Atos Medical Experiences
As i may have to attend one myself soon (they should have my ESA form by now) if I was feeling like I did last night very agitated, feeling like punching 4 walls etc then I may get thrown out of the assessment my doing a serious kick off as i cannot cope with this shit.
Someone who's had bad nerves and anxiety most if their life and a lung condition, depression, Ibs on top with crippling pains is not going to make me feel I want talk to these idiots in a polite manner. I have a short temper and if I blow a fuse it will end up with s panic attack at the end of it.
Any advice on anyone else's past experiences with these idiots?
Someone who's had bad nerves and anxiety most if their life and a lung condition, depression, Ibs on top with crippling pains is not going to make me feel I want talk to these idiots in a polite manner. I have a short temper and if I blow a fuse it will end up with s panic attack at the end of it.
Any advice on anyone else's past experiences with these idiots?
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That way, if you have an appointment booked, you won't have to wait too long after you receive notification that you've been found fit for work. And you will be found fit for work.
I'd advise trying as much as you can to not lose your temper or give them an inch. Any excuse AtoS can find to fail you, they'll use it.
Sorry I can't sugar-coat it, but I'd rather tell you as it is than tell you lies.
Also makes me sick that AtoS are the main sponsor of the Paralympic Games in London. :mad:
They even went as far as to say he had arrived alone and walked the length of the car park alone which is complete rubbish.
Quick question - how long did everyone have to wait after their assessment to hear the outcome? My OH had his on 25th June and we still haven't had a letter yet - is this unusual (can't remember how long it took previously).
Thx
I lost my home and had to move but I had previously put in an appeal after my doctor had told me I wasn't fit for work and I had been on anti-depressants all this time, Citalopram 40. I then had to keep sending the sick notes in. Eventually I was called again to Canterbury ATOS centre they were completely different in their attitude and they could see what state I was in. Some time later I got a letter from DWP saying I've now been moved from the work group to a support group ESA, so obviously I passed this time.
It goes to show it's just luck of the drawer as to what happens to you not your medical condition.
if you decide on a home visit they will normally write to the GP asking is this person unable to attend the selected location.
another thing people who use sticks etc its seen as a good thing because you have grip one lady who had both hips replaced and still need to use sticks as her knees are also gone was told if she could grip the sticks she can grip a mouse and use a computer....
its really sad to see these are not a true Genuine test of what life is like for you its more what they can 'catch you out on' which is disgusting.Reading in the local paper loads of people were told 'fit for work' all either won on appeal or at the Tribrunal.
One lady won the appeal 3 months later she was put through the entire thing again is that how it goes? just calling you back over and over?
http://www.bmj.com/content/345/bmj.e5347.full?ijkey=hCXfT1z84M6BopW&keytype=ref
Hope it does some good.
They do (well in Manchester) have non waiting rooms if they freak you out. Its horrible. Make sure you go with someone if you can. Thats not for an excuse but if you get wound up and cant walk in youre done.
I really wish you well, take all the doctors letters you can find, they will want to copy them.
good luckxxxx
So I struggled to the office, hobbled in on my crutches, showed the examiner my medication and warferine book and she tool one look at me and said, I shouldn't een have been called in, and that they'd review me in 12 months!
That was a bit of a chock, though I had been told it'd be at least 12 months recovery from my shoulder op.
Then a few days later I got another letter from them, dated the same date as my earlier appointment, telling me that I didn't need to go LOL
This depends vastly on where you live, I was failed at the beginning of May and appealed, I got my appeal through this week. I received a extra 12 points through appeal, even though when the DWP reassessed they said is still only deserved 6 points.
OP, I wouldn't worry too much about kicking off in that this is one of the descriptors, so if you kick off it sort of proves that you behave in a way that upsets others.
This was in spite of the fact that I have a condition that is impossible to fake, and the fact that all 4 neurologists, 3 orthopaedic surgeons, 6 gp's, 4 occupational therapists and various other health professionals that I have seen over the last 20 years all confirm that my disability is genuine, chronic and very severe, and the fact that the Atos Chief Exec has never even met me or seen my medical notes.
Re Atos medicals, I had no problem. The examiner was courteous and I was signed off for the maximum 5 years (6 months after my examination I tried to return to work, although I only lasted 8 months before I had to finally stop). I certainly recognise that many people have had shocking experiences with both Atos and the DWP. My condition is obvious (1 Consultant said that even an untrained chimp could see that I am genuinely unfit for work), but the tick box test is still often grossly unfair to people with fluctuating and mental health conditions.
200,000+ incorrect sickness and disability benefit decisions were overturned in the year 2011/12, either on appeal or reconsideration. That shows that the system is not fit for purpose from a decency and fairness standpoint. The Government are cynically using the tests to achieve their targets for reducing the gross cost of IB/ESA/DLA and their targets for reducing the numbers that are eligible.
