News to me.

I told him quite firmly that it was bs as I have been taking the meds regularly and the only time I hadn't was when some of the meds had caused intolerable side-effects. He agreed eventually that that must have been the time they were meaning in the report.

His attitude mellowed even more when he took my bp and found it to be 230/120 :eek: - it was 170/90 the previous day - and insisted on getting me a taxi home (at their expense). I said to him is it any wonder it's elevated having to go through this crap time after time just to prove you should be given some help. I said it'll be up for a while as I still have to wait for the decision from the DWP.

He told me - even though he said he shouldn't - that regardless of my bp/heart and other problems I'd scored 15 points just because I have a form of epilepsy. However, he said the rules have changed now and just because you get 15 points for epilepsy it doesn't mean you will automatically be put in the support group. He did say though, in his opinion, I should be okay to be left where I am. I hope so, cos I really can't go through the shit of having to appeal.

I guess time will tell.
Click to expand...
Sorry to hear about your BP chris, have you seen your GP about this recent elevation? I hope it passes soon.
 
Glad to hear you've finally had the assessment, and glad the blood pressure was just a temporary blip.

Hope you get the decision soonish, and that's it's the right one, obvs...
 
ViolentPanda said:
My wife's a woollyback too. I only bring it up 'cos it annoys her! ;)



To be fair, even back when they had only doctors doing Incapacity Benefit and DLA assessments, some of them were fucking shocking. I had one gibbering cretin who came to do a DLA assessment, was here for 15 minutes, couldn't get out the door fast enough, and then basically wrote a load of bullshit AND scrawled a signature that wasn't mine onto the form to say I'd read it through and agreed with it!
But yeah, since New Labour's "Benefits Integrity Project", all "reform" has been along the lines of saving money and punishing people for being ill. It doesn't matter if we got fucked up because we worked too hard, got injured doing our job, or got exposed to noxious crap at work - we're still scroungers to those gold-plated tossers in Parliament, most of whom wouldn't be able to manage a days-worth of manual work if their life depended on it.
Click to expand...
Surely that's fraud.
 
panpete said:
Surely that's fraud.
Click to expand...
To make matters worse, the guy was (and AFAIK still is) a local GP regarded as very emininent. He seems to have one set of ethics for his patients and one set for people he's paid to examine.

At least, I hope he's got two sets of ethics, because the alternative doesn't bear thinking about.
 
iamwithnail said:
Nah, you're assuming a level of organisation and ability that doesn't really exist - unless the individual doctor/advisor remembers you, it won't make any difference - in my experience it tended to result in 'Oh, there's that pain in the arse claimant, better double check it.' I used to work for DWP, left partly as a result of the complete ignoring of the first Harrington review.
Click to expand...
So, when you say "double check", does that mean that if you phone DWP it could trigger a reassessment.?
 
I have spent a couple of hours reading through this thread and find my heart sinking further by the minute. I am in the throes of being assessed by Atos and have even less faith in the process than I had before reading through the horror stories on here.
I was transferred into the support group from IB about 2 years ago without an assessment after the intervention of my psychiatrist. A few months later, I was sent a questionnaire by Atos, which I filled in to the best of my ability, although 90 per cent of the questions were a complete irrelevance. I was expecting to hear by the end of June last year, but heard nothing until last month when I was summoned for assessment. My GP and my psychiatrist have attempted to make contact on my behalf on several occasions, but have got nowhere. The only time my psychiatrist managed to speak to someone, they would only identify me by NI number and not by name. They told her that letters had been sent to her, to my GP and to me. All three statements were lies.
When I arrived (with a friend as a witness) I was amazed to see there was absolutely nothing in my file apart from an 18 month old questionnaire. Surely letters should at least be on file? I handed over a letter from my psychiatrist and one from me and insisted they were put in the file. I then asked the "Health Care Professional" whether he was competent to deal with mental health issues. He replied that, as a holistically trained nurse, he was able to deal with all conditions. He then went on to ask me about the medication I was on. When I told him I had been taking Naproxen after a bout of shingles with ensuing neuralgia - totally irrelevant with regard to my claim - he announced that he was not trained to deal with a neurological condition and stopped the interview.
I could not believe that anything quite so stupid could happen and allowed myself to think that maybe he had taken note of the contents of the letter from my psychiatrist, but no. I have now been summoned to reappear on November 13th when I assume the whole miserable process will come to an end.
Sorry to ramble on, and I don't suppose anything comes as a surprise to those who have been going through this process for much longer than I have.
What irks me most is that, like so many, I would like to get to a point where I can work again. On my good days it feels possible. The really bad days, weeks and months mean it is out of the question. The whole Atos process just makes things a whole lot worse.
 
Nick3535 said:
I have spent a couple of hours reading through this thread and find my heart sinking further by the minute. I am in the throes of being assessed by Atos and have even less faith in the process than I had before reading through the horror stories on here.
I was transferred into the support group from IB about 2 years ago without an assessment after the intervention of my psychiatrist. A few months later, I was sent a questionnaire by Atos, which I filled in to the best of my ability, although 90 per cent of the questions were a complete irrelevance. I was expecting to hear by the end of June last year, but heard nothing until last month when I was summoned for assessment. My GP and my psychiatrist have attempted to make contact on my behalf on several occasions, but have got nowhere. The only time my psychiatrist managed to speak to someone, they would only identify me by NI number and not by name. They told her that letters had been sent to her, to my GP and to me. All three statements were lies.
When I arrived (with a friend as a witness) I was amazed to see there was absolutely nothing in my file apart from an 18 month old questionnaire. Surely letters should at least be on file? I handed over a letter from my psychiatrist and one from me and insisted they were put in the file. I then asked the "Health Care Professional" whether he was competent to deal with mental health issues. He replied that, as a holistically trained nurse, he was able to deal with all conditions. He then went on to ask me about the medication I was on. When I told him I had been taking Naproxen after a bout of shingles with ensuing neuralgia - totally irrelevant with regard to my claim - he announced that he was not trained to deal with a neurological condition and stopped the interview.
I could not believe that anything quite so stupid could happen and allowed myself to think that maybe he had taken note of the contents of the letter from my psychiatrist, but no. I have now been summoned to reappear on November 13th when I assume the whole miserable process will come to an end.
Sorry to ramble on, and I don't suppose anything comes as a surprise to those who have been going through this process for much longer than I have.
What irks me most is that, like so many, I would like to get to a point where I can work again. On my good days it feels possible. The really bad days, weeks and months mean it is out of the question. The whole Atos process just makes things a whole lot worse.
Click to expand...
(((nick3535))) :( good luck for your interview. oh - and welcome aboard :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

S
PIP, mental health and phone assessments
Replies
21
Views
997
Eric Jarvis
Eric Jarvis
bellaozzydog
Buying a freehold when you are a leaseholder
Replies
24
Views
665
metalguru
M
A
Do you have any 'house rules'? If so, what are they?
4 5 6 7 8
Replies
215
Views
10K
BigMoaner
BigMoaner
Buddy Bradley
How worried are you about rising sea levels?
2
Replies
47
Views
2K
beesonthewhatnow
beesonthewhatnow
R
Have your say: you and your council
Replies
11
Views
702
Sue
S
Back
Top Bottom