WouldBe
Dislicksick
Actually I thought it was good. It shows just how incompetant the DWP really are.
Atos Medicals - Questions, Answers and Support
- Thread starter Zabo
- Start date
Frankie Jack
Not a bloke..
Misleading headline that had people enraged turns out to be a whack job on JC+ instead. I was grinning like the Cheshire Cat by the end of it. 
Frankie Jack
Not a bloke..
Well if it's not the meds, me and you can get doolally together - what fun we shall have
I'll meet you there. It's happening to me as well.
Welcome to the Doolally club.
Yep Spirals. We could be quite a force to contend with. At something...
audiotech
wav, aiff, mp3, ogg, flac
http://diaryofabenefitscrounger.blogspot.co.uk/
Great blog post by Sue Marsh on the ESA, especially the add on about addictions...
'Today, I will be submitting a FOI request, asking exactly how many people are immediately found "fit for work" without a face to face assessment, based solely on the information they provided on their ESA 50 and what their conditions were.'
she is on the case now, thank God for these activists..
Great blog post by Sue Marsh on the ESA, especially the add on about addictions...
'Today, I will be submitting a FOI request, asking exactly how many people are immediately found "fit for work" without a face to face assessment, based solely on the information they provided on their ESA 50 and what their conditions were.'
she is on the case now, thank God for these activists..
Frankie Jack
Not a bloke..
Atos Healthcare: Requests engagement with Disability Rights Groups on Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
Shall we contact them as the Urban75 'You Fucking Think So' group.
Shall we contact them as the Urban75 'You Fucking Think So' group.
caravankev
New Member
I just found some interesting stuff about Atos at the afteratos.com. website. See below, what fun.
DATA PROTECTION ?
I received an unsolicited letter dated “May 2012” and headed Medical Services, under this it states “Provided on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions”, it is signed, Brian Pepper, National Customer Relations Manager, Atos Healthcare. There was also a 2nd class pre paid envelope addressed to Jobcentre Plus, Belfast, though I haven’t quite yet worked out why.
Brian has selected me at random and is interested in my views and so has also sent me a questionnaire to help improve Atos’s services, my answers will be treated in the “strictest confidence”. And for the benefit of my security, Brian assures me that no one will know that it was me that ticked those boxes, not the DWP, and “Nobody from Atos Healthcare” Brian assures me further “Whether you take part or not, it will not affect any entitlement to benefit, or any dealings you have with DWP or any other Government Department.” Brian is so at pains to obtain my views that his employers have hired an “Independent research agency” to process and then send it back to Brian “in an entirely anonymous format”.
Brian has obviously thought this through.
If I “require any help completing the survey, or have any special needs” Brian has arranged a special help line, “01454 200009” for the randomly selected.
The only address is at the bottom of the page under “Atos Healthcare providing medical services on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions” and “Registered Office: 4 Triton Square, Regents Place, London NW1 3HG – VAT NO, GB 232327983”. Brian is probably ex directory for security reasons as he didn’t put a phone number other than the help line, nor an e-mail address or web site.
And why should he when the responsibility of security in this matter has now been contracted out to
“Wyman Dillon – Independent Market Research Agency”
It is my experience that cowboys will usually employ other cowboys otherwise how would Atos have such a lucrative contract to produce publicly paid for incompetence in the first place.
Be fair, “Wyman Dillon” only needs “Marshall” added to it or am I a mite cynical?
We continue,
“£100 of Marks and Spencer Vouchers!!!.
Nobody from Atos Healthcare, or the Department for Work and Pensions, will know who has completed the questionnaire or received the prize. We will only ever reveal your identity to them if you specifically ask us to do so.”
Then,
“We will enter you into a prize draw during the month in which we receive your questionnaire. We will randomly select a questionnaire each month and forward the prize directly to you if you are the winner.”
As I am poor I could do with £100, even in vouchers and nobody would know, not even DWP so they couldn’t stop any benefits or treat it as paid work, could they?. I doubt the DWP even know that Brian’s using stationary with their name on it. Brian say’s it should take no more than ten minutes to fill in the questionnaire and Atos’s records will show I can sit for longer than that.
And I’ve never been offered a rollover chance of being randomly picked before.
Brian and Wyman Dillon seem to have sorted the security and presumably the Data Protection legalities and even Marks and Spencer’s get a bit of advertising in there. Don’t know if they have to pay for it but I really could do with some new jeans.
All I have to do is fill in the form and give my name and address to Wyman Dillon in case I win so that he can send me my prize.
That would be the same name and address that is on the envelope containing the covering letter that Brian sent me that also contains my name and address that due to security or data protection reasons he didn’t Trust Wyman Dillon with even though Wyman Dillon trusted Brian enough to pop his company’s material offering me a chance to win a prize by filling in the Atos Healthcare Questionnaire and posting it in the pre paid envelope addressed to Wyman Dillon Research, Medical Services Customer Survey, FREEPOST (BS7607), Bristol, BS35 3YA that was all in the envelope that Brian sent me.
