Yes ATOS, I recently had an assessment myself and despite informing the doctor I had just days earlier undergone a spinal procedure (Facet joint injections) and I was in pain, the pushy doctor insisted I go through the assessment and despite the fact I couldn’t lay on the couch for the physical assessment, injured myself in the agility side of things, I was signed fit for work.
It was during my time at the assessment I had noticed something that I think that all assesses should know is that the moment you walk in that waiting room your being assessed. The waiting rooms in the assessment centre I attend have security cameras and I think I have identified a covert camera.
I was kept waiting a while, some 35 minutes after the appointed time. I could just make out someone between the tiny gaps of the venetian blinds a figure that appeared to be sat at a table watching a monitor. It was my assessment doctor. It wasn’t until I was on my way out the door that I actually caught what the monitor was and sure enough it was the overview of the waiting room and it appeared to have two views but I could only see one camera! It would be wise to inform people that your ATOS medical actually starts the moment you walk in the door to the point you walk out the door as the contents of my ESA85 form that ATOS completes indicates that they’re assessing you outside of the assessment room in addition to in the assessment room.
It became apparent that the staff notes where you sit and also watch what you do and also take any opportunity as they have done in the past to not deal with you if you kick off as I had done in the past when messed around. My medical assessment of 27 pages long was miraculously completed in 12 minutes flat. I said to my assessor that I had a prior engagement and that I will be leaving at a certain time, he didn’t like being told that he is not a priority and that I will be leaving when my alarm on my phone advises me.
Even that was used against me in the ESA85 he noted I had no problem using my phone… I still left the assessment centre 10 minutes later than anticipated but still the assessment after the 7 minutes of arguing prior to the beginning of the assessment ate in to the assessment time and the questioning I was subjected to, most of it was twisted in favour of not awarding points on the paperwork.
I scored 0 out of 15 points and having been through the process several times before with 11 points and 14 points, appealed and won the appeal, I stated as a matter of fact that they (ATOS) and I referred to them as twATOS were merely meeting targets and not assessing people and that my prior InCap claim still stood, my position had not changed as I was still in pain and it is likely that the industrial injury has evolved in to arthritis of the spine which has other complications that I had been experiencing.
Anyway, I am now being treated for pain management and have to now take 120mg of codeine a day which is half the maximum daily dose. So I am largely dependent on taking medications to get out of the bed. What I can say about ATOS is that they do record, I noted that in one assessment I was videoed via a web camera, another I was audio recorded but not made aware yet sussed it as I tried to look at the screen which met with objection and a frantic fiddling of keys to hide the recorder.
SO… I return the favour, I use my mobile phone‘s voice recorder to record the assessment as well as a backup of an Olympus VH8700PC digital voice recorder, the best £60 I have ever spent. The way I see this is simple, if they are not telling you that the assessment is recorded, why should I tell them that I am recording the assessment, well they should know because I told the DWP once that I know exactly what was said and done in the interview as I recorded the assessment myself which I think was the only reason why one of my claims was successful. I am currently in appeal at the moment, I am betting that his goes to tribunal. Really is not enough room here to properly type comments so I will leave it at that for now, if you want to know more, drop me an email.
Mr. Spinal Headcase
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IMHO the assessments should be openly recorded and an unedited copy made available to the claimant. That way we can have it verifiable that the doctor was not being honest.
Note that I still use the word claimant and not “customer” as they seem to prefer. I thought that the customer was always supposed to be right. According to the DWP we are all liars and cheats. So I guess customer may not be so bad.
I agree with Paul above. A while ago I went with a friend to a interview with a fraud investigator at the DWP as they had been advised she lived with someone she hadn’t declared on her claim forms (it was proven false thankfully). Anyway, the officer used a tape recorder to record the entire interview and we had to sign to agree. We were also told my friend would be able to get a copy I think. This is such a simple thing to do and should prevent a lot of underhandedness by ATOS whilst also catching those who are cheating or lying. It could still be abused but at least it would offer more protection than we currently have.
