We are really keen to focus on Atos throughout the Paralympics,so any help from DPAC would be great. I am really keen to speak to disabled people who have had the following experiencing with the WCA:
- Family member who committed suicide as a result of being found fit to work
- someone who turned up for their assessment to have it cancelled because no health professional around
- someone who has inaccurate information recorded by the assessor
I am totally open to anything new – so please do keep ion touch and pass on my details (work number please).
Many thanks
Nina Lakhani
The Independent News Desk 0203 615 2103
@ninalakhani
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Hi,
I have had an ESA medical and a Mobility medical. At the start of both I received the usual talk,If something I ask you to do will cause you pain just say it is to painful to do so.
After the ESA medical I applied for a copy of the report,On this report it states “When ask to touch his toes Mr Douglas refused”which is a long way from “Sorry it is to painful to do so and also likely to cause me to fall”
Also on this report the doctor states that Tramadol “is a mild painkiller” This was an attempt to hide Tramadols Atypical opioid effects (Dizziness,Drowsiness,Nausea,Fatigue,Spaced out).
On my Mobility medical the Doctor in front of a witness stated “In my personal opinion there is nothing wrong with you and furthermore if you can drive a car you have no problems with walking” I was absolutely dumbfounded by this statement.
Contact the journalist, she may be interested in your story???
I just e-mailed this one & why the hell not? If it’s a war they want, then as far as I’m concerned they can have a bugger!
Hi Nina, I just received an e-mail from DPAC & saw what you asked for. Oh have I got one hell of a story to tell! I also have proof of blatant lies, arrogance & deception by Atos staff who recently concocted ‘medical reports’ about me. Please understand that this is just a very rough outline & I have had many regular assessments about this over almost four decades without too much hassle before now.
The first problematic Atos doctor I saw for an assessment at the beginning of February 2011 who concocted an entirely false report about me actually admitted to the GMC in writing that some of his report was false, he stated on the report he wrote for DWP that he had conducted a physical examination of me & even noted the findings of that fictitious examination, when I hit the roof about his report because it stopped my benefits & eventually complained to the GMC about it he stated to them that his examination was a “no touch examination” & effectively said; ‘so what if he had got it wrong, there was an appeal system’! I have a copy of his signed letter to them that they sent me, in fact I have every piece of communication about the whole farce that’s ensued to date about my case! In the end, the GMC decided to issue him with “Strong advice” about his future conduct, particularly regarding his honesty & listening to what he’s being told by those he assesses in the future! But decided that was as far as they could go with it because there was no actual evidence of what was said that morning. The tribunal for that particular benefit (Incapacity) I won 24/10/2011, thankfully it only took about 15 or 20 minutes. The DWP finally sorted all the payments out at the beginning of this year, but only after many calls to them & a verbal threat of legal action against them if they didn’t do so! I should point out that in the first instance, I did complain to both Atos & the DWP before I sent it to the GMC but Atos never even replied to me, even though I did warn them that I would take it further if they didn’t, their excuse was that they’d not had any complaint from me.
As I was also getting DLA in addition to Incapacity benefit, that benefit was also stopped on the basis of that report too around the same time & although I proved the first doctor to be a liar & his report about me false, the DWP still refused to reinstate that benefit & said I would have to be re-assessed for it as it’s a different benefit altogether & administered by a separate department. They even tried to tell me at first when I asked why it had not been reinstated that I couldn’t be re-assessed or even appeal after the first tribunal decision because I was out of time, but I sent them a copy of their letter of confirmation of my wish to appeal that benefit decision that they had sent me in May 2011, so they then said I could be re-assessed at home for it. I was assessed too & because they’d been completely dishonest right from the start I recorded it all on video! There is a sign at my front door clearly stating CCTV is in constant use throughout the property, so I really didn’t see the point in telling the doctor they sent to do the assessment that there was, if he’s that unobservant I consider that his problem!
Needless to say, the report that he compiled about me does NOT contain very much of the highly relevant information he saw for himself or that I gave him about how my disability that I have now that was caused by a very serious mining accident I had in 1975 where I had both leg extensively crushed affects me! Needless to say I was refused the benefit being reinstated, so I appealed, the appeal was heard 25/05/2012 & because I produced the video of the assessment the DWP rep present went into meltdown, stating how ‘unfair’ it was, so it’s currently adjourned & waiting for a response from both Atos & the doctor concerned. What a bloody farce eh? There’s a hell of a lot more to my story & I am prepared to tell it all if anyone wishes to listen & it’s not misrepresented, I have no problem at all starting right from day one on the 27th September 1975 to current date, including all details of the original accident, treatment over the years since, work record, life generally & most importantly the bloody DWP & Atos who I’ve rarely ever had a problem with until the past couple of years!
Please understand that this is just a rough outline of my story, I’m sorry if it seems a bit disjointed but I’m telling you this completely off the cuff & trying to keep it short. If you’re interested in this please get in touch & we can arrange to chat about it all if you like.
Yours sincerely. Steve…….
