ESA Tests and Mental Health

cit_k

seven-day-weekend wrote: »

Well cit-k you're certainly going the right way to make sure the ATOS person never comes here again.

What a shame.

If they are a honest, ethical company, they can counter all the points raised, if they are a caring, honest company, they can address the issues, and work with the public to correct issues and problems.

Or they can sign up and not post, just to monitor what people post.

Guess which is the most likely course of action they will take?

Surely, any company would be horrified to hear of things like these? They would want to do as much as possible to make sure they dont happen again, to get to the root of the problem?

This is ATOS we are talking about, so what do you think will happen?

Im sure if people working at atos are willing to write 'opinion' on reports that will put people in a desperate situation (remember people have committed suicide after their benefits were stopped) - then that company should be big enough to be able cope with the opinion of members of the public that have been exposed to the behaviour of their company.

Did you think anyone from ATOS would ever do anything more than simply repeat propaganda?

Thats all a pr-rep would do, heck, there not even meant to respond to enquiries from the press about ESA etc - yet they do so all the time, because they cant even honour their own contract.

ATOS have been informed of many problems, the posts remain, they know, if they continue to act as they have been after being informed, then they are knowingly doing so, which makes their actions indefensible.

Their lack of response, shows the true level of care they have for their 'customers'.

Im sure, if what I say is not true, ATOS can post back why its not.
Im sure if what I say is true, which I know and can prove it is, then ATOS have yet again, shown a level of incompetance beyond belief by chosing this forum to post on, and compounded it in my opinion by choosing to basically admit its ALL true, by not responding.

Just my opinion.

But my opinion is not going to leave that ATOS assessor destitute, feeling suicidal, or lessen their faith in the medical profession at large.

Unlike the effects the opinion of some at ATOS can have on some people.

cit_k

Brassedoff wrote: »

1. On this one I suppose you need full details in number 2?

2. On number 2, do they have to give it, can you force them to give it? What if the don't give it?

3. If you ask and they refuse as you suggest they do, what can you do? I have two relatives. One a solicitor, the other a nurse. Is there any reason why I cannot take them compared to my wife who is my carer? If I can take one of them, what weight will their witness statement hold?

I can fully understand the aggressive stance taken towards the ATOS rep, do you expect them to come on in the face of such hostility? (I have no knowledge of the company's gagging or censoring efforts or aggressive tactics.

Yes, they are meant (by contract) to wear name badges.
Yes, they are meant (GMC rules, and the NMCW will have similar rules) to identify themselves if asked and provide gmc number etc.

If they refuse, there is not much you can do at the time (as if you refuse to have the medical your benefits will almost certainly be stopped).

You could however, take the number of the GMC and NMWC with you, and ring up the helpline if they refuse, and explain the problem, and ask the helpline to remind the assessor of their ethical obligation to you.

Mind you, it would not suprise me if ATOS stated you were not allowed to use the phone in the building, hence stopping you from doing so.

You can take a companion with you to the assessment, Im not sure if two companions are allowed, you could ring to check before hand.

I would think (but dont know for sure) that the weight of a solicitor or nurses evidence would have to be given more credence than a member of the publics, but it would still come down to their word against the doctors.

Which is why, in addition to taking a companion, you should also covertly record the assessment, and get the companion to take notes.

Because, if you have notes, your word, the word of say a solicitor AND a recording of the events, the assessor wont have a leg to stand on if they dispute what actually happened.


re atos pr-rep - do I expect them to come back on?

If they are any good at their job as pr-rep, they should be able to cope (and surely used to) critisicm, and if they are a ethical company, they would be mortified and would want to do all in their power to fix reported problems, and address the issues on the net.

But no, I dont expect them to do so, never have, its not the style of ATOS to be 'honest' or 'caring' or 'ethical' in my opinion.

Perhaps they can prove me wrong.

Muttleythefrog

Atos_Healthcare_company_representative wrote: »

I represent Atos customer relations team and can provide information to members of this community relating to assessments we conduct in respect of Employment and Support Allowance, Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit and Disability Living Allowance. I am not a qualified Health Care Professional and am therefore unable to comment on particular medical conditions.

