Atos Medicals - Questions, Answers and Support

[yardbird]

Health fucking professionals!
Don't understand Cerebral Palsy, don't understand Multiple Sclerosis.
Cunts

 

[yardbird]

"Good morning Mr/Miss Assessor.
Do you think I'm going to get better?
Shall I stand up and walk out of here with no sticks and no chance of falling down"

 

[Greebo]

Health fucking professionals!
Don't understand Cerebral Palsy, don't understand Multiple Sclerosis.
Cunts

Don't understand M.E. either. Even urban does not allow the type of language which would do some of the assessors justice.

 

[yardbird]

Don't understand M.E. either. Even urban does not allow the type of language which would do some of the assessors justice.

They think M.E. is a me me problem that doesn't exist.
What would they do if someone feel asleep during the ass essment ?

 

[Greebo]

They think M.E. is a me me problem that doesn't exist.
What would they do if someone feel asleep during the ass essment ?

Sod the falling asleep - I'd be more intrigued to see the reaction to somebody who begins slurring, stuttering, and looking confused when asked a very short and simple question.

 

[ViolentPanda]

ATOS are clearly fuckwits. Even those without medical training understand that CP isn't a condition that improves.

Also, most of us without medical training understand that for some people with CP, it's only their commitment to a regime of painful physical therapy that keeps them as mobile as they are.

 

[ViolentPanda]

Health fucking professionals!
Don't understand Cerebral Palsy, don't understand Multiple Sclerosis.
Cunts

It's not about them not understanding, in my opinion.

At root it's about them not giving a fuck about the patient/claimant/client, only about processing another cash-cow.

 

[ViolentPanda]

Sod the falling asleep - I'd be more intrigued to see the reaction to somebody who begins slurring, stuttering, and looking confused when asked a very short and simple question.

The reaction would be "file under somatisation", more than likely.

 

[Libertad]

Just WTF

Amy Jones, Cerebral Palsy Sufferer, Given Prognosis By ATOS That Her Disability 'Expected To Improve'



In my job as a support worker I look after a couple of people with cerebral palsy. I have absolutely no expectation of their condition improving anytime soon.

Just fucking unbelievable, someone deserves to suffer for this and not Amy.

 

[Greebo]

Also, most of us without medical training understand that for some people with CP, it's only their commitment to a regime of painful physical therapy that keeps them as mobile as they are.

Panda, this side of the herring pond it's "physiotherapy" not "physical therapy". I agree with the rest of that though.

 

[yardbird]

This nonsense HAS GOT TO STOP!
Will no fucking MP pick it up and run with it?
They could 'make a name for themselves'.
Investigate ATOS - It's methods, it's income strategy, it's software and why "we" don't own it,
it's recording policy.
Plus Yardbird DEMANDS to know the name and qualifications of the "Healthcare Professional" interrogating him.
Sorry, I'm just so angry.

 

[yardbird]

"Do not swear again during this 'interview'"
"Do what? How do you deal with a customer/client who has tourettes? eh? eh? Now may we please continue eh, eh cunt"

 

[kittyP]

I am not reading this thread at the moment as it just makes me too anxious and I am doing a bit better over all and don't want to spoil it, but, just wanted to pop in and say much much strength to you all, you are in my thoughts and thank you so much for your help in the past.
Love from me x x

 

[treelover]

this is a email address of a UN official she wants to hear storys of how atos and dwp have effected disabled people, and she is doing an investigation into the breach of human rights by atos, please send her your storys of the awful experiances you have recieved via atos srhousing@ohchr.org

posted on FB, not sure about provenance but there are others like it, she is hoping to expand her report now to other benefit issues.

 

[ViolentPanda]

This nonsense HAS GOT TO STOP!
Will no fucking MP pick it up and run with it?
They could 'make a name for themselves'.

There are very few ethically-independent MPs, and the few there are are usually snowed under. None of the "machine" politicians will stick their heads above the parapet, not least because they don't give a fuck for "the little people". They're too busy dreaming of the sinecures they'll rack up when they leave Parliament.

Investigate ATOS - It's methods, it's income strategy, it's software and why "we" don't own it,
it's recording policy.

So far, there have been (IIRC) three official reviews, all of which have found grave fault, and all of which have led to very little change.

As far as "recording policy" goes, I made it clear on my ESA50 that I need a recording of any assessment because I have a neurologically-based short-term memory retention problem that exacerbates the "brainfog" issues resulting from my M.E.

Plus Yardbird DEMANDS to know the name and qualifications of the "Healthcare Professional" interrogating him.

Fucking A!!!
If I'm being "assessed" by a nurse or a physio, I want to know what experience they have as regards my various health issues, too!

Sorry, I'm just so angry.

No need to apologise for righteous anger, my friend.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

I am not reading this thread at the moment as it just makes me too anxious and I am doing a bit better over all and don't want to spoil it, but, just wanted to pop in and say much much strength to you all, you are in my thoughts and thank you so much for your help in the past.
Love from me x x

I've not been on these threads much either, as I don't need depressing.

