Ask Atos Healthcare disability assessment questions

JS477

Atos_Healthcare_company_representative wrote: »

If there is a questionnaire the health care professional should read it as part of the assessment.

It's abundantly clear due to the massive amount of evidence that exists is what a so called Atos "healthcare professional" should do as part of their job and what they actually do in reality are two entirely different things!

The fact that MPs said that people have died following being fit for work by Atos speaks volumes!!

JS477

Question to the Atos PR Rep.

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

dori2o

Well ATOS, you have made your position quite clear.

Your silence is obviously a clear admittance of guilt and proves that you and your HCP's have no ethical or moral standing.

You are despicable.

ATOS KILLS, and they don't even deny it.

dori2o wrote: »

ATOS Rep,

3 questions.

1) Why do so many of your HCP's LIE/Misrepresent the truth on the WCA report?

2) Is this the reason why so many HCP's are against the recording of the assessment by the claimant themselves?

3) If that is not the case, why do many HCP's refuse to continue with assessments if they realise they are being recorded?

dori2o wrote: »

ATOS Rep, please tell us why ATOS are so keen to close down websites which warn people about their underhand tactics in relation to the WCA? Could these websites be exposing the truth a little too much for your Company's liking?

dori2o wrote: »

Final question.

How is it possible for ATOS to declare a person Unfit for work during a Occupational Health Assessment for any of the Government departments they provide the service to (including the staff at DWP), and then find the same person Fit for Work under the WCA?

In Memoriam
Brian McArdle;
Brian was paralysed down his left hand side, blind in one eye and unable to speak properly. Yet he was declared fit for work. Brian collapsed of a heart attack because of the stress of losing his benefits.
Mark Mullins and Helen Mullins:
Mark and Helen Mullins were found lying side by side in their home after committing suicide together.They had been left destitute after Helen had her claim for benefit turned down,they had no food, no heating and no electric.
Richard Sanderson:
Richard Sanderson, of Southfields, south west London, committed suicide after receiving a letter from Wandsworth Council informing him his housing benefit would be cut by £30 a month.
Martin Rust,
Martin Rust, 36,a schizophrenic had his benefits cut and was ordered back to work.He left a note saying: “To those I love, I’m sorry. Goodbye.” Coroner William Armstrong said the DWP’s decision “caused distress and may well have had an adverse effect”, recording that Mr Rust had committed suicide while suffering from a treatment-resistant mental illness.
Craig Monk
Criag Monk. 43, was found hanging in his home, he had a a partial amputation of his leg and was described by his family as “vulnerable” he became depressed that his benefits had been cut.
Colin Traynor
Colin Traynor, who was a life long epileptic. He was assessed as fit for work, he appealed, but his parents say he became depressed and lost weight , he died less than four months later,the day after his death his parents found out he had won That appeal.
David Groves
David Groves, 56, died of a massive heart !attack the night before his medical assessment as he sat at his computer and scoured the Internet for ways to raise cash in case he lost his entitlement.
Elaine Christian
Elaine Christian, 57, was found in a drain after walking out of her home. A post mortem revealed she had died from drowning, despite having more than ten self-inflicted cuts on her wrists.The inquest in Hull was told Mrs Christian had been deeply worried about a meeting she was due to have to discuss her entitlement to disability benefits.
Christelle Pardo and Kayjah Pardo:
Christelle Pardo,32 and Kayjah Pardo 6 months, After having all her income cut off and her housing benefit withdrawn, and with a baby to care for, she had been left destitute. When she begged for help the only response from the DWP was that she didn’t qualify under the rules,So she killed herself and her young child.
Leanne Chambers:
Leanne Chambers, 30, body was found in the river weir five months after she walked out of her home she had battled depression for a number of years and had taken a turn for the worse after receiving a letter telling her she had to be assessed by a doctor she did not know, to see if she was fit to return to work.
Mark Scott:
Mark Scott, 46, who suffered from anxiety, epilepsy was left penniless when he was declared fit for work and his benefits were stopped.He died six weeks later in the Southport flat where he lived alone.
Karen Sherlock,
Karen died after a long and difficult fight, losing her benefits after being told she was fit for work, and after finally winning her appeal. Karen had diabetes with kidney complications.
Cecilia Burns,
Cecilia was a cancer sufferer, who had her benefits cut by government officials who said she was fit to work after she was assessed by government contractor Atos Healthcare.
Chris Cann,
Chris was a triple amputee who was wrongly declared fit for work died after being deemed ‘fit for work’.
Stephen Hill,
Stephen was declared fit for work, with the assessor declaring: “Significant disability due to cardiovascular problems seems unlikely.” Mr Hill died of a heart attack five weeks later. Read more into Stephen Hill`s story.
Peter Hodgson,
Peter was a “VULNERABLE’ disabled man who took his own life felt pressurised by changes to the benefits system.
Paul Willcoxson
Paul had mental health issues and he took his own life because of stress and worrying about benefit cuts
George, from Chesterfield
Another Atos victim found fit for work collapsed and died of a heart attack, the day before another Atos medical. His widow is convinced the stress of claiming killed him
Eileen Nearne MBE
Eileen was a WWII spy tortured by the Nazis died penniless after her British pension was halted without explanation

halight

Atos_Healthcare_company_representative wrote: »

staz,

apologies for the delay coming back to you on this. I’m afraid that as this is a question about government policy it’s not one that I can answer on here, but one that you would need to ask the DWP.

