Minnie_the_Minx
someinenhhanding menbag and me ah bollox
and once you get through all this, the PIP will be next
Will it ever end
Will it ever end
Atos Medicals - Questions, Answers and Support
- Thread starter Zabo
- Start date
WouldBe
Dislicksick
There's no point having ATOS then.
Disgraceful.
ViolentPanda
Hardly getting over it.
Of course, but with the excellent "cut-out" for both Atos and the DWP, that "it's the computer that decides".
That the computer program isn't fit for purpose (see equationgirl's posts on this and other threads and Private Eye veritably ad nauseam on the subject) and isn't designed to accommodate the breadth of response given by people being "tested" is neither here nor there, according to the pustulent muppets in Parliament.
ViolentPanda
Hardly getting over it.
There's no point having ATOS then.
Except maybe as decorations for a fuck-off big bonfire in the middle of Parliament Square, perhaps?
tommers
It was... Rebekah Vardy's account
One of my clients went for an assessment at the end of may. From this they gave him 0 pts. They stopped his esa from 6th June but didn't even write to tell him until the 12th.
He said the nurse didn't have any of his medical history. We contacted them to appeal and his care co-ordinator and myself wrote supporting letters.
He got a sicknote from his gp, which was also faxed over by his cpn.
They contacted him to say the sicknote is not accepted unless faxed by a jobcentre.
We did this. They came back to say it needed to be backdated to when the benefit stopped.
We went back to the gp. They wouldn't issue a backdated sicknote without the dwp letter saying when the benefit stopped.
This man has a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia, alcohol and gambling addictions, multiple drug addictions, is hep b & c positive, has sleeping and eating disorders and only has (impaired) sight in 1 eye. He has had no income for 3 weeks and can't get a crisis loan because he has already had 3 in 12 months.
It's unbelievable that they act in this way. Fair enough if the computer says no, but at least put him on JSA or something till it's sorted out - don't just stop everything. The guy is talking about killing himself.
He said the nurse didn't have any of his medical history. We contacted them to appeal and his care co-ordinator and myself wrote supporting letters.
He got a sicknote from his gp, which was also faxed over by his cpn.
They contacted him to say the sicknote is not accepted unless faxed by a jobcentre.
We did this. They came back to say it needed to be backdated to when the benefit stopped.
We went back to the gp. They wouldn't issue a backdated sicknote without the dwp letter saying when the benefit stopped.
This man has a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia, alcohol and gambling addictions, multiple drug addictions, is hep b & c positive, has sleeping and eating disorders and only has (impaired) sight in 1 eye. He has had no income for 3 weeks and can't get a crisis loan because he has already had 3 in 12 months.
It's unbelievable that they act in this way. Fair enough if the computer says no, but at least put him on JSA or something till it's sorted out - don't just stop everything. The guy is talking about killing himself.
Iniquitous.
Being treated like that would be enough to tip somebody completely well and able-bodied over the edge, let alone a person who has so many things to cope with at the same time.
ViolentPanda
Hardly getting over it.
It's not fair enough for anyone to say no, not based on what the Atos "examinations" turn up. The old IB med exams could be (and often were) arbitrary, but this "drop-down menu"-based approach to decision-making is murderous. If your client dies, despite any verdict at an inquest, he'll have effectively been murdered by Atos.
ericjarvis
give a feck for the feckless
He will have effectively been murdered by ATOS in a conspiracy involving ministers in the current and previous government, large numbers of people in the media, and everyone who uncritically accepts all the bullshit politicians spout about incapacity and disability benefits.
For the record, I repeat from previous posts on various threads. Over the 1990s the Labour Force Survey shows a steady increase in the number of people being treated for stress related illnesses whilst still working. This precedes the increase in claims for incapacity benefit for stress related illness. This is information published by the government that should as standard practice be briefing material for ministers. This isn't something they can reasonably claim to be ignorant of. Despite this the response of ministers to the increase in stress related IB claims was to call it evidence of widespread abuse of the system. Implying that hundreds of thousands of people had spent several years faking illness and fooling their GPs in order to claim IB five to ten years later. In the last decade the Labour Force Survey has had an additional comment in this section. It says that the data must be wrong because "mental health morbidity" has not increased at the same time. It is then linked to data on the suicide rate.