Thats why were campaigning for the right to record everything, having copies etc etc….. Because as you say it will prevent the underhandedness, unfortunately the right to record is not simple, we need atos’ permission.
To which i suggest that be the one thing when being summoned to atos, we just take our own equipment and as they start the ‘assessment’, just state loud and firm, whilst recording…
“lets clarify the assessment is knowingly recorded….. Please state your name……. Its intimidation and theyl be stumped.
If they say, its not allowed, state ‘yes it is, but u have them on tape saying it isnt which is not a good start is it!’
we can give as good as we get guys!
everyone is allowed to have their medicals recorded by atos. you only have to request it. and they have got to give you a copy of recording. parlimentary questions 97647 made from chris ruane to chris grayling and is in a letter dated28th march 2012. they use the same machines dwp use for fraud investigations. dwp are supposed to tell you of this right
Hi Barry
Many of us know that you can request Audio Recording of your Assessment, I personally fought a very long time for this by writing, emailing requesting FOI etc, I know and agree 100% with what your saying.
The problem at the moment is that Audio Recording hasn’t been run out nationwide, you still have to request it and that still doesn’t guarantee you a recording, did you know they only have 11 machines for the entire country?
Until the government put thie information out on their websites and claimant forms we will not really get anywhere, If people don’t know of their rights they will not DEMAND them.
I am still personally pushing for information to be widely publicised, the DWP and Atos don’t really want it though….
Stories like this are forever being told, it is a good thing we can all say with hand on heart we are all honest.
Atos/Gov/DWP are not able to and its all coming back at them now.
to my knowledge you have a legal right to any digital image that is made of yourself, i have avoided atos so far but will be video recording all and any medicals covertly and displaying them for all to see, covert cameras are cheap as chips on flea bay
People have already tried this, the HCPs stop the assessment and your benefit is stopped for failure to comply. Best to just record it covertly with a phone.
You have evidence of this? I ask because of a desperate need to know. My Atos assessment is on the 25th of this month and i aim to record it.
I have been led to believe so long as they are aware of a recording then that is allowed actuality.
Atos are not allowed to stop your benefits its not up to them, yes they bullshit and cause the damn benefit crisis throughout appeal but they cannot cancel your benefits on account of you recording them.
Has anyone else here heard of this? I really need to know
u r legally entitled to have ur medical recorded just phone dwp and atos with ur request before medical and quote letter from chris grayling to chris ruane mp. pq97647 or send me ur email and i will try and send you a copy of letter
If they are recording covertly they are in breach of the govt’s own laws which state that an audible beep must be played at two-second intervals where any recording is made that is not obviously being made. By “obviously being made” they include such methods as a news reporter sticking a mic under your nose to capture your answer.Rrecordings that are “not obviously being made” include using built-in recorders to capture telephone conversations. If Atos is recording you and does not tell you in advance that they are doing so, raise it at Appeal and also report it to the police. The police will say it is a civil matter, but that’s because there aren’t enough of them left to do their job properly. You can make Atos and the BDCs think twice by starting private legal action against them. By not asking for Legal Aid, you don’t end up referred back into the closed-circuit Complaint & Appeals system, which the system says you have to complete before LA can be granted.. Lack of Legal Aid access, as I found out when I tried to get Brain Chase Coles in Basingstoke to take up my case, is the reason it has taken so long for so many cases of Atos’ underhanded behaviour, in pursuit of the targets they say they don’t have, to come to light. The first Solicitor’s letter will cost about £20 to £25. I would also urge people to club together to get a Solicitor to start a group lawsuit against Atos. All chip in to cover the fee. Not all Sollies are money-grabbing mofo’s; some actually care about justice and will be glad to help. Maybe some of them might even realise there’s good dosh to be had from instalment plans or even No Gain, No Pain lawsuits!