Originally Posted by staz
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.

Its not a question for the DWP.
You should be able to answer this as your own HCP have to do the medical report and so you should bear all the above in mind when doing the medical.
Are you saying that your HCP's don't consider what is medically reasonable ?

This is a question about the medical. And what your HCP'c consider.

You can answer it.

What dose the Atos HCP handbook say ? All you need to do is llok and it will be in there somewere

halight

Taken from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/9436969/Disability-tests-sending-sick-and-disabled-back-to-work.html#

===============================

Stephen Hill was sent to his first Work Capability Assessment in 2010 when he gave up his job as a sandwich delivery man after being referred for tests on his heart.
His wife Denise, who was with him at the assessment, said: "She checked him out. She did his blood pressure and his heart and said to see a doctor as soon as possible."
Despite the assessor telling Mr Hill to seek urgent medical advice, he was still found fit for work. In the meantime doctors had diagnosed him with heart failure.
He won his appeal but he was ordered to attend another assessment.
"He got a letter for another medical and I couldn't believe it," said Mrs Hill. "He'd got to go for a medical when he was waiting for a heart operation."
But he was again declared fit for work, with the assessor declaring: "Significant disability due to cardiovascular problems seems unlikely."
Mr Hill died of a heart attack five weeks later.

========================

This is not down to Government policy

This happened because of ATOS staff.

halight

Here is a PDF that you can download,

It's ATOS's HCP'c hand book for ESA medicals

http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/wca-handbook.pdf

staz

Atos_Healthcare_company_representative wrote: »

staz,

apologies for the delay coming back to you on this. I’m afraid that as this is a question about government policy it’s not one that I can answer on here, but one that you would need to ask the DWP.

Firstly no your not sorry else this response would of been given sooner, and secondly it has already been said this is not a question for the DWP. I actually rang them yesterday and surprisingly got a response back straight away. Guess what they said?

"We do not know the answer to these questions as we are not the ones carrying out the assessment. We simply look over the evidence and suggestions given from the WCA and make the decision on that."

The questions I have asked relate directly to the medical that all of us are being put through and should be standard training to the assessor in carrying out the assessment. If this is not information you can provide because "you don't know" then the assessors should not be recommending any use of aid than that already prescribed to said applicants as they themselves are not following the assessment guidelines as rightly pointed out in the handbook. The reason I was asking what is deemed medically reasonable is that the handbook doesn't actually give the definition.

However thank you Atos rep for pointing out in your response quite clearly that your assessors are simply not doing their job correctly. By failing to answer my questions have proved you are not here to help people as the only questions you answer are those that can be found on your FAQ page.

dori2o

Mse, please listen to the people who make this forum possible.

Stop this charade. Get rid of these evil scum. They have not answered any of the questions that the people affected by their assessments really want answering.

They are pulling the wool over peoples eyes.

They do not care, they have an agenda, they have targets, and they put the financial rewards of hitting those targets above the health and welbeing of sick, disabled, and dying people.

Please stop this shambles, get rid of the atos rep and don't let them back.

Atos kills.

halight

staz wrote: »

Firstly no your not sorry else this response would of been given sooner, and secondly it has already been said this is not a question for the DWP. I actually rang them yesterday and surprisingly got a response back straight away. Guess what they said?

"We do not know the answer to these questions as we are not the ones carrying out the assessment. We simply look over the evidence and suggestions given from the WCA and make the decision on that."

The questions I have asked relate directly to the medical that all of us are being put through and should be standard training to the assessor in carrying out the assessment. If this is not information you can provide because "you don't know" then the assessors should not be recommending any use of aid than that already prescribed to said applicants as they themselves are not following the assessment guidelines as rightly pointed out in the handbook. The reason I was asking what is deemed medically reasonable is that the handbook doesn't actually give the definition.

However thank you Atos rep for pointing out in your response quite clearly that your assessors are simply not doing their job correctly. By failing to answer my questions have proved you are not here to help people as the only questions you answer are those that can be found on your FAQ page.

Atos are very found of saying that they have nothing to do with the decision that the DWP make.

But the DWP will tell you that all decisions are based on the ATOS medical and other data that they have from your GP and any other doctors that see you.

If Atos has no bearing on the out come of your claim then why have them do a medical ? It has been shown that GP and consultant letters and reports get put to one side and its the medical that the DWP use to see if your fit .

If these medical are carried out in a neglectfulness manner or the report is full of inaccuracy's then the DWP can only make there decision on that.
This is why in some case's very ill people are deemed fit for work. When in fact they are not.

satarical

ebsay wrote: »

If ATOS has nothing to hide, why does it now make it's employees sign the Official Secrets Act?

Maybe because they are handling very sesitive information and that they have to comply with the same conditions of secrecy as the DWP do?