The simple fact is that you can't constantly increase the difficulty of finding affordable housing and increase job insecurity without putting people under increased stress. Unfortunately that is a politically unacceptable fact. So it is lied about. Everybody who lies about it is, to some extent, culpable in every death that results from a system designed to deal with illness and disability by harassing the sick and disabled.
audiotech
wav, aiff, mp3, ogg, flac
and once you get through all this, the PIP will be next
Will it ever end
2008 it all started (Employment Tribunal) and four years on it's still unrelenting (Welfare Tribunal, with two appeals in.). More, or less, the exact same things were happening in the early 80's, with an Employment Tribunal, when I was sacked whilst on the sick and then a subsequent appeal against a DWP decision to stop my then Invalidity Benefit. The first time tragedy, the second time a bloody nightmare.
tommers
It was... Rebekah Vardy's account
Yeah, I phrased that wrongly. I'm just amazed that you can have all benefit stopped for doing nothing wrong. And they don't even tell you till a week after. How the fuck did they decide this was the right way to do it?
I mean, all the bureaucracy is frustrating and annoying but that beggars belief.
culder
Active Member
The horror stories continue. How can this possibly continue?
it was the nil points bit that really riled her
Same here. A couple of points short of the required amount, and you might wonder where you failed to get a point across, explain something properly, that sort of thing. Zero points feels like a rejection of me as a whole, and immediately puts me on the defensive in everything that happens as a result of it.
I don't know how this can be acceptable in terms of human rights.
it was the nil points bit that really riled her
Same here. A couple of points short of the required amount, and you might wonder where you failed to get a point across, explain something properly, that sort of thing. Zero points feels like a rejection of me as a whole, and immediately puts me on the defensive in everything that happens as a result of it.
I don't know how this can be acceptable in terms of human rights.
Now you know why Cameron wanted to stop the European Court of Human Rights being able to overturn UK law. I said there was something like this coming. Just call me Cassandra.
ericjarvis
give a feck for the feckless
Spent much of yesterday trying to calm down a friend who has just been informed that Lambeth will be reclaiming an (as yet) unspecified debt of £900 from her Income Support. She's been in receipt of benefit for the last five years at least, with an unbroken claim, so how she can owe Lambeth any money at all is curious, but no doubt Greenock DWP will, as is now usual, simply take money off the benefits without questioning it.
We have no human rights. The law now longer applied to benefit claimants.
We have no human rights. The law now longer applied to benefit claimants.
Minnie_the_Minx
someinenhhanding menbag and me ah bollox
I picked up form a while ago and decided it's time to start tackling it. Have filled in first 3 pages (ie. name, address, contact details, dates you can't go to an assessment and "about your illnsses or disabilities". (Summary version which took up the whole page 
) and I've not even put in that he needs a walking stick 
*squeezes use of walking stick in at bottom of page*
) and I've not even put in that he needs a walking stick *squeezes use of walking stick in at bottom of page*
ash
Inittogether
I picked up form a while ago and decided it's time to start tackling it. Have filled in first 3 pages (ie. name, address, contact details, dates you can't go to an assessment and "about your illnsses or disabilities". (Summary version which took up the whole page
*squeezes use of walking stick in at bottom of page*
Are you talking about ESA if so there is an online form that you can use that gives you more space to put things in. They have a link on the benefits and work website I am not sure if the DWP has a link to it, I imagnie they will??