interesting stuff, i will be sure to swallow the contents of a bottle of morphine when i am summonsed , throw up on the assesor and get my wife to covertly record the entire episode , i did read that if you are prescribed morphine they have to do a home visit though
Ann I don’t have evidence just going from posts I’ve read, the HCPs have refused to carry out the assessment and reported back to the DWP. You don’t have to take my word for it I haven’t had the experience personally but having read that other people have tried it I wouldn’t take the chance. If they allowed us to openly record our WCA we wouldn’t have to ask for it to be recorded by them. No they can’t cancel your benefit directly but its them who get it stopped when they report people to the DWP for non compliance or failure to turn up.
so take a friend in with you, you are allowed to do that, and hide the camera on them, that way YOU are doing nothing wrong and they cant stop your benefits as a result of it, not that they would find out anyway unless you told them, and aways ask for the doctors gmc number , it is your right to see it as proof they are actualy a doctor , they have no issues with lies and deciet whatsoever or covert recording, you can either play them at their own game or suffer at their hands, remember rules were made for the guidance of wise men and the obedience of fools
As much as i appreciate all the advice here, its just getting me down and im getting confused.
I am not without intelligence but my mental state is my problem.
Being in withdrawal still from potent brain meds alongwith the additional stress is actually limiting my ability to absorb info, i think im having spasmodic panic attacks?
I used to get these when first started withdrawing in 2009 (onset of reductions in doses).
Its taken almost 20months to get where i am today but the stress is wearing me down and im both physically and mentally suffering….. Problem is, i know what all this will result in, i work myself into a psychotic state and result in releasing the everything in an explosion, that usually causes me to hurt myself severely.
Im alot better now than i have been in years, i can see the signs, i go longer without ‘losing it’ but i cant control it, esp when pushed into a corner. Im terrified actually as to what i need do now? I want of course to hide away but i cant and ‘that’ is a corner to me.
Im telling myself to calm down but my head dont work on logic despite my having it…. When i go. I go and big……
I thank everyone for their advice but im more lost than ever.
Paul I and others I know have Morphine its never got any of us a home visit I’ve never heard that before?
did you tell them you were on morphne ? i told them i would have to dose up to get there and will be holding them personally responsible when i walked out in front of a bus and caused an accident , i did also read somewhere about the morphine , same will go with any back to work shennanigans, no employers liability insurance is going to cover them to have staff who are incapacitated by high strength opiates on the premises, which means the employer will be breaking the law by not having insurance cover for employees (plus if i harm myself in their employee and they dont have me insured the floodgates are wide open for me to take them to the cleaners with a no win no fee action which could easily bankrupt them), which makes me unemployable due to my disability , atos left me for months with no money as they failed to get me an appointment, i told them i couldnt go to them due to my meds and they arranged for a gp to visit, he didnt turn up twice so i instigated an official (note the word OFFICIAL) complaint against them with the dwp and made an appointment to see my local mp, , within 3 days of making the appointment i got a phone call from a decision maker at the dwp , a very nice young man , he didnt even have my medical records in front of him so i told him to call me back when he did, i explained all about my condition to him and about the horrors of opiate withdrawl which i go through regularly and he thanked me for my help, 3 days later i got the decision i was entitled too and didnt go near my mp, its your lives, you can sit back and take whatever crap the dwp and ATOS throw at you or you can get proactive and not take it , dont let the barstewards wear you down and stand your ground, they are liars, cheats and thieves which is no big secret to anyone, dont get mad get even , if you are entited to it then make sure you get it
Trust me I take nothing from them lying down I complain to the hilt
yes they knew about the morphine I put it on my ESA50 and took it with me to two WCAs.
