Ask Atos Healthcare disability assessment questions

Atos_Healthcare_representative · 30 January 2013 at 11:17AM

Richie-from-the-Boro wrote: »

Apply here

Under the Job Requirements sub heading you will find you will be required, as part of your contract of employment :

• To work to agreed productivity targets and standards agreed between Atos Healthcare and the DWP

also

Under the Essential skills and experience sub heading you will find you will be required, as part of your contract of employment the need for the :

• Ability to work to targets and specified standards

If you want, in addition, to refer a friend to a position within atos email [EMAIL="jobs@sjbmedical.com"]jobs@sjbmedical.com[/EMAIL] with contact details for both yourself and those who you wish to refer for this role

Hi Richie-from-the-Boro,

we agree that this advert is poorly worded and we’ve asked our recruitment company to change it.

Our staff don’t work to any targets relating to the decision or outcome of an assessment and each person's assessment will take as long as it needs to. The targets referred to in the advert relate to work efficiency and effectiveness. For example, most people are able to complete an average number of assessments over say a period of a month - some days there may be longer cases, some days there may be shorter cases - but it usually equals out. If someone was only able to complete for example a tenth of that average number then individuals would end up waiting too long to be seen. The advert was trying to reflect the fact that our healthcare professionals must be able to work efficiently and productively to ensure that everyone gets the time they need to be assessed properly.

isolation · 30 January 2013 at 11:20AM

Atos_Healthcare_company_representative wrote: »

isolation,

sorry if this did not happen in your case, but normally with every letter acknowledging the registration of a complaint there is a leaflet that explains the complaint process, including the different possible stages.

Thank you for your apology. As 3 assessments have gone all the way to independent tier before being declared not fit for purpose, I had 6 formal 1st and 2nd tier responses, none of which explained the next stage. Perhaps I am just extremely unlucky if it is 'normal' that the next stage is explained ?

Dee

JS477 · 30 January 2013 at 11:23AM

Atos_Healthcare_company_representative wrote: »

Hi Richie-from-the-Boro,

we agree that this advert is poorly worded and we’ve asked our recruitment company to change it.

The targets referred to in the advert relate to work efficiency and effectiveness.

For example how effective staff are at keeping to the targets to throw people off their benefits as shown in the Panorama TV programme!

Atos_Healthcare_representative · 30 January 2013 at 11:35AM

mightyroyals wrote: »

Didn't dispatches and panorama find out they were target driven among other things. their target was to only let around about 20% of claimants pass the medical or something iir correctly. i may be wrong though

Hi mightyroyals,

sorry for taking so long to clarify this. We don’t have targets for the outcome of an assessment – we look at extremes of trends just to keep an eye on quality. That is a fairly standard approach to quality checking.

schrodie · 30 January 2013 at 12:01PM

Atos_Healthcare_company_representative wrote: »

Hi mightyroyals,

sorry for taking so long to clarify this. We don’t have targets for the outcome of an assessment – we look at extremes of trends just to keep an eye on quality.

Could these [extreme] trends possibly include a so called "atos healthcare professional" putting too many people into the WRAG or even worse the Support Group rather than sticking to their given targets?

schrodie · 30 January 2013 at 12:03PM

JS477 wrote: »

Question to the Atos PR Rep.

How many "Atos doctors" or "Healthcare professionals" are currently under investigation by the General Medical Council over allegations of improper conduct?

If you aren't prepared this answer this question just say!

vision2009 wrote: »

This should be interesting!!!!!!:D

It clear this Atos PR Rep is avoiding JS's question like the plague!!

Atos_Healthcare_representative · 30 January 2013 at 12:37PM

odd_socks wrote: »

So let see what ATOS is saying

ATOS are supposed to be qualified in health issues but they go against all medical Doctors that are qualified in a particular field.

You would think they would back up the evidence not try to go against it ?

Because lets face it what other profession does this ? I know you can have a second opinion but to just overrule it is not ethical.

So Atos rule, it's either their way or the highway and forget about the people that need the care and the support.

Hi odd socks,

Sorry for the delay coming back to you on this. Atos Healthcare HCPs are carrying out a different role to that of a doctor in general practice. Where GPs are treating or diagnosing patients our HCPS are carrying out a functional assessment against criteria set out by the government. This is different and doesn’t mean that one is overruling the other.

schrodie · 30 January 2013 at 12:39PM

vision2009 wrote: »

"It clear this Atos PR Rep is avoiding JS's question like the plague!! "
Would the plague entitle you to support group??? or would ATOS clasify you as fit for work?:D

Only if it didn't exceed their target for how many they can place into the support group!

schrodie · 30 January 2013 at 12:41PM

Atos_Healthcare_company_representative wrote: »

Hi odd socks,

Sorry for the delay coming back to you on this. Atos Healthcare HCPs are carrying out a different role to that of a doctor in general practice. Where GPs are treating or diagnosing patients our HCPS are carrying out a functional assessment against criteria set out by the government. This is different and doesn’t mean that one is overruling the other.

So why as reported by MPs do Atos get so many of their "functional assessments" incorrect resulting in £millions being paid out by the taxpayer in terms of successful appeals against these sub-standard "functional assessments"!

Atos also on many occasions as reported by doctors and consultants ignore their medical submissions preferring to just stick to their targets and find sick and disabled people fit for work. People have died weeks after being found fit for work by these atos so called "healthcare professionals"

Not fit for purpose was what MPs described Atos as being!!!

halight · 30 January 2013 at 1:56PM

vision2009 wrote: »

The fact that such a high percentage of appeals are won indicates that something is fundamentaly "wrong" or scewed with the assessments. To add to that how many people do not appeal, if they did the figures would be even higer. Vulnerable people are having to go through intolerable stress upon stress to fight for whats right.
The system is a con and we all know what they are doing.;)
SACK ATOS

Appeals against decisions are costing the Government £50million a year.

Atos have a £206million contract from the Department for Work and Pensions.

We pay them £206 million a year,

We then pay another £50 million out a year on appeals

Ask Atos Healthcare disability assessment questions

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