Atos advice required

Seagulls

Hi members
I recently completed an ESA50 form and have been given an appointment for a medical with ATOS. I will be transferring from IB to ESA.

Do ATOS write to your doctor prior to these medical appointments?
Any other info on this subject would be very helpful indeed to prepare for medical assessment.



thanks

SPELLKASTER

Seagulls wrote: »

Hi members
I recently completed an ESA50 form and have been given an appointment for a medical with ATOS. I will be transferring from IB to ESA.

Do ATOS write to your doctor prior to these medical appointments?
Any other info on this subject would be very helpful indeed to prepare for medical assessment.



thanks

ATOS didnt write to my gp before my medical so I doubt they will with you.

If your doctor is able or willing ask them to write a letter giving a brief description of your health issues.

Did you include a copy of your prescription so that ATOS could see what medication your on?

rogerblack

A recent court case clarified what happens.
ATOS/the DWP never usually request information from your doctor, unless there is believed to be a strong case that you are eligible for the support group.

iluvmarmite

They sent a form to my GP asking her opinion about me being fit for work, I was put in the WRAG, I don't know if that's what you mean about them writing to your GP. Oh and I didn't have a wca they just put me straight in that group with a review after 2 years.

zzzLazyDaisy

rogerblack wrote: »

A recent court case clarified what happens.
ATOS/the DWP never usually request information from your doctor, unless there is believed to be a strong case that you are eligible for the support group.

They did write to my GP, and I was put in the support group.

Having said that, I did submit a consultants report and a fit-note from my GP explaining that I would need a home assessment and why, with my ESA50.

My own view, though - for DLA and ESA - is that it is always better to obtain and submit your own medical reports, rather than leave it to chance whether DWP contacts your gp or not, and then possibly having to gather evidence for an appeal.

vision2009

Please go to this site, lots of very helpful people there
http://www.dwpexamination.org/

TOBRUK

Hi Seagulls,
A lot of good advice has been given here already. I transferred to ESA from IB in October but was placed in WRAG without having a medical with ATOS. I filled in the ESA50 and they did contact my GP. When I told my GP that I had been placed in WRAG he was very cross (understatement) as he told me that I would not be fit for any work. He advised me to go to CAB!

Whether they contact your GP or not, if I was in your position and had an appointment with ATOS I would definately see your GP to let him/her know what is happening and ask if they would write a report, also any consultants etc. Your GP should be consulted and kept up to date with your health issues and anything that involves your wellbeing anyway as you never know whether they will contact them or not.

I do not know what information you wrote on your ESA form, but always be prepared and get as much information you can BEFORE you see ATOS as you never know!

If you do receive any reports or information you send them, do keep copies of EVERYTHING as you do not know when they will be needed in future.
Good Luck;)

zzzLazyDaisy

TOBRUK wrote: »

Hi Seagulls,
When I told my GP that I had been placed in WRAG he was very cross (understatement) as he told me that I would not be fit for any work. He advised me to go to CAB!

Unfortunately - as I am sure you know - ESA has nothing to do with whether you are, or will ever be, fit for work, and everything to do with whether you fit the descriptors.

In the light of your GP's comments, it is worth considering whether - in the opinion of your medical advisers - being found fit for work related activities/training etc is likely to pose a risk to your health. If you medical advisers consider this to be the case, and can explain why, then you should appeal the decision to place you in the WRAG group on the basis that you meet the descriptor in relation to special circumstances set out under regulation 35.

See here for info

http://kittysjones.wordpress.com/2013/04/21/1560/

TOBRUK

Hi LazyDaisy,

en you should appeal the decision to place you in the WRAG group

I did appeal and have been placed in support group.

I wrote to ask for reconsideration after I requested the 'medical Report' they had written based on the form I sent. I wrote detailed information on every wrong information/point they had written in their 'report'.

It took them about 3 months to send a letter to say that my appeal had been successful and they had reconsidered their decision.