Atos Medical - Home Visit

[bodge]

Before you get on your high horse and start saying there is virtually no one screwing system I can assure you there are lots of people screwing the system I know two people who have been screwing the system for many years in fact neither of these two lazy bstrds have ever work. They feign depression, it appears to be very easy to do so. YOU are speaking of your personal experience and not of whats really going on, ATOS wouldnt exist if it where not for people who really are screwing the system like at least two I know.

[markie b]

ATOS dealt with these people before first 3 times were for a bad back (royal mail uses atos also and pays them bonuses for meeting targets) first time i spoke to a guy in a room on a computer he asked me can i walk i said yes he said am i comfortable standing for periods of 45mins a time or less i said yes but it did begin aching a bit tho after that and he asked if i could lift 5-12.5kgs to which i said yes but not from heights past my chest (i was a bag tipper at the time at royal mail it wasnt my job title but i done it anyways and needed to lift from shoulder height and above) i told the guy this and asked him to examine me,he point blank refused to examine me,i asked him for his medical qualifications and he refused to provide me them and just said im as qualified as your gp (who signed me off for a dodgy back for a week) he then gave the report to my manager at royal mail and it said i was fine!

next day i was back tipping bags which i done for about 10mins before walking out because i was in too much pain

back to the docs with a sick note with bad back back into atos again and this time they assured me i was seeing a proffessional doctor umm some one in a white jacket who wouldnt provide me with details again i asked them to examine me they said they were doing it as they were typing i demanded a physical examination they refused so i told them they were fucking jokers and walked out!!! report sent saying i was very rude obnoxious and threatening to my manager to which i was taken to the office for a diciplinatary ..... they couldnt say i was fine as i left before the end of the exam!

3rd time they got me in to see atos i demanded in writting from the manager that i was going to see a proffessional specialist i walked in she asked me my name i asked her for her specifics her nursing badge ect she handed me all the info asked me to take my top off which i did (i was comfy with women examining me ) she then touched down through my spine asked me to lay on the bed and then said ok no need to carry this on im refering you to occupational health you need your spine manipulated back into place

my manager was not happy with this result i was especially as the occupational person was a woman about 24 blonde tall slim ooohhh yeah just stick with your guns and ask them if they get bonuses for hitting targets as they use to in about 2007/2009 something like that.... it was in the news

[tr0niks]

Bodge I don't disagree with you about some people screwing the system. Bigger problem is that the system screwed itself a few years ago and now is taking it out on everyone. When JSA came in for unemployed, jokecentre staff were given strict targets to get people off unemployment. Encouraging anyone they could to claim as sick helped them get their brownie points to keep their job. Now this is less viable, they use other options like crap training courses or hit you with sanctions.

DWP staff now have the main objective of meeting their quotas to make you someone else's problem regardless of what you may actually need. I mean no disrespect to the staff most of us may meet - they get screwed from management, customers and the public all the time.

Despite what the Daily [hate]Mail tries to suggest, the amount of money lost to benefit fraud is small relative to the amounts that people don't claim. Ever wondered why the claim forms are so long with so many confusing questions? because they were deliberately designed that way! They have beancounters to mathematically analyse the best way to keep driving the costs down.

When someone is caught for benefit fraud, the actual money amounts claimed are usually quite small. The sums they quote in MSM are calculated to include at least 6 months future benefits.

Ultimately, with MPs cheating on expenses and bankers screwing everyone for Trillions, scamming a few quid on benefits barely registers. Can we blame the sheeple at the bottom of the system for trying to be like those at the top of the pyramid?

[dmgc01]

Been doing "homework" as I wait for the gestapo to knock thought I'd share this one with ya's

http://dwpexamination.wordpress.com/hel ... amination/

[dmgc01]

and here you can check out your dodgy atos doctor!

http://www.gmc-uk.org/doctors/register/LRMP.asp

[dmgc01]

Atos doctors could be struck off

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2011 ... pe=article

[mrcrisp]

I have just recieved a letter from Atos informing me they have made me an appointment for a `medical asessment`.

I considered NCRTS and popping it back into the post box, but instead i'm simply going to file it in the bin.
The outside of the envolope states `IMPORTANT INFORMATION - THIS IS NOT A CIRCULAR`.
I'm not interested in Atos' information and it states on the first line of the letter:

If you fail to attend, your benefit may be affected.

Yet if you look at the Atos website it states:
We cannot give you advice, or provide an opinion, on the success or not of your claim. Our job is to perform the medical assessment and write a report. You will be treated fairly and respectfully at all times during your assessment.

So really they have NO business interloping with my benefits, even if the DWP claim its `government policy`; They have no right to make threats about a benefit that has nothing to do with them.

I know personally of two people who both `contracted` with Atos and went to the medical assessment and both were kicked off benefits.
I have yet to find anyone who has NOT attended an Atos medical assessment and had their benefits stopped.

[tr0niks]

From 2-4 years ago. I helped 3 people who had benefits stopped within a week for not returning questionnaire or attending medical. All had severe medical problems which made it hard for them completing paperwork or dealing with authority figures. Their payments were reinstated as soon as the form or medical was done. They were all fortunate to end up passing the medical - sure that would not happen now.

Thanks for the links. The first blog looked promising, but seems to degenerate to some very strong rants:

all employees of the DWP are narcissistic, sociopathic twats who have a serious god complex

I feel this is inaccurate (75% of staff yes, but not all )

The guardian article, and some others, proves that ATOS are not in this to be fair and honest. Therefore, I must make sure to hold them to account in every way possible to protect my interests.

After my last medical, I tried to trace the doctor to complain to but ended up with 2 doctors with same name. ATOS refused to confirm which of the 2 examined me. GMC refused to accept complaint without specific doctor details.

This is how I got my idea to get doctor to fill in a form to confirm id,qualifications,specialisms,professional registration etc. These people are unlikely to understand common law or legal terms and conditions of contracts, but they should understand informed consent. Until I am informed that they are properly qualified and experienced to examine me, I can decline my consent.

[dmgc01]

So that’s all done...the 'nice' Atos lady came...75 minutes of grilling me.

I was confused by one question she asked......was I left or right handed? When I asked the relevance of the question she said that she didn't know and that perhaps it was some sort of identity thing!!!! It wasn't until after she'd gone that I realised at the time of asking the question, she had been discussing the rooms upstairs in the house. Therefore the question would perhaps be in relation to which hand held onto the stair banister, which would make sense if there was an issue with walking as such. Why would she not say that though? Why say identity?? Very odd

The other thing niggling me is she asked whether there was anything preceding my condition that could have brought it on. Without sharing on here my medical condition, I handed her a hospital letter written to my doctor.....something that I have disclosed only recently but is relevant to my condition and in dire need of addressing. She could see I was distressed at divulging this information and then proceeded to reassure me that she would not put my personal information in the report. That I could take the letter back from her if I wished. EH!!! So are all the other questions answered not personal information then??? I insisted that she kept and included the letter, it was relevant.

So it will be interesting to see what she does. No doubt I will fail and have to fight it, as I did before! In the meantime I play the waiting game! Fingers crossed.......

[bodge]

WOT? left handed or right handed! what the fkn relevance of that. Well at least its out the way. This is where you get the chance to make choices/decisions, when you get the answer. Good luck.