Atos Home Visit
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dave030445
Posts: 1,001 Forumite
Just had my Home f2f with Atos She was a lovely English Nurse she seemed to really understand how my conditions affects me. It seemed to go really well but as ive read on these forums it can all go very wrong. Have to wait and see. I put this post in benefits and tax credits instead of here so sorry for the duplicate posts if someone can remove the other one please
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All you can do now is wait and see, remember we only read about the bad cases and rarely the many good outcomes.0
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dave030445 wrote: »Just had my Home f2f with Atos She was a lovely English Nurse she seemed to really understand how my conditions affects me. It seemed to go really well but as ive read on these forums it can all go very wrong. Have to wait and see. I put this post in benefits and tax credits instead of here so sorry for the duplicate posts if someone can remove the other one please
My illness is one that fluctuates greatly - many people around me would assume that there is nothing much wrong with me - I work, I walk, I drive, I 'look' fine;)
I didn't even fill my forms in - for various reasons I couldn't - but the DWP contacted me after the deadline to ask if I wanted to procede with the claim. I said 'yes' and they agreed to an at-home assessment.
By the time my assessment came round, I was actually 'weller' than I had been in a long time. All that I can remember from the day is that I had some minor joint pain and my knees were slightly swollen.No great shakes really - lots of people manage this level of pain and go about their daily lives without needing help.
The Atos Nurse followed a very similar format to the form and I had loads of opportunity to talk about the problems I have, which I found much easier than trying to find the words to go on the form. Also there is the catch 22 that you don't apply for PIP/DLA unless you are at pretty much rockbottom but this is the worst time to put forward your case.
The 1hr 40 mins was pretty gruelling though - and I will remember that for next time. I also felt, in a small way, that the Nurse was feeding me with additional information - I was surprised to get the mobility element but when I looked at the reasons I got the award, I see that I could have easily got a few more points to score the High rate, but like I said, after the first hour, I was tired and struggling to concentrate.
6 days after my assessment, I got my 4 year award and the next day, it was paid into my Bank, backdated to the day I requested the forms.
Although I've seen a huge improvement in the last 3 years, I am frequently reminded that I am still ill, and it's because of the extra help that I get, that I manage my illness better. I aim to get the high rate of mobility next time and am concentrating on collecting evidence NOW to support this claim next year when my next assessment is due.
You only hear the bad stories on here - and I think that individuals who work for Atos are unfairly judged and lumped together. Trained and committed HCP's don't just turn rogue because they work for Atos!0 -
OldMotherTucker wrote: »You only hear the bad stories on here - and I think that individuals who work for Atos are unfairly judged and lumped together. Trained and committed HCP's don't just turn rogue because they work for Atos!
So my view is trained and committed HCPs probably won't typically do this job.. precisely because they are professional. Think about it for a moment... you've spent years wanting to be a doctor or nurse or mental health specialist etc... you've dedicated time and money into training... and then you shift your focus from patient treatment and care and professional examination to what is put onto the table here for disability assessments (where I understand these companies even advise HCPs to refer to patients as customers instead). It is absolutely no surprise that we end up with the pits of the professions and for those well intentioned and retaining a professional outlook I expect the demands on efficiency and internal targets as well as training (which we have seen exposed for what it is by those undercover) and directives will leave them requiring significant shift of approach or resignation/dismissal. As a quick point... I have never in my life seen a professional of any trade be as disgusting in their 'greeting' to me or someone I was around as was the HCP to my wife... it is unthinkable that an HCP in the NHS would get away with that for long before attracting some serious career challenging complaint. It seems to me no accident that similar complaints seem fairly common... including one recently on here I note from a claimant who had a home visit with a relative in attendance.
As another note... your assessment sounded like it lasted a lot longer than typical (twice the length of mine for reference and I claimed disablement in all activities I think.. and was well prepared to talk a lot..lol)... I wonder if you've seen an HCP who might be having their performance looked at soon enough! And that's my concern... the number of good HCPs will be driven out by internal measures or demands of the role that shift them from their usual professional outlook. You've seen some of them appear as whistle-blowers over the years in particular when doing WCAs for ESA.
I advise the Op gets a hold of the assessment report (as I did on their other thread)... to give some reassurances.. and if not advance warning. Having these reports (promptly) can be useful in a range of ways including in future claim. All the best.
As general advice aside from that... I think claimants should have a healthy caution regarding these assessments... they're rarely likely to ever be wholly accurate due to their nature but you can take steps to direct some accurate selection of descriptors. The default in the activities is that you trigger the zero points scoring descriptor... consider it your job to take the HCP away from being able to select that if you have disablement in the activity. Prepare well... and prepare to take some control of the assessment in terms of ensuring you place into the assessment your difficulties and explain them. Many claimants say they felt rushed and this will be largely because of the pressures of time. Remember it is your assessment... not theirs. Take a supporter with you if you can too.... it is inherently possible that witnesses present a psychological influence on the integrity of the assessor as well as obviously providing claimant some support and potentially have some input. And in the end remember... these assessments may be typically the primary evidence used by the DWP but if they're 'bad' they are certainly no impenetrable barrier to a sound award in challenging the decision or future claim. A significant chunk of those successfully appealing didn't even get any points at assessment suggesting tribunals are content to consider many HCP reports as effectively evidential junk... and on occasions seem to be provoked to use terminology like this."Do not attribute to conspiracy what can adequately be explained by incompetence" - rogerblack0 -
God the wait is killing me and it was only yesterday why they keep you waiting so long, when they know its so important to, us but hay im not the only one they have to deal with.0
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dave030445 wrote: »God the wait is killing me and it was only yesterday why they keep you waiting so long, when they know its so important to, us but hay im not the only one they have to deal with."Do not attribute to conspiracy what can adequately be explained by incompetence" - rogerblack0
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wife phoned this morning, must of got the most unhelpful member of staff. Would not say if they had received the report yet, just put note on to say send copy to me. oh well must try and put it to the back of my mind, what will be will be. As wife said there's nothing more we can do so worrying about it won't help. I will update when I hear more (not like some people.)0
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Update: Report came today and as expected loads of lies and contradicting herself. From saying I open the front door with a walking stick (lies) to saying I don't have a bath fitted at my house (lies) saying my head spins 100 miles an hour but can walk to get medication and take pills without help and while vomiting. Oh and can walk more than 20 meters but less than 50 meters funny that distance iam wondering of anythig to do with enhanced rate. Being less than 20 metres. She has made this assumption Because I have full strength in my legs. Hello head spinning at 100 miles an hour0
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Not being funny but you can repair a dishwasher and plant and maintain bedding plants. Is your head spinning at 100 miles an hour an intermittent problem?0
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Not being funny but you can repair a dishwasher and plant and maintain bedding plants. Is your head spinning at 100 miles an hour an intermittent problem?
Hi yes it's a intermittent problem but I try and live a normal life inbetween. And no I didn't repair the dishwasher I had to get someone out to repair it as I couldn't0 -
dave030445 wrote: »Update: Report came today and as expected loads of lies and contradicting herself. From saying I open the front door with a walking stick (lies) to saying I don't have a bath fitted at my house (lies) saying my head spins 100 miles an hour but can walk to get medication and take pills without help and while vomiting. Oh and can walk more than 20 meters but less than 50 meters funny that distance iam wondering of anythig to do with enhanced rate. Being less than 20 metres. She has made this assumption Because I have full strength in my legs. Hello head spinning at 100 miles an hour"Do not attribute to conspiracy what can adequately be explained by incompetence" - rogerblack0
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