On IB and ESA I read, a couple of days ago, a survey of employers where only 20% said that they were equipped to help their employees back into work after a long-term illness. Obviously the figure that would recruit someone who has "recovered" (according to Atos and DWP's rather warped understanding of the word) from a long-term illness after claiming IB or ESA would be much lower still. Many genuine people are being turfed off IB/ESA/DLA purely to save some money. Put into context, the amount lost each year to tax evasion is 3 x the total gross cost of IB, ESA and DLA, combined.
Losing your temper actually would score you points, being abusive scores even more on their marking guidance, but they still judge on their points scale that you are fit to have people work with you - unless you actually are a danger of assaulting others or pick up enough points elsewhere on other questions. The system defines unfit to work that narrowly. Turning up on your own, undermines your case for having problems going anywhere or without someone being with you - so taking someone with you becomes important.If anger/mood is a problem they ought to see it.
The basic rule is to tell the truth and nothing but the truth, but not to volunteer information that undermines your case and not to put anything down without necessary qualification. If you can watch TV but fall asleep or miss the plot the answer is sometimes but I often can't follow it - not just ticking the yes box. If there's a yes/no answer and the answer is sometimes, some places, or some people, your answer is no - and then to detail what you have problems with. If they insist on yes/no answer, say you can't answer it that way and repeat your full answer or say the answer is no and say when you can't.
Please do let me know who that scally is/was, Richievilla, by PM if necessary (I think I have a fair idea though - am I right or am I right
As other posters have indicated above, ATOS' mission is to get people on the cheapest benefit and not the most appropriate one for their health needs and that is deeply unprofessional.
It's also clear from the BBC Panorama and C4 Dispatches documentaries that ATOS and the DWP do have pre-set targets for allocation into the various benefit groups (contrary to Chris Grayling's bare faced lies) and that ATOS will lean on doctors who appear to be too lenient and go against the benefit targets.
If anyone needs help against these heartless ATOS scumbags, I commend the links below:
http://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/
http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1293271
http://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/index/getadvice.htm
I had the interview a few days ago; I have recently had a major personal trauma, & when I told the lady this, she was very sympathetic towards me, whether or not this will affect the outcome - I do not know. Suffice to say in the midst of this crisis, I do not need any rocking the boat from them.
1. Familiarise yourself with the descriptors for the work capability assessment. You need to score 15 points in order to continue to be entitled to ESA and it helps to have an idea of where you feel you should score and how many points you feel apply to you on that descriptor
2. If you have a mobile phone capable of recording audio set it to record before you arrive at the test centre and record the medical. Do not let Atos know you are doing this as they may refuse to carry out the medical (although they will claim it is you who did not comply with it). This will help in the event of an appeal. I scored 6 points on my first medical and on examination of my report and the recording I had made there were a number of inconsistencies with the information given to the "Doctor" and the information on the report - I was able to prove this to tribunal and was awarded 15 points on appeal. I scored 24 points on my second medical. They didn't bother calling me for my third medical and continued the benefit on the basis of my ESA50. By the time of my fourth medical my partner had started working and I wasn't entitled to ESA(I) on the basis of our income.
3. Be prepared to appeal. As others have advised Atos are there with one purpose, to get people off ESA. And they are prepared to lie, miss out information and do pretty much anything they can think of in order to achieve this goal. As others have mentioned the appeal service is bogged down with people appealing that waits of up to a year are likely. I had to wait 9 months for my appeal and this was in 2010 - they've gotten a lot busier since then. You will need medical certificates while you wait to appeal and they will continue to pay you benefit at the assessment rate. On the plus side when an appeal is won, benefit is backdated to the date of the incorrect decision or the end of the 13 week assessment phase (whichever is earlier) which can result in quite a nice sum owed (I was owed over £1k when I won my appeal)
4. If you are unsure or nervous about going to the medical you can take a friend or family member with you. If they have mobile phones capable of recording audio then by all means get them to use them too
5. Last and by no means least, try not to worry about it too much. Regardless of the outcome the medical, the tribunals service do get things right a lot more often than atos if it goes to appeal. Just may take a bit of time
You will be required to attend half a dozen or so work-related activity sessions such as seminars, etc. but you should not be obliged to apply for any actual jobs although in practice it might require the support of your GP on that one if you're not yet able to apply for jobs.
It can take quite a few weeks for the results of an ATOS test to come back and if they are too harsh then my suggestions are to get advice from the local CAB office about how to deal with the result, e.g. appeal, because that affectively doubles the appeal success rate - link here: http://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/index/getadvice.htm
In addition, it can be worth getting new statements from your GP/consultant about the poor state of health and present that at any appeal and finally take a look at this informative video here (which they tried to take off the internet and failed): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbWXG6Ho4i8
Worse is to come Atos have just won the next contract to test people on DLA, hundreds of people on higher rate of mobility will lose their cars.
http://disabilitybenefitsconsortium.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/dbc-pip-assessment-provider-pledges.pdf
About 2 weeks on from that you will get the form to fill in and you must get it back to them within 4 weeks, I'm shitting it as maybe end of next week or a short time after I will get a brown envelope asking me to attend a medical assuming I need one