as daft as it sounds i dont think they read any of your forms , i know that the DWP decision maker ignores any medical evidence you send in unless you tell them to look at it over the phone, so i guess atos would be the same ? I had to explain to the decision maker what my medical condition was and how it affected me, did you use the official conplaints procedure and get it in writing ? did you contact your mp? im not trying to be clever but i would suspect that everybody they shaft moans and complains but they ignore it unless its made to the correct dept? i have the phone number of the complaints dept somewhere here if you need it, at the end of the day the dwp are a public service and there to serve you , they employ atos to do there dirty work, the sad thing is that atos deal with any complaints made to the dwp about them but it seemed to put the fear of god into them when i complained officialy, i still have an unsatisfied complaint outstanding against them and i will refuse to go near them when they next call me until they have dealt with it as there protocol dictates they should,
Hi Anne , i have a friend with mental health issues, he recons he gets violent when he looses it and has to have a chaparone, aparenty this information from his psych was enough to avoid atos contact at all , i will echo what was said above with regards to needing someone to talk to, im only a keyboard away, look after yourself before you worry about your wealth though
Hi Paul, yes I got my MP involved not that he was much use. I escalated my complaint to Atos right through to the IT, before it even got that far though I had the HCPs report thrown out and the decision reversed in my favour. The IT found in my favour and the doctor who examined the HCPs report suggested the HCP have remedial with her manager. I received a written apology from the assistant director of Atos. My next WCA was great, my recent one another nightmare so I’m gearing up again. I wouldn’t have stood a chance trying to reason with the decision maker, when I got all the stuff for the tribunal (before the decision was overturned) he had not only sided with the HCP but added his own libellous and unfair comments. I don’t know the results of this WCA but whatever the outcome I will be complaining about the conduct of the HCP. I refuse to be grateful for a good result if I am treated like shit.
Ann I know what you’re saying, if you need any help to get through this pm me. Have you got someone close to you that knows enough to be able to speak for you and will go to the assessment with you? If you want the WCA recorded you can ask them and you will be given a copy of the recording. A lot of people are recording with phones now so that’s an option. Once its over you’ll probably feel a bit better. Don’t let these people frighten you you have done nothing wrong. Maybe a visit to your doc to explain how you’re feeling due to Atos and the stress they’re causing you.
It’s not true that everyone fails. I took a friend with me and he recorded it all on his mobile phone. It wasn’t needed though as I got my ESA awarded immediately and put in the WRAG. I’ll still be recording my next assessment, I couldn’t get that lucky twice!
Thank you for your kind words all of you. Thing is im not afraid so much as ‘of them’ as i am of myself…. As i have said on other posts my being blacklisted from the nhs is the real issue.
In 2010 my Atos/Tribunal fails due to no GP backing caused me to have a serious breakdown..
My MP is behind me with the Ombudsman but im still struggling having no GP backing.
(blacklisted for complaints made about my former GP drugging me medication i never needed and, using the adverse reactions as ‘reason to treat’)
my health truly does come first, the wealth side of it i am not as bothered about. I truly anly ask the time to recover the brutal withdrawal and hopefully the recovery of that of the much damage this drug has caused physically and mentally since the ‘now known’ ADRs (Adverse Reactions) began in 2004.
Pushing me into a corner is dangerous and i have no pride in my behaviours, im both embarassed and scared of myself as also, once regained calmness, im devestated that i have again lost control…… I end up in a severe depression.
Last Atos/Tribunal fail i gave up completely, in several areas, landed me in court 3 times for lack of Council tax and rent payments, lived on hand outs…. I only started claiming ESA again in Feb of this year. Out of that im paying arrears of £40 a month, the magistrates demand i pay and on consistance, or i face upto 70days imprisonment.
Problem moreso i realise is, i am of a decent intelligence, all my letters and emails express this fact, luckily the courts, even the magistrates accepted the little medical evidence i have regarding my mental state but like previously i know Atos/Tribunal can disreguard the everything based on my not having any GP backing…
I respect we are all in troubled times of course and i dont believe my situation in anyway more distressing than anyone elses, we are all being victimised, i just feel so helpless again.
I was fine regarding Atos rearing its ugly head again until a couple of days ago and ive gone into a panicky mode.
Thanks again for listening though, i wont keep dwelling on me as its unfair to you all.
