Atos Medicals - Questions, Answers and Support

[frogwoman]

 

[yardbird]

Personal thing again.
I'm sending a demand for a home visit with my ESA50 - backed up by everybody involved.
I will have a witness/helper when they come.
My sister in law is a retired GP, I wonder if she'll do it ?

 

[ViolentPanda]

Personal thing again.
I'm sending a demand for a home visit with my ESA50 - backed up by everybody involved.
I will have a witness/helper when they come.
My sister in law is a retired GP, I wonder if she'll do it ?

It'd be very good if she did, and introduced herself to the visiting medically-trained person "hi, I'm Dr. **********, Don't mind me, I'm just here to give yardie moral support".

 

[ViolentPanda]

Could you also prevail on her to write contemporaneous notes, yardie?

 

[yardbird]

Could you also prevail on her to write contemporaneous notes, yardie?

I should think so

 

[equationgirl]

I think that's a great idea, yardbird.

 

[WouldBe]

I bet the ATOS knob runs a mile when they find there's a doctor in the house.


My sister threatened to take her solicitor with her to one ATOS assessment. They haven't bothered to contact her again and that was 5+ years ago.

 

[ViolentPanda]

I think that's a great idea, yardbird.

If yardie's s-i-l does manage to take contemporaneous notes, it could very handy for him indeed, apropos of any need to apply for review.

Now, if only she could convince the "medically-trained personnel" conducting the interview to review and sign her notes...

 

[yardbird]

Maybe sil plus brother, who is a retired dentist. He can take the notes - he's also a bit of a geek, so will no doubt want to ask questions about Lima and drop-down-menus etc.
I'm liking the sound of this idea.

 

[yardbird]

Now, if only she could convince the "medically-trained personnel" conducting the interview to review and sign her notes...

Politely insist.
In as much that in such circumstances this would be standard practice.

 

[ViolentPanda]

Politely insist.
In as much that in such circumstances this would be standard practice.

Well, quite! And if the ATOSser has nothing to hide, then surely they have nothing to fear?

 

[catinthehat]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2012/feb/20/welfare-work-contracts-fraud-claims

 

[yardbird]

Update on what I mentioned above:
Just spoken to my retired GP sil.
Oh boy is she up for it!
Firstly she wants to make sure that I'm ok and treated ok.
She objects intensely to "medical professionals" and says that the whole system is an insult to her profession.
My bro will come as well and take notes and question the computer/Lima stuff.

I've just got to hope they are not on their hols.

SIL is looking forward to asking if they know anything at all about MS

 

[Quartz]

Don't think for an instant that that doesn't apply to all the other parties.

 

[Greebo]

Update on what I mentioned above:
Just spoken to my retired GP sil.
<snip>
SIL is looking forward to asking if they know anything at all about MS

Very glad to hear it, I do hope that your sil and bro are available and have fun on the day. IMHO it's just plain wrong that anyone should have to go through this.

 

[ViolentPanda]

Update on what I mentioned above:
Just spoken to my retired GP sil.
Oh boy is she up for it!
Firstly she wants to make sure that I'm ok and treated ok.
She objects intensely to "medical professionals" and says that the whole system is an insult to her profession.
My bro will come as well and take notes and question the computer/Lima stuff.

I've just got to hope they are not on their hols.

SIL is looking forward to asking if they know anything at all about MS

You realise that there's a 90% chance that the "medical professional" will refuse to conduct the "examination" though, don't you (they're yellower than a piss stain on porcelain)?

If that's the case, please do/get your bro or s-i-l to do the following things:

1) Phone up the number on the letter giving you the time/date of your test
2) Speak to someone and inform them that the "medical professional" refused to conduct the test, and give them the reason(s) (i.e. you dared to have a witness there who was incidentally a doctor).
3) Get the name, or the christian name and desk number of the person you speak to, and make a note of it.

In case you're wondering why, it's so that if (when?) the "medical professional" tells any big fat lies (they're very good at this, even the ones who've taken the Hippocratic oath), you have some proof besides your own word and the words of your witnesses, which they will not take heed of, believe the voice of experience!

Good luck, mon ami!

 

[yardbird]

SIL was very clear about how all this business is bad for my health and thus how it breaches duty of care.

 

[Quartz]

Update on what I mentioned above:
Just spoken to my retired GP sil.
Oh boy is she up for it!