What should a customer do if they find that the ATOS HCP that is about to examine them is not the ATOS HCP they were informed would be doing the medical examination?

What should a customer do if the ATOS HCP conducting their medical examination says they have not examined the customer's completed ESA50 form prior to seeing them?

Where can a customer find out what the appropriate treatment referred to in prognosis of ESA (ESA85) medical report actually is?
(e.g. in my prognosis 'the client's level of disability would be expected to improve with time and appropriate treatment').
Should I ignore the advice of my psychiatrist who says time will not likely improve my mental health and that treatment is not available?

What should a customer do if they find gross inaccuracies, critical omissions and false reporting in their medical report?

What should a customer with mental health conditions do if they do not exhibit (or conceal due to mental illness or otherwise) the stereotypical symptoms that the ATOS HCP will be looking for as evidence of those conditions?

cit_k

What should a customer do, if they read propaganda in the media about ESA, and a atos press release is quoted, as being the response from ATOS to a media question?

Considering the atos/dwp contract clearly states all enquiries from the media should not be answered and referred back to the DWP?

cit_k

What should a customer do, if at the end of an assessment, that was recorded, the assessor insists that they must sign a document that will stop them from submitting evidence to any party unless its directly related to obtaining the benefit in question?

Considering that action is a attempt in my opinion to pervert the cause of justice, by stopping a claimaint from submitting evidence to courts, police, gmc etc?

Should the refuse, and lose their benefits, or lose the evidence?
Should they sign, and then go to the police to report the crime that seemed to have taken place?
OR what?

cit_k

Muttleythefrog wrote: »

Where can a customer find out what the appropriate treatment referred to in prognosis of ESA (ESA85) medical report actually is?
(e.g. in my prognosis 'the client's level of disability would be expected to improve with time and appropriate treatment').

And how can a customer understand how the report can say that, when by atos's own admission these medicals are not a normal 'medical' they are not their to diagnose people? If they are not actually diagnosing, or performing proper medical tests on people, then how can they KNOW what treatment will cause an improvement in time?

It flies in the face of everthing they claim about these medicals to write something like that, how can you explain this?

cit_k

I would also like to ask the ATOS rep, what risk assessment has been done, and if permission sought from the DWP, for them to post on a benefit help section of a popular forum.
Specifically considering, as a member of parliament put it, your company is "feared and loathed" (see quote)

The Liberal Democrat MP Stephen Lloyd said that for many disabled people and their families and friends, Atos was “feared and loathed probably in equal terms”, and he asked how they could “transform this attitude”.

source

And what considerations were looked at as to wether this is a safe or good idea?
(for example, was it researched wether doing so would put fear into any claimaints minds that ATOS are on the same forum as them?)
(would make people already feeling harrassed by atos, think that they are now not even free to post on a forum without atos watching?)
ect.)
(wether it would make people less likely to post, or ask for help etc)

Obviously, a company like atos should have completed a thorough risk assessment, at least I would expect them to, and should have no problems publishing it if they wish to put peoples minds at ease that they are trying to help.

The full description of your role should also be given, as you have chosen so far not to answer questions like is this another move towards more censorship, it would be appreciated if your exact spec, as to what you are here to do (and what you are given permission to do) on the forum, is published.

Scared45

Everyone who is called up for an ATOS "medical" should routinely record it (without telling ATOS or the DWP).

Cheap digital recorders are everywhere.

Jemma-T

ATOS shouldn't be allowed on this forum -end of story.

Neither should the National Front or anyone else with a political stance. Yes, ATOS may be a profit making concern (at the tax payers' expense (that's paid in ££££s and stress) but they are still political.

Whomever thought it was a good idea at MSE is a tit. Quite disgusting.


cit_k

Well said mate, I hope you have scared them off and then maybe people can post here again like a 'forum' should be. Having ATOS posting makes it not a forum because their answers are robotic, deceitful (they will always try to hide the truth or truthfulness as they are in it for the profit and have no duty of care whatsoever), disingenuous and downright ignorant.

Get them off the board.

seven-day-weekend

I give up.