Well done Steve, the more the merrier…
Same here for the refusal as Anthony but I got no mention of if it hurts to much stop I was just told to touch my toes. Also on Tramadol which combined with Meloxicam is as strong as the doctors can prescribe short of MORPHINE!
On my previous assessment I was found fit for work and appealed but was unable to make it to the tribunal due to being rushed into hospital with lung failure a few days before, I had been coughing non stop for almost 3 years by the end and my O2 level was 48%, anything below 75% is critical and yet 9 months before I was found fit for work.
During that previous assessment I was asked to get on the bed and the assessor pardoned herself to ‘pop out’ of the room for a moment, when she got back I was sitting on the bed and she observed that I had no trouble getting on the bed but SHE WASN’T EVEN IN THE ROOM DURING THE TIME IT TOOK ME! This time round the assessor didn’t even ask me to get on the bed because there was a step available in the room which would blatantly negate her findings.
During the whole assessment I was constantly short of breath and adjusting my position in the chair due to pain in my back yet I was found to have no breathing difficulties or discomfort sitting, my lungs are almost fully healed now after spending several years on high dosage steroids but I still have trouble breathing when it’s hot and I exert myself like I had just getting to the assessment.
The assessor claimed that I was capable of driving a manual car for 70 minutes which is a complete joke because I was in a lot of pain and the journey took well over 90 minutes which made me late for my assesment, upon arriving I was flustered and exhausted and I was told that the assement may not go ahead due to my being late, I responded with the words “Don’t Start!” and I was allowed to have my assessment after a short wait. We were the only people in the room and the assessor called my name so we went in, had I been wearing my noise generators that I couldn’t find on the day due to a panic attack I would still have gone in due to being the only people there, my assessor wrote that I could easily heam my name called from 2 meters and responded adequately, of course I did it was a QUIET DESERTED WAITING ROOM!
My partner who came with me bacause I can not leave her alone in the house for fear of suicide believes that the assesment room had a double sided mirror in, I did not notice this myself as I was focusing on the assesors voice and gestures. All in all a shoddyily run system with bogus doctors (No medical training proof available) and I have only outlined a few of the points I am going to be making in my appeal, I am fully expecting to be on a reduced rate income support (80%) during the whole appeal process which means for the next 6 to 9 months I will be living well below the povity line and according to the Governments own guidlines this is illegal but they won’t care nor will they offer any further assistance like Emergancy Loans etcetera.
Oh and I was also told that the assessors’s report will be evaluated by a medical professional at a later date, I personally believe this to be hogwash!
I’m an American-born Dutch citizen now living in Sweden. I know of connections between KPMG and ATOS that I feel should be better known. They disadvantaged me and ultimately led to the privatisation of most healthcare in the Netherlands, on 1 Jan 06. ATOS acquired the Dutch and British divisions of KPMG in 2002, I think. I have the exact details and would be glad to report them. Thanks.
I am a disabled Lady, and I had to fill in a DLA80 form in May “Random check” I was told, why I asked, Becuase I was on high rate of DLA on both counts for along time, hang on a minute I am two years into a three year award, an award your own decision makes gave me, 11 weeks after sending through the form, I am told by the DLA that I am to be assessed, and then ATOS whom until August 13th 2012 I had never heard of, but now I know loads about that bunch of bully boys, liars and cheats, money grabbing “Barstools” (I told you I am a lady so I watch my language) so I then get a letter from them sainng they will assessment and they want to do it uninvited at my home, the hell they can, I have dragged my MP into it and I am making contact with the papers, guess why? Government publications all state “ALL THOSE AGED BETWEN 16 AND 64 WILL BE ASSESSED, ALL THOSE AGED 65 AND OVER WILL NOT” Guess my age, yep got it in one 65, so what the hell are they playing at. the PIPs questionnaire is one side and point scoring it dosn’t take into account the numerous complex and difficult mental and physical disabilities there are all it does is follow the Government guidelines and that is to get everybody of DLA. ESA. PIP, and AA thereby saving benefit money whilst spending millions implementing it. I am 65 and my award runs out in June next year so by their own ruling I should still be on DLA.
Guys..You are legally allowed to record your own personal assessment in any format, but you must inform the assessor involved as is their own right to privacy. Should they refuse? and they will?..your reasons for recording the assessment are that? you believe the outcome and final report will adversely affect your physical and mental well being, so you have the legal right to protect yourself from harm, (Basic Human Right). You also have the right to ask if the person who is completing your assessment is medically qualified/specialised, to assess your particular! illness? make sure when you ask that particular question, you record their answer.??most assessor’s aren’t would you believe.? hope this helps. Stay strong folks
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John
Thanks for your input, I’m sure the vast majority of us are now aware that legally you are entitled to record your assessment with your Atos HCPs approval, as you state the chances of them giving that approval are just about NIL?
I advise everyone to covertly record their assessments, If everyone did that and then published the said audio/video recording I’m sure Atos/DWP would start to change their attitude but it’s getting everyone to do just that, I’d publish their recordings on this site no problem?
Thanks again for your posting….
I have an assessment this week I shall record it and ask questions bank you I will be back with an update
Sorry thank you