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Atos Medicals - Questions, Answers and Support

Greebo said:
Update: No confirmation that tomorrow afternoon's assessment will be recorded (as requested). The person who's supposed to be responsible for the recordings had knocked off early for the day and might ring back first thing tomorrow morning. :rolleyes::mad:
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Ridiculous :( :(
If no recording as requested then you want to get that in writing at the time.
Good luck!

Luck just shouldn't come into it.
 
Update to update: Was told to expect a 9.30AM phonecall from ATOS's audio recorder-wallah.
at 10.11AM I started phoning them on the direct-line number I was given yesterday. After 5 attempts I finally got through, and guess what? That's right, they couldn't record the assessment today. :facepalm:
What the (flu-ey) young lady said was that if she made me a new appt, it wouldn't affect my benefits (apparently, if "we, the claimants" want to change an appt we get ONE go, ATOS give themselves as many as necessary!), and because it was her as recorder-wallah making the appt for me, rather than ATOS making an appt THEN contacting her to see whether she could fit a recording into her schedule, the recording was a lot more likely to actually happen.
I asked (as usual) for written confirmation, and accepted a new appt for the middle of October.
 
Greebo said:
Update: No confirmation that tomorrow afternoon's assessment will be recorded (as requested). The person who's supposed to be responsible for the recordings had knocked off early for the day and might ring back first thing tomorrow morning. :rolleyes::mad:
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Wishing you and VP all the strength you need to deal with their nonesense. Hope it goes well.
 
ViolentPanda said:
Update to update: Was told to expect a 9.30AM phonecall from ATOS's audio recorder-wallah.
at 10.11AM I started phoning them on the direct-line number I was given yesterday. After 5 attempts I finally got through, and guess what? That's right, they couldn't record the assessment today. :facepalm:
What the (flu-ey) young lady said was that if she made me a new appt, it wouldn't affect my benefits (apparently, if "we, the claimants" want to change an appt we get ONE go, ATOS give themselves as many as necessary!), and because it was her as recorder-wallah making the appt for me, rather than ATOS making an appt THEN contacting her to see whether she could fit a recording into her schedule, the recording was a lot more likely to actually happen.
I asked (as usual) for written confirmation, and accepted a new appt for the middle of October.
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Has anyone ever got a recording first time round without having to check it and rebook it? I'm guessing not given the number of machines that must still be working.
 
equationgirl said:
Has anyone ever got a recording first time round without having to check it and rebook it? I'm guessing not given the number of machines that must still be working.
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It came across like ATOS have one person per assessment centre to cover all requests (at the centre and in peoples' homes), and that they have to book the recording equipment from a central store.
In other words, the DWP and the ATOSsers have designed it to be a difficult process in order to scare claimants away from requesting it. Thing is, as scifisam remarked, and as I said to the woman I spoke to, some of us need our assessment recorded because we have memory problems.
 
ViolentPanda said:
<snip>Thing is, as scifisam remarked, and as I said to the woman I spoke to, some of us need our assessment recorded because we have memory problems.
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Given previous firsthand experiences of malpractice (including verbal assault severe enough to also be physical assault) and downright dishonesty during assessments, I trust all healthcare practioners in that situation as far as I can throw them.

In my arrogant opinion, every person getting an ESA assessment should automatically have it recorded, no questions asked; the situation is so stressful that even somebody with a perfect memory would be hard pressed to remember everything said and done if the assessor decides to give a distorted account.
 
I don't come on this thread that often, simply because reading about it makes me upset/scared, etc, when I hear what shit the dwp/atos try to pull on people, but I wish, all of you going through this horrible process have as smooth a time as possible.
 
panpete said:
I don't come on this thread that often, simply because reading about it makes me upset/scared, etc, when I hear what shit the dwp/atos try to pull on people, but I wish, all of you going through this horrible process have as smooth a time as possible.
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Me, I come on this thread exactly because reading it makes me upset - it fuels my conviction to not let those bastards trample over me, or over other claimants.
 
ViolentPanda said:
Me, I come on this thread exactly because reading it makes me upset - it fuels my conviction to not let those bastards trample over me, or over other claimants.
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Maybe you're a fighter and I am a flee-er :)
Having said that, when I was on here last year, I got massive amounts of help, which, together with the CAB, and Benefitsandwork.co.uk, plus the evidence letter writers, all played a part in getting me my ESA.
 
I think that the whole procedure plus the conditions for those on the WRAG and JSA actually help to make people's health deteriorate not improve, like they are trying to worsen people's health. Cynical but that's how it can sometimes seem to me.
 