 

[teqniq]

Somebody should be doing jail time over this shit

Severely disabled man told he must take medical to prove he is not fit for work

UNABLE to walk, talk or feed himself, Ryan Norman has needed round-the-clock care since he was four months old.

Now, at the age of 20, Government bureaucrats say he must have a medical to see if he is fit for work before he can claim the benefits his mother relies on to care for him.

Ryan’s mother, Ceneta, his sole carer, claims she is in serious financial difficulties after Ryan’s child benefit and tax credits automatically stopped on his 20th birthday on September 1 – with a wait of several weeks before he is assessed for adult benefits....

 

[WouldBe]

This nonsense HAS GOT TO STOP!
Will no fucking MP pick it up and run with it?
They could 'make a name for themselves'.
Investigate ATOS - It's methods, it's income strategy, it's software and why "we" don't own it,
it's recording policy.
Plus Yardbird DEMANDS to know the name and qualifications of the "Healthcare Professional" interrogating him.
Sorry, I'm just so angry.

If the MP's can't be arsed to do anything then we need to shut ATOS down.

Everyone needs to report the 'HCP' to their appropriate body and get then struck off. ATOS can't operate if no one willilling or able to do the assessments.

 

[ViolentPanda]

If the MP's can't be arsed to do anything then we need to shut ATOS down.

Everyone needs to report the 'HCP' to their appropriate body and get then struck off. ATOS can't operate if no one willilling or able to do the assessments.

I foresee a slight problem, comrade W.
That problem is that there's already a considerable amount of anecdotal evidence of HCPs refusing to give "clients" either their credentials or their full identities at assessments.
It's almost like they have something to hide...

 

[yardbird]

I like the idea of this -

In the absence of a guarantee that you will provide recording equipment, I shall be bringing a stenographer with me.
A court stenographer - I trust that this is acceptable.

 

[ViolentPanda]

I like the idea of this -

In the absence of a guarantee that you will provide recording equipment, I shall be bringing a stenographer with me.
A court stenographer - I trust that this is acceptable.

Ouch! A court stenographer, being an officer of the court, would present pretty much an unimpeachable version of events.

 

[WouldBe]

I foresee a slight problem, comrade W.
That problem is that there's already a considerable amount of anecdotal evidence of HCPs refusing to give "clients" either their credentials or their full identities at assessments.
It's almost like they have something to hide...

That just shows how thick the HCP's are then. When you appeal and get sent a copy of your forms and the WCA report from the DWP, the WCA report has the HCP's name in full on the first page.

 

[yardbird]

Ouch! A court stenographer, being an officer of the court, would present pretty much an unimpeachable version of events.

Well, I'm out of all this bollocks for a now, being an OAP. Just hope that I'll be better by the time I'm re-assessed in a few years time.
However, an addition:-

* We have no problem with yourselves (ATOS) providing a stenographer or recording the assessment.
We trust that the name and qualifications of the assessor will be provided to the the stenographer, who will be giving a legal, signed and witnessed account of the meeting.
The name and address of your HCP will of course be kept confidential and only referred to if either of us are required to appear at an appeal.

 

[Frumious B.]

Doesn't matter whether the DWP or ATOS understand ME. DWP rules say it's a neurological condition, so the WCA is conducted by a doctor. If you prepare well and use the resources at benefitsandwork. co.uk you can sail into the support group. I did. The snag is that if your ME is too bad for you to be able to work, you won't be capable of preparing well. So you need LOTS of help. If you don't get help, you're fucked.

 

[equationgirl]

Doesn't matter whether the DWP or ATOS understand ME. DWP rules say it's a neurological condition, so the WCA is conducted by a doctor. If you prepare well and use the resources at benefitsandwork. co.uk you can sail into the support group. I did. The snag is that if your ME is too bad for you to be able to work, you won't be capable of preparing well. So you need LOTS of help. If you don't get help, you're fucked.

Bit of a simplistic (verging on insulting) viewpoint - that if you *just* get help you'll sail into the support group. It is not that simple. It might have worked for you but there is still evidence that there is more too it than just getting help.

Plus there's been some sly updates to the DWP medical conditions guidance and previously some of those that mandated assessment by doctor no longer do so. Head injury is one such example - I checked recently. CFS/ME no longer mandates neurological assessment or even assessment by a doctor, which it did up to DWP guidance amendment in June. It also helpfully notes that CFS/ME 'predominantly affects young people'.

 

[Frumious B.]

CFS/ME no longer mandates neurological assessment or even assessment by a doctor, which it did up to DWP guidance amendment in June.

I didn't know that, that's disastrous. So nothing I said applies any more.

 

[equationgirl]

I didn't know that, that's disastrous. So nothing I said applies any more.

Yep. Goalposts have moved, or at least aren't publically visible.

 

[Frumious B.]

How did you find that out?

 

[equationgirl]

How did you find that out?

Was re-checking the DWP guidance for someone on this thread and noticed that where they'd previously stated the assessment had to be carried out by a doctor, it had been changed. Checked the date and saw it was June this year.

Checked a few others and noticed they'd changed too.

 

[Frumious B.]

Got a link? I need to keep on top of this for when I get my next WCA.