Blacklisted from the NHS? thats a new one on me, did you know that its against the law to undertake any medical procedure on somebody without their informed consent , and prescribing medication falls into that catagory apparently, every day the law is broken thousands of time by gp’s who do not fully explain the implications of the medication they prescribe thus giving the patient the information they need to consent to accepting it legally? Might be an angle to look into for you given the content of your post above
Its not as rare as you think, its actually extremely difficult to prove any malpractice.
Law revolves around negligence and not malpractice, the three year limit is damn evil too, i was too drugged to ever know whats going on, when i did find out in 2009, raised awareness to the malpractice in the surgery, the bullying, wrong treatment, falsified records and refusal to assist me in the dangerous and brutal reduction of meds.
Ive spent 20 months in severe withdrawals all the while bullied, ignored and left alone. (which is with a black box warning as a no no).
Its easy to say, i should do this or that but when in severe withdrawal, deliberated bullying and often in a mental hell, theres no way out and getting off the drug was my main concern of course.
…. Its a long story which i wont go in depth into, but please know the nhs blacklist is common enough.
http://www.sin-medicalmistakes.org
is a good site explaining the brutality of Drs who harm and continue to harm to save face or to ensure coleagues are not found out.
Ive loads of evidence of blacklisting, many falsified documents and the codes used by drs in letters to in a matter of speaking say “problem patient, do not assist”.
Its very hard to have anyone listen esp when your considered a mentally unstable person (i never was until the drugs…. A little down yes, going thru a rough patch, a single mum to a demanding child….. Hindsight screams, had i of just had a little help or time out? I would have been fine…. Instead i worsened, doses went up and up, i deteriorated mentally and physically at a rapid rate but was refused any specialist treatment…..
Long story short…..i was going to go private to find out what was wrong and my GP panicked sent me to a speacilist (negatively influentially) used a different drs name on all the referrals……. It was that specialist that put the drug at the centre of it all and since then i have researched and even found guidelines about the drug by n.i.c.e themselves in an updated warning in 2004 stating the drug was causing worsening in patients both mentally and physically….. He ignored them and continued to blame me for ‘false symptoms’, any disease i thought i had. Like CFS/ME/Fibromyalgia/Candida….. He mocked and called them fads, said they didnt exist. He even told me my meds could not cause my symptoms….
I believed him for years, was in limbo, relied on him and trusted him and to find out his deviance destroyed me for a long time, on top of alone in withdrawal… Yert coz i dont have money for the law to be involved im screwed.
Negligence is with many no win no fee lawyers…. Malpractice is not.
Im relying on the ombudsman now.
thats awfull , but i have heard about the doctors putting marks on notes meaning problem patient previousley and a friend was doing her doctorate and working in an oap’s home and wrote about how the OAP’s were deliberaty being dehydrated to stop them being incontinent, she was told in no uncertain terms any attempt at publicising her findings would result in her being immediatly struck off, was it an ssri you were on?
An snri (affects the norepinephrine when over 250mg) below that dose is considered an ssri, i was on 300mg of Venlafaxine Hydrochloride xl/Effexor xr for years.
Thats disgustingly inhumane and brutal about the deliberately dehydrating of the senior citizens have you thought about an anonymous tip off on this? Maybe your friend should!. It cannot be allowed to continue. I respect your friends need to work etc but a secret tip off may well help these folk.
Theres alot of things wrong with both anti depressants and anti psychotics.
For a start clinical trials are upto a six week trialing yet Drs prescribe them years, upping and downing doses to which is extremely dangerous and the chemical synthetics result in drowning the natural bio organic chemicals.
The serotonin, norepinephrine and melatonin cannot compete with the alien substances and as nuerotransmitters of bodily information in a matter of days the body can and will deteriorate.
The messages being sent throughout the body are confused and poisoned hence the side effects and adverse reactions.
Science knows sweet f.a about both the brain and cns yet these drugs target these two delicate areas.
The brain is being drugged and people are in torment and the symptoms are labled ‘malingering.’ or ‘worsening in prior condition’…… Never is the drug blamed or even looked into.
