Comments on: Atos: tick-box tyranny

By: Gattaca

Gattaca — Sat, 02 Jul 2011 23:02:42 +0000

I had an occupational health assessment with Atos which was really rather good. I saw a doctor because of stress I was experiencing; this resulted in a diagnosis of dyslexia and a workplace assessment; because of this I got text to speach software and other help at work…and things are now going really well.

By: HONEYBEE

HONEYBEE — Mon, 30 May 2011 12:37:09 +0000

needless to say I went back to work within a couple of weeks and found I was fine once I wasn’t worried about having no income anymore.

By: HONEYBEE

HONEYBEE — Mon, 30 May 2011 12:35:21 +0000

many Atos doctors are not even experts in that field eg a mental health assessment done bya doctor with no psychiatric experience. Whilst working for a govt dept I was off sick so longI went onto ESA. I therefore had a staff medical with Atos and an ESA medical with Atos within a fortnight. The work medical doctor said I was unfit for work and he suspected I had a personality disorder( I didn’t- he was totally unqualified in mental health). the ESA medical found me fit for work. Work couldn’t take me back and ESA stopped paying me so I had no income at all. Both Atos doctors based at the same offices.Thanks Atos!

By: stan

stan — Thu, 12 May 2011 11:46:29 +0000

Look at the Statistics from Oct 2008 to April 2011
The month on month results are virtually the same.
6% of claimants will be placed in the support group in May 2011,June 2011,July 2011,August 2011 on and on the same results.
How is it possible with so many variables the numbers never change.
The required results MUST be preset into the computer programme ,with each assessment office conected to a central server.
Assessments are done at approx 150 centres constantly how then are these figures arrived at without manipulation, it is immpossible.
Atos and the DWP have now stated in letters and FOI answers The Atos HCP’s do award points, this is a turn round in imformation from the early days when they said only the DM awards points.
The points gathering is the criteria to pass, 15 being the magic number,If it is Atos who award the points ,WHO THEN MAKES THE DECISIONS?????????????

By: Robert

Robert — Mon, 02 May 2011 18:54:13 +0000

Mozza once your disabled you cannot get insurance UNUM Provident are all about medical insurance and then not paying it out, which is you look at both Labour and the Tories we are heading down that road.

I’m disabled the fact is the help which labour stated was forthcoming was ended because it was to expensive.

I have been seeking work now for ten years and to be honest the only help I have was to be told you have no chance…

By: ron chester

ron chester — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 19:04:17 +0000

i have been looking into this company..i found that they did a network job for trafford hospital..when i tried to go to their site it came up with a warning ‘DO NOT ENTER site uncertified’ so, as well as being rubbish at the medical assessment they are rubbish at the hit tech end too…
btw am alarmed to see deloitte (tax avoidance advisers re vodafone) now getting into bed the welfare to work company Ingeus..(created by ex DWP guy) you can hear that tax payers money being hooverd up already

By: frances

frances — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 11:21:05 +0000

CarerWatch is a group of unpaid family carers. Carerwatch are dismayed by the alarm and fear the roll out of ESA is causing our members. CarerWatch do not think ESA is fit for purpose and think the roll out should be halted until it is made fit for purpose.

The Welfare Reform Act says that any one allocated to ESA has a condition which makes it unreasonable to require them to work. If this is a long term condition they will always have barriers to finding and keeping work. The WRAG is a half way house – it is time limited and people will be sanctioned and forced off benefits. It is effectively requiring people to work which is illogical when this has been declared unreasonable. The WRAG should revert to its original role of a rehabilitation group for people who will get better

People with long term disability should be helped back to work from the Support Group.

With this one simple change to ESA the fear would go. ESA could become an excellent initiative to help people work and once the fear is removed people with long term disability might take a more positive approach and take a few risks to try and work

http://carerwatch.com/latestcampaigns/

By: Mozza

Mozza — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 10:29:38 +0000

Interesting if outdated piece. You didn’t mention the union between Atos and UNUM – another corporate giant – that is planning to flood the UK with income preotection insurance for when people become disabled and need help – and this will happen as soon as the UK have worked out that Lord Freud is working very hard to remove welfare funding from the UK budget.
‘Atos Healthcare or Disability Denial Factories’ gives more info and is on the above website.
The website detailing the tyranny imposed on a man dying with a brain tumour can be found at another website:www.whywaitforever.com/html

By: Andy

Andy — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 22:03:22 +0000

It was actually SEMA who were the original contractors for carrying out medical exams, they took over the former Benefits Agency Medical Service.

It’s worth noting however that while Atos design the software and actually do the assessments, the misery is caused as much by the actual test they are told to carry out and that’s down to the politicians.

In fact, despite the reassuring words that the government would follow all Prof Harrington’s recommendations, all that has happened is that they have introduced a stricter version of the test, the design of which began under the previous government.

By: Activist

Activist — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 11:53:22 +0000

Quote from the above article “Despite its poor record, Atos – a French multinational with offices all over the world – keeps on winning contracts. It has expanded quickly by buying up smaller companies, including KPMG Consulting and Sema Group in the UK”.

Th above happens all the time, and has been going on for years. Look at A4e, JHP Employability, Ingeus, Reed in Partnership and the rest of the private sector cowboys contracted to run job-programmes for the unemployed in the UK by Labour and now the Con-Dems . Poor results – followed by poor results time and time again! All paid for by taxpayers money!!