ViolentPanda said:
It came across like ATOS have one person per assessment centre to cover all requests (at the centre and in peoples' homes), and that they have to book the recording equipment from a central store.
In other words, the DWP and the ATOSsers have designed it to be a difficult process in order to scare claimants away from requesting it. Thing is, as scifisam remarked, and as I said to the woman I spoke to, some of us need our assessment recorded because we have memory problems.
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I wholehearted agree it's necessary - an essential requirement - but in all of this scifisam is the first person I've heard of actually successfully managing to get their recording made. There was a post a long time ago on this thread about even though there's one machine per centre (and locality) many of them are broken or spend so much time in transit between centres they're not available for recording.

That's why I'm surprised someone's actually managed it.
 
Why don't Atos simply get more machines, so they are avaliable?
they have enough money
It sound to me like they are playing mind games with claimants.
 
panpete said:
Why don't Atos simply get more machines, so they are avaliable?
they have enough money
It sound to me like they are playing mind games with claimants.
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Because in my opinion they don't want them to be available. More recordings would likely mean more cases overturned on appeal, although arguably they shouldn't have to be appealed in the first place.
 
equationgirl said:
Because in my opinion they don't want them to be available. More recordings would likely mean more cases overturned on appeal, although arguably they shouldn't have to be appealed in the first place.
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Exactly, mind games.
Not playing fair.
Making it difficult for claimants, who already have enough of a difficult time as it is.
 
If I had a medical face to face to look forward to, which I would want recording, the last thing I would want to hear is some multi millionaire organisation bleating on about how there is not enough machines, or they are broken.

I am sorry for all the people who have had to put up with this nonsense when they request that their interview be rcorded.
 
tufty79 said:
<snip>Sorry to hear you got messed about, vp and greebo .
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*shrug* You know us, tufty, we don't only get angry, we get even.
mwahaha.gif
 
I work with young adult carers, caring for people with all sorts of disabilities and mental health issues. Some have attended appointments with the people they care for and say they are extremely intimidating. The appointments are an hour long. With many conditions they change on a day to day basis so how they can access what someone's capabilities are in an hour is beyond me. People with mental health issues who are paranoid and delusional are not often honest or even aware how ill they are. In one case the parent of some one i support had their benefits cut as a result of one of these assessments. Then due to the resulting stress of having no money and complicated forms to complete ended up in mental health hospital again for a few months. Hardly a cost saving exercise is it! I've also heard that their are bonus incentives for atos staff to get people off of benefits, but i can't say for sure that's true. IMO this system only serves to go after the most vulnerable people in society to save a few pennies. If you have one of these assessments go in the worse pain you possibly can as ViolentPanda says. They assess you in the waiting room and your ability to get into the examining room and walk from the chair to the bed.....or so i've heard!
 
Satya1 said:
I work with young adult carers, caring for people with all sorts of disabilities and mental health issues. Some have attended appointments with the people they care for and say they are extremely intimidating. The appointments are an hour long. With many conditions they change on a day to day basis so how they can access what someone's capabilities are in an hour is beyond me. People with mental health issues who are paranoid and delusional are not often honest or even aware how ill they are. In one case the parent of some one i support had their benefits cut as a result of one of these assessments. Then due to the resulting stress of having no money and complicated forms to complete ended up in mental health hospital again for a few months. Hardly a cost saving exercise is it! I've also heard that their are bonus incentives for atos staff to get people off of benefits, but i can't say for sure that's true. IMO this system only serves to go after the most vulnerable people in society to save a few pennies. If you have one of these assessments go in the worse pain you possibly can as ViolentPanda says. They assess you in the waiting room and your ability to get into the examining room and walk from the chair to the bed.....or so i've heard!
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Aww wow, :( that made for a really depressing read.
 
Satya1 said:
I work with young adult carers, caring for people with all sorts of disabilities and mental health issues. Some have attended appointments with the people they care for and say they are extremely intimidating. <snip>If you have one of these assessments go in the worse pain you possibly can as ViolentPanda says. They assess you in the waiting room and your ability to get into the examining room and walk from the chair to the bed.....or so i've heard!
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Tell me about it. Even before ATOS, it was obvious at IB assessments that the doctor was assessing VP before the official start of the "medical". So was the receptionist, from what I could see. For one thing, the attitude towards apparently able-bodied and cheerful people in the waiting room was different to when the doctor saw VP struggle to rise from his chair and blenching with pain.
 
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