ESA Tests and Mental Health

cosmic-dust · 26 September 2011 at 8:12AM

seven-day-weekend wrote: »

They can't all be made up, but some are, and you very rarely hear about the 'medicals' that went OK, which I'm pretty sure are in the majority.

Assume you are going to be treated fairly, explain your case as well as you can, with evidence and try not to worry too much (I know that can be difficult sometimes).

Nail on head!
Like everything, you always hear about the bad things, the bad food, the rude waiter, the filthy room etc etc etc. Very rarely do you hear about the good things, because they don't sell papers.

seven-day-weekend · 26 September 2011 at 8:32AM

Transformer wrote: »

I feel they could be trusted more if not so touchy about the medicals being recorded !!!!!

After all when give my medical evidence, as long as truthful and accurate I have nothing to fear if go by what recently posted, so surely atos reply or medical result on that is nowt for them to fear if a ready copy is to hand of what replied to questions. It would only come into play if contradictions appeared between medical and report.

Safer for both sides to record and I am suprised atos do not record them anyhow to back up staff if necessary, as they are not all doctors specialised in everything, otherwise in the nhs there would be no need for you to have to see neurology and mental health they could do it all in one go surely as would be expert in all, hence my post unless they are expert they have to respect what told and we need reasurance they do.

Just taks someone with you as a witness and don't get yourself all worried about recording.

carolannie · 26 September 2011 at 3:42PM

i've had 4 atos medicals

passed twice and put into work group
The two I passed, the nurse and doctor gave me over 20 points on my mental health

Failed the last two assessments - 1st time, tried jobseekers and couldn't cope, 2nd found fit for work and now appealing

The last one, which I am now appealing and waiting for the tribunal, was an absolute joke.
Same with the other who found me fit for work.
They both lied on the report, pushed me to say I could do certain things and didn't let me answer fully. I was also very upset about talking about how I can't cope with life and was in tears throughout.

I have cyclothymia (bipolar illness) and severe anxiety and can barely cope with my life and home.

How can I be found fit for work by 2 and not fit by the other 2?
My illness is the same
I answered every question as best as I could.

The 2 that failed me were only interested in getting the answers they wanted

System · 26 September 2011 at 3:45PM

I think i'm one of the very few people with mental health problems who has been lucky with ATOS assessments. Both times i've been put in the support group. Both times my mental health flared up to the point i was suicidal and self harmed before the medical. I'm due another soon. My thoughts are hope for the best, and plan for the worst.

bored_at_home · 26 September 2011 at 4:13PM

iv had two atos medicals and in my case felt they were fair, accurate as the report allowed them to be, i had one with a bloke who read everything out he had written before the interview ended. the other was with a lady , she didnt offer to show me but i requested a copy be sent and it arrived in the post just after the decision.

cit k im appauled by how aggressive you are being towards the atos person, and if i was a mod you would have been locked out the thread by now.
your aggression and ranting will spoil things for anyone asking reasonable questions because who is going to answer when being spoken to in that manner?

fadetogrey · 26 September 2011 at 5:13PM

Transformer wrote: »

Pretty quiet from the officai atos rep at the mo:cool:

He/she is busy following a "customer" in a wheelchair home to check he really doesnt have both legs.;)

cit_k · 26 September 2011 at 6:13PM

seven-day-weekend wrote: »

Sensible post with a sensible conclusion....give them plenty of evidence and answer the questions fully and accurately and you should be OK.

I will just add though that people with mental health problems are not always 'together' to present a case correctly. I don't know what the answer is to this, other than to have someone to help.

I'm not saying ATOS never makes mistakes and indeed writes wrong/inaccurate information down sometimes, but I still find it difficult to believe that it happens in EVERY SINGLE CASE as some people on here would have us believe.

Im interested to see what harrington makes of the evidence I sent him - he will either bury it, sweep over it, or act on it, if its acted on, then proof will come out

But after his admission the review is basically a farce, Im not holding my breath.

ps - re mental health - its much easier usually to get physical evidence for physical problems, hence support and indisputable evidence for physical problems than it is for unseen, often unmeasurable problems like mental health.

Add to the mix, the fact that the mental health service is massively underfunded, and overstretched compared ot the physical side, and its not as easy for many to even see a consultant or psychiatrist never mind get evidence other than from a gp, or their own word.

cit_k · 26 September 2011 at 6:21PM

seven-day-weekend wrote: »

They should stop being so paranoid. As long as you can use the evidence to help get your Benefit, what's the problem?

Where's the problem?

So, lets say your at work, you had a injury, and they sent you to see a works doctor.

Lets say, the doctor, lied through his teeth, and sent a report to your employer saying you were not really ill or injured as you claim.

Lets say it was recorded officially, and you were made to sign that document.

You would be happy, JUST being able to use the evidence to prove to your employer ONLY that you were in the right, and the doctor was unethical and lied?

You would not then, want to take the evidence to the GMC to get that doctor investigated? Or even the police if they were doing it to others at your workplace, and had been for a long time?

Or perhaps even the media, say watchdog, to expose it, if it was a widespread, country wide problem?

Or perhaps, a regulatory body for your industry?

All would be denied due to the document, you would only be able to use it to prove to your employer what you originally claimed, and it would not matter WHAT happened, what scale of wrong doing happened (from a lie to abuse, to anything at all) you would not be able to use that evidence in any report to anyone else.

What have they got to hide, why are THEY so paranoid, if the assessment is above board?

Why would they be scared of the evidence being sent to places like the GMC, or investigatory bodies, or the media, or the police/courts/offical reviews etc?

cit_k · 26 September 2011 at 6:23PM

seven-day-weekend wrote: »

Why on earth should ATOS be 'watching' them ? I'm sure ATOS have better things to do than monitor peoples' posts on a forum!

This really is paranoia to the nth degree.

Perhaps you should keep up with the news, and how often atos has been getting sites closed down.

Its not paranoia, its fact.

cit_k · 26 September 2011 at 6:25PM

cosmic-dust wrote: »

Just recently a family member had to be assessed by ATOS regarding their DLA claim, nothing but praise from us regarding the ATOS assessor who carried out this assessment. Very polite, very professional. The report was sent to the DLA unit and the award remained the same.

The witch hunt on here regarding another member is disgraceful and hopefully MSE will deal with the offending members.

DLA is a completely different beast to what most people complain about, IB and ESA.

With DLA, the atos report is given less weight than the claimaints own evidence, and evidence from other parties.

ESA Tests and Mental Health

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