There are professors of medicine trying to raise awareness to these drugs, like Peter Breggin and David Healy but despite his (Healy’s) having gotten seroxat banned and his own medical journals. The billions of pHARMa profit keeps these drugs on the market.
Many suicides and induced homicidal behaviours are case filed yet because pHARMa is so powerful and has a motto of ‘a patient cured is a customer lost’ theres no serious investigations. Some campaigners are trying to inroduce third party separated clinical trials prior to bringing any drug to market but pHARMa is too powerful to fight in court. Despite the evidence against them. Comes down to money.
Its the same as your friends scenario within pHARMa, if you speak up, whistle blow and or, challenge the any of it? Youre defamed and belittled, lose your job and even called a quack (theres 3 professors, i know of that are labled ‘dangerous’- they are not and are actually fighting for patients rights, they are all stripped of their medical qualifications where having spoken of dangerous drugs).
Most clinical trials are falsified and its been exposed with several medical professionals will put their name to it with a peer review for a price…… Its always money and believe me, it aint about the patient, it never was nor will be.
Legal drugs are far more damaging than any ilegal drug. Ilegal drugs are only yesteryears medicications anyway.
But legal drugs unlike the ilegal, are taken day in day out, year after year, forced upon patients and never blamed when things go wrong.
Ilegal drugs are taken by choice, taken only now and again giving a body a chance to flush out of the system, they are recognized as the cause of the adverse reaction too. Brain affecting drugs may work for a short time but! Evidence suggests that luck is the only trial. Thousands are dying and or worsening within a day or two, there are case files expressing the majority of suicides caused by antidepressants are within the first month of taking them.
Many, like me, affected within a year are either diagnosed bipolar , manic depressives, violent depressives or result in prison or institutionalised.
The raise of institutionalised people since the onset of brain drugs has trippled since the mid 1990s.
Over half the UK is now diagnosed as having a mental dysfunction that worsens yet no one is adding two n two together.
Both ssri and snri along with benzos etc are mutilating brains and despite the evidence of it all the money is outweighing the care.
Well you certainly seem to know your onions Anne , get hold of a copy of “The Cult of Pharmacology” by Richard DeGrandpree , a real eye opener of a book which will compliment your knowledge of pharmacological substances and their actions and put a lot of your thoughts and opinions into perspective as well, everything you said makes perfect sense to me although i feel we may have gone a litle off track here for an atos website, are you on facebook? Prof DavidNutt and the Berkley Foundaion are reasonably easy to access from there , and you certainly do come across as intelligent and articulate to me , which isnt something i find myself saying very often nowdays !
My apologies for wandering way off topic, i respect this is an Atos related website.
Im not on facebook.
Thank you for the book referrence Paul, i will check it out, i know of Professor Nutt (he is another defamed for speaking out).
Im sorry about ranting here again but for me, my nhs blacklist, the medication that caused it, and Atos are a reality to deal with.
Thank you for having had time to read and respond. I thank you for saying of my intelligence too, as a labled ‘mentally disfunctional’ im not often credited with having the ability to be intelligent, esp when it comes to medicinal issues.
But as anyone here knows, all disabilities of a personal nature are with expertese that outweigh anyone elses knowledge.
We as individuals, live, breathe and sleep with our conditions etc, we learn them inside out and live a daily life within them. Text book knowledge and professional speculation means sod all compared to being within any given scenario, its what makes Atos so futile ‘professionally’.
I apologise again for topic wandering
you dont have to apologise to me, i was merely thinking of the other users ! it seems that anybody who doesnt fit in with the common conception of “normal” is labelled as disfunctional and for some obscure reason should be medicated in order to conform to societys ideals , i say **** that !! Be proud of who you are and your individuaism , all the great artists, thinkers, musicians , inventors and innovators of our time would have been labelled disfunctional by todays standards and medicated accordingly, you only need look at the way society has come to a grinding halt where anything other than money is concerned, or a quick glance at the manufactured and managed trash that passes for the music industry is a prime example , facebook is mark zuckerbergs money machine but also a great place for meeting like minded individuals and getting support , you would be surprised how many people you can find who are in a similar situation and have similar viewpoints , take care of youself and remember dont let the barstewards wear you down , its been nice chatting with you
Many thanks for this further example of heinous Atos Medical I will be ensuring many of my disabled friends with no internet access will be reading these horror stories and digesting the seriousness of these assessments and ensure they prepare accordingly
Thank you Paul and i think your last post says it perfectly, unfortunately i learned the hard way but, the upside is, i learned in the end and lived to tell the tale.
