Atos complaints procedure

hazza_123

I went for ATOS Healthcare medical and failed it it was taken to tribunral and the over turned it i was given 9 points on one thing 6 on anouther and 6 again on something else now i am to go for inteview at job centre plus i an disabled and on high rate care and mobility but still told i can work why do i go from here.i have come to my tether end and feel that i have no help whats the point of live
we need to now were to complian to.

Muttleythefrog

hazza_123 wrote: »

I went for ATOS Healthcare medical and failed it it was taken to tribunral and the over turned it i was given 9 points on one thing 6 on anouther and 6 again on something else now i am to go for inteview at job centre plus i an disabled and on high rate care and mobility but still told i can work why do i go from here.i have come to my tether end and feel that i have no help whats the point of live
we need to now were to complian to.

So you failed the WCA, appealed and won and have been placed in the WRAG (Work related activity group) I understand. You may be asked to attend work focussed interviews at the jobcentre (I wonder if this is to what you refer) or attend other work related programmes.... but you will NOT be expected to seek work or take a job... you've been found to have limited capability for work and the headline statement regarding that is that 'in the future you may be able to return to working'. You will likely be regularly re-assessed every few months to couple of years.

If you are to attend work focussed interviews then don't be put off by the name... the idea of them is to figure out how a return to work might be achieved in future... there's nothing to fear from them... it's the assessments and ATOS that are worth fearing

To add, as you'll likely be re-assessed in a matter of months it might be worth looking at the support group descriptors and seeing if you think any apply to you. At re-assessment you could get yourself prepared with strong supporting medical documentation regarding the support group descriptor(s) applicable and may be able to get in to Support Group instead.

If you want to complain I suppose the obvious is ATOS regarding the medical (report) which I suspect you'll feel was badly flawed and inaccurate. The medical report will document the healthcare professional and their occupation... from that occupation you should be able to find out which medical body to which they are registered and make a complaint to them about the HCP.

rich_shot2003

I have just seem on a post on this thread about we can ask ATOS to have a medical recorded.

well i have my medical on Tuesday and just wanted to know if its too late now to ring them up to ask if i can have mine recorded if i ring them on Monday?

im having mine at Stockport so not sure if they can record there.

HB58

rich_shot2003 wrote: »

I have just seem on a post on this thread about we can ask ATOS to have a medical recorded.

well i have my medical on Tuesday and just wanted to know if its too late now to ring them up to ask if i can have mine recorded if i ring them on Monday?

im having mine at Stockport so not sure if they can record there.

I contacted DWP as soon as my appointment came through. It had to be postponed as they said the recording takes 3 weeks to organise. This was counted as my one permitted postponement. So it might well be too late to set up for you, but you can always try.

anguk

HB58 wrote: »

I contacted DWP as soon as my appointment came through. It had to be postponed as they said the recording takes 3 weeks to organise. This was counted as my one permitted postponement. So it might well be too late to set up for you, but you can always try.

That's ridiculous, you haven't postponed the appointment, they have because they haven't got enough equipment! What happens if they don't get the recording equipment before your next appointment? Will you have to do the interview without it being recorded because you can't postpone again?

HB58

I tried to argue that point, anguk, but they were having none of it! I was pretty nervous in case something happened that menat I couldn't get there. In the event, everything was as it should be for my assessment, so it wasn't an issue.

ETA - if I had needed to postpone again I would have been prepared to appeal and argue 'good cause'. I hope that would have been accpeted, but I'm very glad that I didn't need to test that out!

cit_k

Muttleythefrog wrote: »

In light of the above post I'd suggest making covert recording...the declaration sounds worryingly restrictive. If it were me I'd additionally refuse to sign the undertaking and see how they react to that..lol.. knowing that I was recording that too..lol

It is worryingly, if not highly illegally restrictive.

They did it to me, and I was covertly recording also.

Point out to them when refusing (they will almost certainly refuse to let you have the official tape if you refuse, and may mark you down as not complying who knows, they may even get your benefits stopped I would not put it past them) that the declaration amounts to them attempting to pervert the cause of justice, a criminal offence, it stops you taking the evidence to the GMC, police, or other regulatory body./court etc for the purpose of any non benefit related investigation.

cit_k

schrodie wrote: »

Even though Atos and Grayling and his mob aren't too keen on advertising the fact that WCAs can be recorded I think that Atos so called "healthcare professionals" may well be more careful in what they say during the assessment and what they put in their report if the whole process is recorded. For example if you tell the so called "healthcare professional" and it is recorded that you cannot walk more than 50m and then in their report the so called "healthcare professional" writes that the claimant said they have no problem walking round a supermarket then you have a good case to question the validity of the report and the integrity of the so called "healthcare professional". I would also still encourage a claimant to also take along a friend to take copious notes before during and after the assessment. Don't forget the Atos "customer experience" begins with the receptionist and the ill-equipped waiting rooms!!!

It starts before you even enter the building.

How did you manage to get to the building? Thats taken into account the fact you even turned up.
You managed to press the buzzer, open the door, get up stairs etc etc.
They may even see you approach the building, note where you parked, how far you had to walk from public transport or the parking places.

cit_k

HB58 wrote: »

I contacted DWP as soon as my appointment came through. It had to be postponed as they said the recording takes 3 weeks to organise. This was counted as my one permitted postponement. So it might well be too late to set up for you, but you can always try.

Contact your MP, and ask them to explain how ATOS cancelling is YOUR postponement.

HB58

cit_k wrote: »

Contact your MP, and ask them to explain how ATOS cancelling is YOUR postponement.

That's water under the bridge now, I have other battles to fight!