Now I’m beginning to admire Brian cos he knows when to bail out.
But it troubles me that he doesn’t seem too keen on trusting Wyman Dillon with my name and address but if Wyman Dillon don’t have it, how will they post the £100 of M&S vouchers should I win.
It’s an enigma.
I’m beginning to wish Brian had randomly selected some other poor sod.
There is no deadline so I decide to sleep on it.
To be continued……….
"
DATA PROTECTION ?
I received an unsolicited letter dated “May 2012” and headed Medical Services, under this it states “Provided on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions”, it is signed, Brian Pepper, National Customer Relations Manager, Atos Healthcare. There was also a 2nd class pre paid envelope addressed to Jobcentre Plus, Belfast, though I haven’t quite yet worked out why.
Brian has selected me at random and is interested in my views and so has also sent me a questionnaire to help improve Atos’s services, my answers will be treated in the “strictest confidence”. And for the benefit of my security, Brian assures me that no one will know that it was me that ticked those boxes, not the DWP, and “Nobody from Atos Healthcare” Brian assures me further “Whether you take part or not, it will not affect any entitlement to benefit, or any dealings you have with DWP or any other Government Department.” Brian is so at pains to obtain my views that his employers have hired an “Independent research agency” to process and then send it back to Brian “in an entirely anonymous format”.
Brian has obviously thought this through.
If I “require any help completing the survey, or have any special needs” Brian has arranged a special help line, “01454 200009” for the randomly selected.
The only address is at the bottom of the page under “Atos Healthcare providing medical services on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions” and “Registered Office: 4 Triton Square, Regents Place, London NW1 3HG – VAT NO, GB 232327983”. Brian is probably ex directory for security reasons as he didn’t put a phone number other than the help line, nor an e-mail address or web site.
And why should he when the responsibility of security in this matter has now been contracted out to
“Wyman Dillon – Independent Market Research Agency”
It is my experience that cowboys will usually employ other cowboys otherwise how would Atos have such a lucrative contract to produce publicly paid for incompetence in the first place.
Be fair, “Wyman Dillon” only needs “Marshall” added to it or am I a mite cynical?
We continue,
“£100 of Marks and Spencer Vouchers!!!.
Nobody from Atos Healthcare, or the Department for Work and Pensions, will know who has completed the questionnaire or received the prize. We will only ever reveal your identity to them if you specifically ask us to do so.”
Then,
“We will enter you into a prize draw during the month in which we receive your questionnaire. We will randomly select a questionnaire each month and forward the prize directly to you if you are the winner.”
As I am poor I could do with £100, even in vouchers and nobody would know, not even DWP so they couldn’t stop any benefits or treat it as paid work, could they?. I doubt the DWP even know that Brian’s using stationary with their name on it. Brian say’s it should take no more than ten minutes to fill in the questionnaire and Atos’s records will show I can sit for longer than that.
And I’ve never been offered a rollover chance of being randomly picked before.
Brian and Wyman Dillon seem to have sorted the security and presumably the Data Protection legalities and even Marks and Spencer’s get a bit of advertising in there. Don’t know if they have to pay for it but I really could do with some new jeans.
All I have to do is fill in the form and give my name and address to Wyman Dillon in case I win so that he can send me my prize.
That would be the same name and address that is on the envelope containing the covering letter that Brian sent me that also contains my name and address that due to security or data protection reasons he didn’t Trust Wyman Dillon with even though Wyman Dillon trusted Brian enough to pop his company’s material offering me a chance to win a prize by filling in the Atos Healthcare Questionnaire and posting it in the pre paid envelope addressed to Wyman Dillon Research, Medical Services Customer Survey, FREEPOST (BS7607), Bristol, BS35 3YA that was all in the envelope that Brian sent me.
Now I’m beginning to admire Brian cos he knows when to bail out.
But it troubles me that he doesn’t seem too keen on trusting Wyman Dillon with my name and address but if Wyman Dillon don’t have it, how will they post the £100 of M&S vouchers should I win.
It’s an enigma.
I’m beginning to wish Brian had randomly selected some other poor sod.
There is no deadline so I decide to sleep on it.
To be continued……….
"
Frankie Jack
Not a bloke..
Can you post a link for that caravankev? It's all rather confusing.
ETA I've found it. Still a very confusing post in the original. Wyman Dillon are a Market Research company. Regardless of their £100 M&S voucher I'd throw the survey in the bin. Especially when it concerns Atos.
A similar offer was made asking people to discuss their finances around DLA for pre PIP evaluation, plenty of people rather naively then volunteered lots of info on how they spend their DLA, etc, some on such necessary things like 'emotional freedom technique(bodytalk)
Frankie Jack
Not a bloke..
Saw that late/early this morning. Need more coffee before brain and body fire up.
Seems to me that Atos who do the test and DWP who make the decision based on Atos recommendations are colluding in disability denial. Tribunals look at the patient, medical evidence and disability law and make a legal decision that the patient has had their disability denied.
The test is nothing morew than a UNUM disability denial exercise and most who take that decision to legal ajudication win their appeal.