Minnie_the_Minx
someinenhhanding menbag and me ah bollox
Yeah, Greebo (I think) told me about online version but I forgot, but not to worry as I'm just adding loads of A4 sheets to end of report. Lucky I saved them all when I did his last DLA assessment form, so just adding latest events to those. Currently reading through medical documents from beginning of January 2011 so I don't miss anything out (even though a lot of it's not now relevant, but at least it's there for his Medical Conditions page)
To save me even bothering to write anything on pages 4 and 5, all I've written is See Flag A and B
Minnie_the_Minx
someinenhhanding menbag and me ah bollox
That's 3 hours dedicated to form so far (done 6 pages of medical history and explaining his treatment, although 4 pages of it is explaining the last year which I doubt they'll even bother reading).
On to Page 4 next: Details of Tablets, Medication of Special Treatment, About Your GP and Does Anyone Else Provide you with Care, Support or Treatment, and then Page 5: Hospital or Clinic Treatment.
I'm going to time how long this takes me.
3 solid hours today though, and that's enough for now I think.
On to Page 4 next: Details of Tablets, Medication of Special Treatment, About Your GP and Does Anyone Else Provide you with Care, Support or Treatment, and then Page 5: Hospital or Clinic Treatment.
I'm going to time how long this takes me.
3 solid hours today though, and that's enough for now I think.
FWIW the last time that VP had a DLA medical the doctor was almost packing up her form and reading out loud the summary of impairments and other health problems when she asked "Is there anything else wrong with you?"
It was at this point that I realised she'd been sat opposite VP and talking to him for the best part of 45 minutes and hadn't realised that he's partially deaf.
Tbf she was very complimentary about his lipreading after he remembered to mention his hearing impairment.
Minnie_the_Minx
someinenhhanding menbag and me ah bollox
FWIW the last time that VP had a DLA medical the doctor was almost packing up her form and reading our loud the summary of impairments and other health problems when she asked "Is there anything else wrong with you?"
It was at this point that I realised she'd been sat opposite VP and talking to him for the best part of 45 minutes and hadn't realised that he's partially deaf.
Didn't he list hearing impairment then?
I reckon everyone who receives this form should take note of how long they fill in just so people realise that's it's not a 5-minute job
He listed it on the form, but when the doctor turned up for the medical, she asked him to say everything which was wrong with him. So he listed stuff which he was the most aware of first. Having been half deaf from his late teens, he sort of doesn't think of it as a problem, except that it's made worse by other stuff.
Didn't he list hearing impairment then?
I reckon everyone who receives this form should take note of how long they fill in just so people realise that's it's not a 5-minute job
BTW good idea about saying how long filling in the form takes. I'll try to remember to do that.
Minnie_the_Minx
someinenhhanding menbag and me ah bollox
He listed it on the form, but when the doctor turned up for the medical, she asked him to say everything which was wrong with him. So he listed stuff which he was the most aware of first. Having been half deaf from his late teens, he sort of doesn't think of it as a problem, except that it's made worse by other stuff.
BTW good idea about saying how long filling in the form takes. I'll try to remember to do that.
Yeah, I think it's worth taking note of the time to show these assessors/DWP that a simple tick form doesn't near enough cover the complexity and variations of conditions most people have
Minnie_the_Minx
someinenhhanding menbag and me ah bollox
Another full hour on listing outpatient appointments and hospital admissions in the last year. That's 15 minutes shy of 5 hours today.
Minnie_the_Minx
someinenhhanding menbag and me ah bollox
I planned on finishing for the night, but have just spent another hour on it, so almost six hours today
They should pay us by the hour for filling in those damn things.
Minnie_the_Minx
someinenhhanding menbag and me ah bollox
I may be roping a few of you in today now for the difficult bits!
Depends on the weather though
Depends on the weather though
WouldBe
Dislicksick
The DLA form I've just filled in took me just over 3 months to fill in. Kerching.
I find it difficult to concentrate for extended periods and DLA form took forever.The DLA form I've just filled in took me just over 3 months to fill in. Kerching.
Very tiring to do and it made me super paranoid in case I missed something.
Minnie_the_Minx
someinenhhanding menbag and me ah bollox
The DLA form I've just filled in took me just over 3 months to fill in. Kerching.
How many hours though?
and I thought you only got 6 weeks to do it?
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