I respect what you say about facebook but am not keen to join, many friends have urged me to, i prefer sites like this one, i have been cyber bullied somewhat by ‘medical professionals’ on some sites for opposing medicinal science, i can argue my side well but it wears me down when several gang up and attack.
Im not easily defeated but need to heal appropriately first.
And no!….. Its a Thank You, for chatting with me.
medical professionals are well outnumbered and wouldnt last two mins with any cyberbullying attempts , there is a large and gowing body of people who are waking up to what is going on with the so called medical profession , there are many people who are helping others and clever educated people who are turning their back on conventional medicine and using natural remedies instead, i have friends who are putting their liberty at risk and treating cancer with cannabs oil and even though i am very much a skeptic on the fence the results are extremley promising and scans ae showing reduced and even removal of tumours, much to the dismay of many medical professionals who advocate poisoning there patients with cheomo , knowledge is power and there is a wealth of it on there, you dont have to join as your real name if you just wanted to have a looksee, i think you would find yourself amongst friends and accumulate knowledge and support for your concerns, i have certainly never encountered and cyber bullying on there over the last 3 or 4 years
It is imperative that you have you wca conducted in your own home
your assessment MUST be also be recorded
A letter from your GP cost £10 or so, this will help to ensure your assessment is conducted in your own home
if you are able to travel to an assessment center this will be used against you
if your assessment is not recorded the assessor will be free to make up lies about you
when the assessment is conducted in your on home it opens up the human rights act
the wca handbook instructs the assessor to use “confidence trickery” to make you think they are kind and friendly , this vile behavior can be used against them
i have been waiting for my assessment for 18 months 2 years since i completed the form
because the assessment will be carried out at my home atos must not
breach my human rights
my right to privacy
my right to freedom of expression and religion , i am a naturist
my right not to be treated in a inhuman manor that results in torture
i am socially phobic and agoraphobia, the very nature of the proposed assessment is torture
it is my belief the moment the assessment conducted i will be found fit for work
since atos is in-effect a benefit denial factory
the best policy i can see is to delay delay delay, until perhaps the law can be changed
make a very long list of (SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS)that atos must respect when they enter your home
attack is the best form of defense
ARTICLE 3 inhuman and degrading treatment (Ireland v UK 1978) (Five techniques)
it is now my mission in life to be the last man in the country left on incapacity benefit LOL
may the war continue !
Nice one b0b
Is there such a thing as thw WCA handbook? My friend next door has just lost his assessment and plans to appeal when he’s read the letter. He got a phone call yesterday.
Martin
Yes there is such a thing, here is the link to it, If you need it again or lose the link it’s in my links area on the front page???
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/wca-handbook.pdf
Little update where i am at
Still waiting for an assessment home visit date approaching 2 years now
have sent off my letter from my GP informing the dwp that in MY GP’S professional opinion as supported by the recent decision by the BMA to call for an end to the WCA
removal of my benefit will worsen my conditions and damage my health further
i also have informed the dwp that they will be breaching my human rights
articles 3 and 8
when the dwp (atos) insist on visiting me at home (my private sanctuary) to force me to have an assessment under duress with the threat of removal of my means of support if i do not comply ..
this clearly violates my privacy article 8
due to my severe social phobia any forced contact with strangers
subjectively in my individual case constitutes torture and inhuman treatment
article 3 Human rights act
i have been previously notified that the recording equipment is not available at the moment they are trying to fix this before an assessment date is set
i have written to dwp and atos informing them that it is not a problem
my support worker is currently negotiating with several manufactures of
PACE Compliant Interview Recorder machines, including the model used by the dwp ( Neal 9102 dual CD interview recorder)
should atos budget not stretch to provide such a machine for my assessment , one will be provided for them …
i await their response
i haven’t informed them i am a naturist yet LOL
i think one requirement at a time is enough for them to swallow
don’t wont to overload their little brains with decisions! decisions!
