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Atos Medicals - Questions, Answers and Support

Awesome Wells said:
<snip> Can anyone else verify this? Comments?
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I've heard suggestions to that effect, several months ago. It wasn't speculation. From what I heard, if you're on ESA and in the WRAG, you might have to do the work programme until you either find work or fit the criteria for the support group. For now, hold onto the fact that it's only "might", not "will".

Sorry about what you're going through, and the lack of definite information. VP has access to the B&W site, I haven't. He's been fluey for a week and is crashing further. Right now I'm too tired to think straight for long.

BTW that last bit is a statement of fact, nothing more.
 
I haven't been on Urban for a couple of years but my good offline friend Yardbird suggested some of you good people could offer some advice.

Mrs Wickerman was diagnosed with MS in 2011 but the symptoms had been showing since 2003/ 2004. She is a self employed child minder and now finds that the MS is making work increasingly difficult, to the point where she feels she may need to give it up completely very soon.

Mrs W applied for PIP in August 2013 and returned the completed forms in September 2013. Since then - nothing, not a peep out of DWP or ATOS or anyone else for that matter. She desperately wants to scale back the working or stop altogether - her MS nurse has advised that Mrs W needs to take more time out to combat the fatigue that she suffers.

Multiple phone calls have resulted in absolutely no progress for the last 7 months. We don't know which way to turn now.
 
Wickerman1 said:
I haven't been on Urban for a couple of years but my good offline friend Yardbird suggested some of you good people could offer some advice.

Mrs Wickerman was diagnosed with MS in 2011 but the symptoms had been showing since 2003/ 2004. She is a self employed child minder and now finds that the MS is making work increasingly difficult, to the point where she feels she may need to give it up completely very soon.

Mrs W applied for PIP in August 2013 and returned the completed forms in September 2013. Since then - nothing, not a peep out of DWP or ATOS or anyone else for that matter. She desperately wants to scale back the working or stop altogether - her MS nurse has advised that Mrs W needs to take more time out to combat the fatigue that she suffers.

Multiple phone calls have resulted in absolutely no progress for the last 7 months. We don't know which way to turn now.
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What did the last phonecall with the DWP say? Was there any timeline or indication of the next stage in the process at all?

If you have had no luck so far contact your MP and ask for their assistance. There is a growing body of evidence that shows once an MP is involved suddenly the mysterious delay vanishes and things start to move.

Best of luck.
 
equationgirl said:
What did the last phonecall with the DWP say? Was there any timeline or indication of the next stage in the process at all?

If you have had no luck so far contact your MP and ask for their assistance. There is a growing body of evidence that shows once an MP is involved suddenly the mysterious delay vanishes and things start to move.

Best of luck.
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The last phonecall was last Friday and a very stressed DWP operative advised that Mrs W's application was 'pending - along with thousands of others'. Not a very useful response really.
 
What sort of letter to write to my/Wickerman's dear MP Nicolas Soames is the question.
He's more into selling arms to peasants and shooting pheasants. Or is it the other way round?
^^ see above.
 
Any news about PIP is taking 6 months and more just to be processed. They, Capita and Atos, are trying to concentrate on serious life threatening conditions at the moment but are so far backlogged they have no idea when they will catch up.

Sadly there are people who applied for PIP in May/June 2013 that are still waiting for news.

Edited to replace Serco with Capita. Been writing about both of them elsewhere and baffled myself for a few moments. *sorry*
 
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Incidentally, I have been selected to be in the audience on Question Time this week. I had to select a question and e-mail it to the editor by midnight last night. I made mine a very open question about PIP waiting times. It probably won't be picked by the producers though.:confused:
 
Greebo said:
I've heard suggestions to that effect, several months ago. It wasn't speculation. From what I heard, if you're on ESA and in the WRAG, you might have to do the work programme until you either find work or fit the criteria for the support group. For now, hold onto the fact that it's only "might", not "will".

Sorry about what you're going through, and the lack of definite information. VP has access to the B&W site, I haven't. He's been fluey for a week and is crashing further. Right now I'm too tired to think straight for long.

BTW that last bit is a statement of fact, nothing more.
Click to expand...

No problem, whenever I post about these experiences I am always mindful there are people really going through much worse than me. But everyone has their own shit to deal with and anything else is just divide and rule - everyone ho needs it should get the help they want.

I rang up the DWP (anonymously of course) and the person I spoke to, who said hey were in the ESA deapartment, said that, regardless of what benefit and whether it changes during, the Work Programme ends after 2 years. Even if this person is wrong it's ot going to mater much - they re the DWP and non attendance for a post WP appointment will simply be marked as wilful non attendance (good reason notwithstanding).

