Atos healthcare are missing targets for carrying out medical assessments for employment and support allowance by a huge margin, employment secretary Chris Grayling has revealed in a written parliamentary answer.
The average clearance time for assessments under the contract between Atos and the DWP is supposed to be 35 days. Between November 2011 and May 2012 it actually took Atos an average of 62.8 days to carry out assessments, which is around 80% longer than specified.
Atos allegedly suffer financial penalties as a result, though what these are is not revealed.
But for claimants it means that the majority are unlikely to have completed their assessment phase within the specified 13 weeks unless they returned their ESA50 form very quickly indeed. The financial penalty for claimants for Atos’ failure to meet targets is not receiving their additional component until the assessment is finally completed.
Grayling’s written answer is available here.
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I was still waiting after 7 months after they received my application. The day after I phoned them threatening to contact both my MP and the relevant Minister I got a phone call from Atos arranging an appointment. Fortunately I passed ie found unfit for work and the back payment came in handy. But why did I have to wait so long? When I get called again I intend to ask for the WCA to be recorded but if what I have read is true then they won’t be able to do this because their few recording machines are “broken” but that of course is another can of proverbial worms …
LMFAO….. I hope they lose out effing big, tho i seriously doubt it.
Its a damn joke all of this, who cares whether they lose out?, theyre, making a packet and have a several years contract to keep making a packet