Excellent!

 

[culder]

I'm really looking forward to what happens with that, Yardbird!

The Express is joining in -

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/303008/Scandal-of-fit-to-work-appraisals

Also in yesterday's Observer, the third letter down, headed 'Maria Miller must go now' -

http://www.guardian.co.uk/theobserver/2012/feb/19/observer-letters-welfare-reform

 

[Quartz]

Just to add to my last post, you do realise that Atos were given the job by Labour? Doesn't stop the Tories being responsible, of course - they're in power now - but it does go to show that they're all shits.

 

[frogwoman]

of course i realise it.

 

[creak]

To the best of my knowledge ATOS get paid for each person that their assessment turns down, but they don't have to pay anything back if their assessment is overturned on appeal.


That seems nuts to me, I wonder who made the deal?

Is this true? I've only heard it as a rumour before, never seen it confirmed. Any sources?

 

[yardbird]

C

Is this true? I've only heard it as a rumour before, never seen it confirmed. Any sources?

I'm racking my brains for what the source/s were - I'll search about.
Still, just think of all that money bouncing back and forth. There is probably a handling cost from ATOS

 

[Anonymous1]

This was a reply to a FOI rqeuest,

Dear Mr Connolly,

Thank you for your Freedom of Information request dated 30 June 2011
that was received by Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Adelphi and
forwarded on 1 July for response by the DWP Commercial Management of
Medical Services Freedom of Information Officer.

In your email you asked to be provided with information answering the
following question:-
Please tell me whether financial incentives are offered or paid to Atos
Healthcare to provide reports which lead to Employment & Support
Allowance claims being rejected or disallowed, or awards removed.
In answer to your question neither Atos Healthcare nor the Healthcare
Professionals (HCP) who compile medical reports receive bonuses where
the DWP Decision Makers (DM) have disallowed benefit.

Atos Healthcare provide the relevant reports for DWP DMs but play no
part in the actual decision making process and I can confirm that
payment to Atos Healthcare for the services provided is not related in
any way to the outcome of individual medical examinations.
If you have any queries about this letter please contact me quoting the
reference number above.
Yours sincerely,

DWP Central FoI Team

http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/whether_atos_are_paid_incentives



Good response left below the reply.

Mr Taylor left an annotation (29 July 2011)

DWP said: "Atos Healthcare provide the relevant reports for DWP DMs but play no part in the actual decision making process and I can confirm that
payment to Atos Healthcare for the services provided is not related in
any way to the outcome of individual medical examinations"
So the 40% of decisions overturned on appeal are solely down to the incompetence of DWP Decision Makers? But this phenomenon has only become apparent since the state sponsored terror Atos have been inflicting began. Not very convincing is it?

And if payment to Atos for the services provided is not related in any way to the outcome of individual medical examinations, why not? As the Decision Makers are considering the reports in making their decisions. If the reports are inaccurate, which 40% of them must be, why are Atos being paid for them?

 

[ymu]

Should have asked whether there are any targets, benchmarks or other guideline rates of refusal in the contract.

In fact, the contract should be published.

 

[yardbird]

In fact, the contract should be published.

Yes indeed
Freedom of info ?

 

[equationgirl]

Yes indeed
Freedom of info ?

They'll most likely deny publication on the grounds of commercial confidetiality, but it's worth a shot.

I'd love to see the contract for the use of the software, if it's separate from the reports service contract. I want to know who agreed to pay nearly a billion pounds of tax payer money for software we won't even own.

 

[WouldBe]

They'll most likely deny publication on the grounds of commercial confidetiality, but it's worth a shot.

I'd love to see the contract for the use of the software, if it's separate from the reports service contract. I want to know who agreed to pay nearly a billion pounds of tax payer money for software we won't even own.

I'd like to know how on earth a piece of software can cost £1b.

 

[culder]

Atos Healthcare ... play no
part in the actual decision making process

That'll be why my medical report states -

"I advise that a return to work could be considered within 3 months." And the reason given - "The ESA50, history and examination indicates that the client may return to work in the shorter term."

 

[yardbird]

Atos Healthcare ... play no
part in the actual decision making process

They design the software that culls those who haven't had the 'right' boxes ticked and they do that cull with no human intervention.
This means that ATOS make decisions on those they have examined.