My problem is that I don't know what to expct from this nonsense. I really don't want to deal with the JC again, particularly sitting in an open plan office wihtin everyone's easrshot discussing my problems with someone that's not a doctor.

I think I'm going to contact the Work Psychology department, they've helped (ish) before. I'd feel better talking to hem again.
 
Wickerman1 said:
Incidentally, I have been selected to be in the audience on Question Time this week. I had to select a question and e-mail it to the editor by midnight last night. I made mine a very open question about PIP waiting times. It probably won't be picked by the producers though.:confused:
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You should have phrased it in relaion to immigrants or the EU.

I notice IDS has yet to appear on any of the Dimbleoid programmes since Owen Jones made him look very small indeed. No wonder he needs us to fund his underpant purchases, the amount he must go through.

And no wonder ATOS want out; it's most likely nothing o do with the WCA and everything to do with PIP which they brought into as a pig in a poke. Unfortunately for us tha pig is the lives of real people and the situation is dire indeed. It's an absolutely messages that, again, Cameron refuses to address. This should be in the news a lot more than it is.

Mother who had mastectomy, chemotherapy and radiotherapy going back to work because she's STILL waiting for government help
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Big mistake: that is exactly the headline IDS wants to see - it proves directly to him his reforms are working. Pip (eveni f the lackthereof) has made this woman go and work (ignoring the matter of her health of course). As she hasn't dropped down dead (yet) as a result means everything is tickety boo.
 
Greebo said:
They sound like a good starting point.
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I'd like to know if anyone else has ny experience of dealing with them? The person Isaw way back when (and I'd never heard of this department before) is broadly helpful, but there are always caveats. I had told her I was seeking an aspergers diagnosis and she said that was something she could do, but hen rolled back somewhat to being able to provide a test of sorts to detect potential toward the neurodiverse spectrum (i'm still not really sure). So it's sort of 2 steps forward with 1 back.

When first went on the WP I asked her if she could help present evidence of my issues to them (who'd have thought the Salvation Army would have been so hostile to mental health!). She agreed to write a letter, but then changed her mind. I then ffered to write a letter if she would sign it, she agreed and then gave p entirely saying that, because the DWP has no influence over how providers run the WP, it wouldn't make any difference. She says she's on my side, but never really seems to explain how. I don't really understand what the department is for.
 
Awesome Wells said:
You should have phrased it in relaion to immigrants or the EU.

I notice IDS has yet to appear on any of the Dimbleoid programmes since Owen Jones made him look very small indeed. No wonder he needs us to fund his underpant purchases, the amount he must go through.

And no wonder ATOS want out; it's most likely nothing o do with the WCA and everything to do with PIP which they brought into as a pig in a poke. Unfortunately for us tha pig is the lives of real people and the situation is dire indeed. It's an absolutely messages that, again, Cameron refuses to address. This should be in the news a lot more than it is.

Big mistake: that is exactly the headline IDS wants to see - it proves directly to him his reforms are working. Pip (eveni f the lackthereof) has made this woman go and work (ignoring the matter of her health of course). As she hasn't dropped down dead (yet) as a result means everything is tickety boo.
Click to expand...

Except she'll still be entitled to pip even if she's working.
 
Paulie Tandoori said:
Atos are withdrawing from WCA, it's official http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-26766345
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Well they can always Google it like they have to for DLA since ATOS pulled out of that last year.

http://disabilitynewsservice.com/2013/11/atos-move-leaves-dla-decision-makers-guessing/

Disability benefit decision-makers have been left without expert medical advice to call on for most of their cases, after the outsourcing giant Atos Healthcare withdrew from large parts of a key contract.
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http://www.meassociation.org.uk/201...ing-disability-news-service-15-november-2013/

Civil servants have been told they can judge whether to pay benefits to the sick by Googling their illnesses, after proper tests were scrapped.
In a memo leaked yesterday, Department for Work and Pensions staff were instructed to look online when assessing new claims for Disability Living Allowance for under 18s and Attendance Allowance for over 65s.
Shadow Work Secretary Rachel Reeves accused the Tory-led Government of showing “utter contempt” for disabled people.
The Labour MP said: “Out-of-touch ministers need to explain to disabled people how they’ve got to a situation where guidance is being issued telling civil servants to look for advice on complex disability cases on the internet.
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It would be good if a definitive announcement by the government was given.
ATOS are quitting ?
ATOS will continue with some things PIP rollout ?

What a fucking crock of shit.
 
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