Its all just a game of poker
I failed my medical this year, I’ve passed it the past 2 years previously. I now have to appeal. I have mental health problems, high blood pressure and an underactive thyroid gland. I’m in pain, and I self harm. I have a very long history of self harming and overdosing. ATOS really are fools when it comes to medicals. Shame on them.
I failed my medical :’(
I failed my last medical :’(
The Doctor (he said he was a real Doctor and he the prefix Dr) was courteous and asked all the right questions and I was happy about it. He seemed more clued up about head injuries and PTSD than my GP. I am looking to get better so it was only a help really. My tests were serious enough for him to write to my GP on a standard form. The implication was I needed further treatment. I have not yet seen his Report. I should have asked for his qualifications and I hope I might be able to do this later. I still got the jitters before and after though. I do not know if the signs could be read?
Everything was the opposite. The Doctor was not pushy. Courteous and polite.
The fault lies in that some illnesses like head injuries have hidden signs and can’t be measured. Even a GP has to refer certain injuries and illnesses. The DWP have guidelines in the past, but I do not know if these are being ignored or not? These were presumably taken with NICE guidelines on board. But not to the letter as NICE guidelines are just that guides of best practice. I had no cause of complaint.
The decision lies with the DWP. I did not make my original claim as I was too ill to do so and my memory was screwed. I did think that things were totally out of my control. I just played their game. The Doctor suggested that it might be best if I get further treatment. Physiotherapy can be painful, I have found in the past. It did not help much either, but that is another story.
How long is it between the ATOS medical and the decision of the DWP on ESA and DLA please?
I have heard that this can vary between one week or it could be several months.
2 weeks ago i had my atos assessment have not been contacted by anyone but my benefit has just been stopped.left all weekend with out food or heating.Surely they should give you a date when the benefit ends. Going to appeal.
I had a medical assesment months ago, they wrote saying I scored 0 and stopped our money. I appealed and have been told the decision to reverse or go to tribunal could take months! I had esa and dla for years now, but just moving to another county seems to have messed it all up. The A TOSser also did not score me correctly, the form says can you be out alone? I told him I get lost even in my local town! Yet he still scored me 0! Where is the logic? Are ATOS lying just to keep disabled people poor? I definately think interviews should be recorded to verify what I have said and the response of a score of 0 awarded. It would also be very useful for me as I suffer severe memory problems and forgot to tell the assesor of certain conditions I have (crumbling spine being one of them) Well I’ve had my rant and feel a little better, but still have no money! Thanks so much ATOSSERS!
The recording of assessments is something which many of us have been campaigning for ages.
AtoS & DWP ran a pilot study a while back to look into the chance of rolling it out nationwide, the whole thing was a complete farce, you can request your assessment be recorded but they and i mean Atos will do all they can to deny you the opportunity.
The best thing to do and i know loads of people who do this is to covertly record any verbal contact you have with Atos, by that I mean telephone conversations and your assessments, they all lie, both the DWP and Atos, don’t trust any of them and make sure you keep copies of all correspondence with them….
I think I want to get a job to make me feel better and have more money. When the firm asks for medical reports and I exclude disability on the application form (I have incapacity for my normal work) I just hope my Doctor backs me up. Alas, there are too many people going for too few jobs. It is all in the air. Maybe, I should put disability on the application forms. I am not sure of the law? What I am worried about is wasting everybody’s time being sent for unsuitable jobs. I could be caught in Catch 22, losing my meagre benefits and not being able to get the job.