The whole test and decision making process shoulds go before the law and scrutinised. Just like UNUM were in the US for using similar methods to deny their claimants insurance.
Hope that makes sense. I'm in a fairly thick fog this morning.
This is significant news, but without an effective opposition to challenge it in Parliament it won't have that much effect, has the LP put a P/R out?, I know it was a LP MP, Tom Greatrex, who has also called for a welfare debate on the 4th Sept, who called in the NAO, but Liam Byrne attacking it, not a chance...
Frankie Jack
Not a bloke..
I had one of those programs but it stopped working and I can't find which one it was to re download it. I'll ask my son. He knows all those thingy programs.
equationgirl
Respect my existence or expect my resistance
Well it wasn't news to me, but then I work in contracts.It's a slow news day, I reckon it's just getting used as a filler
A contract should ideally be balanced towards to all parties. So if company A does a job for company B, if the contract is completed ahead of schedule there's a bonus paid to company A but if the contract is completed late, company B gets penalty payments (a refund, essentially).
Not what Atos have got, this cosy little number where they can do a shit job, killing people from stress in the process, and not have to pay a penny back when the appeals go through by the truckload.
'The company has conducted about 738,000 medical tests on benefit claimants in the past financial year'
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/aug/17/nao-criticises-atos-benefits-contract
That's one heck of a lot of 'assessments' in one year....
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/aug/17/nao-criticises-atos-benefits-contract
That's one heck of a lot of 'assessments' in one year....
Libertad
Sparking up a rollie in the Reichstag
That's £135.50 per assessment if the contract is worth £100m pa. ATOS are losing money surely? I hope so.
WouldBe
Dislicksick
My assessment lasted 20 minutes. They can do 3 per hour. So thats about £400 per hour. They won't be paying the "medical experts" anywhere near that.That's £135.50 per assessment if the contract is worth £100m pa. ATOS are losing money surely? I hope so.
equationgirl
Respect my existence or expect my resistance
Appeals are costing £60m per year on top of the £112m paid to Atos on the last year - £60m to correct the mistakes made by Atos. If that's factored in to the cost of each assessment, it comes out as £172m/738,000 = £233.06 per assessment. Assuming 3 per hour is £699.18 per hour, per assessor.
The scandal is the length of these assessments - how can a reasonable, let alone accurate, judgement of a person's medical condition be formed in such a short time.
The scandal is the length of these assessments - how can a reasonable, let alone accurate, judgement of a person's medical condition be formed in such a short time.
culder
Active Member
WouldBe
Dislicksick
Yeah but the £60 million doesn't come out of ATOS' budget the DWP pay for the appeals. So it wouldn't matter if everyone appealed and everyone won, ATOS still gets it's money.
They can't.The scandal is the length of these assessments - how can a reasonable, let alone accurate, judgement of a person's medical condition be formed in such a short time.
Well, I got home last night to find a limited capability for work form keeping the doormat company. I'm mildly disgruntled about that because my Incapacity was awarded til October, so I'm being migrated early - That's if I even pass the medical. Which I'm quite resigned to not doing - I'll still have a bash, make a decent fist of it but I can't help feeling this is going to be bathtime for Benjy.
equationgirl
Respect my existence or expect my resistance
If you need any help, start a conversation asking people to join. I'm more than happy to help
I think they're targeting a lot of people who've just been awarded IB, easier than trying to overturn a longstanding award (although that's not stopping them either).
I've been on IB since 2004, eqg, so it's not really a recent award. Thanks for offering to help , I may take you up on that, though ATM I'm 3/4 of the way down a 3 bot of frosty jack's, so we'll leave that for now til I'm in a better state. I'm actually alright at filling in forms, I've got a few mates who have, in the past, asked me to do their PCA forms for incapacity & I always got a result - This ESA is uncharted waters though. I'm on the sick for mental health plus substance issues & I'm not under a psychiatrist (ooer), so I am in the target group for being latered off the sick. Which is why I'm not exactly resigned to, but prepared for being given the golden boot from the sick. I didn't end up subscribing to benefits & work but what I did do was pay a tenner to just get the ESA guides, though being a bit shit with computers, I can't print them off 
, and I do find paper a lot easier to deal with than screens - Me sister's going to sort that for me though.
, I may take you up on that, though ATM I'm 3/4 of the way down a 3 bot of frosty jack's, so we'll leave that for now til I'm in a better state. I'm actually alright at filling in forms, I've got a few mates who have, in the past, asked me to do their PCA forms for incapacity & I always got a result - This ESA is uncharted waters though. I'm on the sick for mental health plus substance issues & I'm not under a psychiatrist (ooer), so I am in the target group for being latered off the sick. Which is why I'm not exactly resigned to, but prepared for being given the golden boot from the sick. I didn't end up subscribing to benefits & work but what I did do was pay a tenner to just get the ESA guides, though being a bit shit with computers, I can't print them off , and I do find paper a lot easier to deal with than screens - Me sister's going to sort that for me though.Similar threads
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