Ask Atos Healthcare disability assessment questions

Muttleythefrog

Atos_Healthcare_company_representative wrote: »

Pamelamac, the design of the Work Capability Assessment does take into account the fact that people’s conditions will vary and the healthcare professional will be looking for the effects of any fluctuating conditions over time.

Replace the word will with should. There is no guarantee of this although it should happen. Many examples of reports I've seen or had conveyed details of where there was no evidence fluctuating conditions or symptoms were considered or noted.

Muttleythefrog

Atos_Healthcare_company_representative wrote: »

Spingoblin, if your brother has had his assessment, his referral will be back with DWP and he would need to speak to them for an update on its progress.

Springoblin. Better advice would be this. He should contact the DWP and ask if a decision has been taken.. it may have been and he may not have been informed as they are quite poor at the DWP regarding admin for ESA. Regardless of answer he should ask for a copy of the ESA85 ATOS medical report (or ATOS ESA85A medical report had no medical been attended) which likely underpinned or will likely underpin the DWP decision. The DWP should long since have had the ESA85 but there's a small chance the DWP will say otherwise. If the contents of the ESA85 need clarifying then might be worth opening suitable thread asking for assistance. ATOS do have opportunity to ask GP for facts using an ESA113 form.. but it is unlikely that they'll have sent one (or at least had it returned) especially if a full medical assessment was done. ATOS will typically contact GP with ESA113 if they feel paper evidence with some confirmation of details from GP would be sufficient to evade the requirement of a face to face medical.

schrodie

Muttleythefrog wrote: »

I've written to MSE Andrea. I think it is utterly appalling behaviour here. And for what it is worth I think the advice once again in a post.. namely the previous one is at best incomplete and at worst deliberately obstructive of helping someone get suitable redress via legal channel or complaint. The PR agent is cherry picking for standard replies to standard questions... it is fooling nobody.

The very fact that someone at MSE thought this gimmick would work is laughable. This individual from Atos is fooling nobody (only perhaps MSE) as the evidence against them is so overwhelming in terms of the quality of their WCAs and how much this ends up costing the taxpayer and what they are in place to do in terms of carrying out government policy towards the sick and disabled!

sicknotethefirst

Just a reminder for Atos agent

sicknotethefirst wrote: »

I have some very serious health issues which was the result of a quadrupole bypass leaving me with many difficulties including not being able to walk to far without getting out of breath and using my GTN, and my lungs filling up with liquid every day, I also can not leave the house until my medication has done its job which is about 2.30/3.00 pm
each and everyday. I stated all this in my ESA50 and I've also sent in a medical report from my doctor but I was amazed that the Atos HCP (Nurse who I can not find on the GMC site) who looked at my case said "The level of disability is unclear" When all my paperwork sent in clearly states my limitations and was backed up by a report from my GP. Not only have they got this wrong, Atos for 12 months now; can't even get an appointment time correct knowing I can not leave home at say 10 am they send me an appointment for 10 am :think: to date I have had 11 appointments which have all had to be cancelled. So my question the Atos rep is simple: If you have read what I have written here? how can anyone make such a statement as this "The level of disability is unclear" and you can make this a general answer as I'm sure you will.

Atos_Healthcare_representative

schrodie wrote: »

Why is it that so many of the audio recording machines that Atos fought so hard to avoid having to use (and as it turns out only certain "HCPs" are qualified to use them!!) are finding themselves "broken" thereby preventing the claimant from having their WCA recorded in order to prevent any ambiguity from what is actually said during the WCA and what eventually appears on the Atos report that is sent to the DWP?

Given that the DWP did not put in place a universal recording solution, there aren’t recording devices in every single assessment centre. Instead, there are a number of devices and they are sent to the location where the customer would like to have the assessment recorded. As with any “mobile pool” equipment can sometime get broken in transit. To reduce the effect this has on us being able to accommodate requests for recording, we now have access to more equipment. We’re working hard to accommodate as many requests as we can.

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv

Atos_Healthcare_company_representative wrote: »

Given that the DWP did not put in place a universal recording solution, there aren’t recording devices in every single assessment centre. Instead, there are a number of devices and they are sent to the location where the customer would like to have the assessment recorded. As with any “mobile pool” equipment can sometime get broken in transit. To reduce the effect this has on us being able to accommodate requests for recording, we now have access to more equipment. We’re working hard to accommodate as many requests as we can.

And just another PR reply,its a right,not a request

Atos_Healthcare_representative

jazabelle wrote: »

So my question: Why do Atos carry out assessments in building that are not accessible to wheelchair users or others with mobility issues? This is certainly not the only building this way, as I've heard reports of plenty more having the same issue, or a flight of stairs to reach the assessment rooms.

jazabelle, sorry to hear that you had difficulty. The majority of our assessment centres are in DWP buildings and we directly lease a small number ourselves - but all centres should meet accessibility standards so I’m sorry if something wasn’t right in your case.

In a small number of centres, we don’t have access to ground floor assessment rooms. Although there are lifts in these centres, there are health and safety implications if, in the event of a fire, you cannot use stairs. In these areas, we let people know about access prior to scheduling appointments to try to ensure no one goes to a centre that isn't appropriate for them.

If you can confirm the actual Centre we will certainly check the current situation.

JS477

Atos_Healthcare_company_representative wrote: »

Given that the DWP did not put in place a universal recording solution, there aren’t recording devices in every single assessment centre. Instead, there are a number of devices and they are sent to the location where the customer would like to have the assessment recorded. As with any “mobile pool” equipment can sometime get broken in transit. To reduce the effect this has on us being able to accommodate requests for recording, we now have access to more equipment. We’re working hard to accommodate as many requests as we can.

Broken in transit!!!!!
:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Perhaps Atos should send their staff on a packaging course.

How convenient though that a recording machine gets "broken in transit" thus denying a claimant the right to have their assessment recorded to protect themselves from a substandard WCA!

Also how convenient for Atos that the DWP didn't put universal recoding in place. If they had you'd really be in the do-do wouldn't you!!

Just out of interest how many recoding devices do Atos have across its 141 processing centres? Would it be just 11!!!

Also does the HCP have to consent to have the WCA recorded?

Atos_Healthcare_representative

able2uk wrote: »

Why are people with disabilites which won't improve - such as cp - being forced to be assessed?

able2uk, this is a question about government policy, so would need to be addressed to DWP. They have information on their website that might answer your question.

staz

staz wrote: »

In terms of an aid or appliance for mobilising, what is considered to be the definition of medically reasonable. For example a consultant prescribed said person a wheelchair for long distances, from assessment was deemed that wheelchair can be used to mobilise short distances through working day. This will compromise said persons condition making them unable to carry out tasks that they can currently do down the line due to the effect it will have on their leg strength. Is this medically reasonable?

Also if deemed to use a chair to mobilise around a work environment why does the ability to get up or down 2 steps go back to them using crutches or other aid? Surely the same aid should be considered as a wheelchair user can not get up 2 steps and even if they can walking they need to be able to get the chair up the steps as well.

Well it appears there is definitely selective choosing to the questions being answered. Most of which appears to be a big debate over people saying ATOS have a part in the decision making and them arguing that they don't. Maybe some of the sensible questions could get answered instead of the big decision making debate, such as the one I asked 3 working days ago still waiting for an answer.