Can anyonewho has been for an ATOS interview help?

[narla 10]

I went to an appeal today to support someone who in my professional opinion is totally unfit to work and found the experience quite unpleasant. It was like being in court for committing a criminal offence. I can understand that some people on benefits should not be on them but to see someone with serious mental and physical health problems be reduced to significant distress felt unnecessary. I think as legal and medical professionals, interpersonal skills left a lot to be desired. I feel as competent professionals the information required for the purpose of the appeal can be gathered without putting people (who are already suffering enough) through so much distress. As a professional I felt intimidated into not being able to support my client. I was politely told to keep quiet and was informed i would get my chance to speak at the end. I didnt. So i raised the point and made my point. Totally unnecessary and quite cruel. Anyway we won but I reckon it will take a good few days for my client to get over that experience. My advice would be to go with some support. Unfortunately the clients representative from CAB didn't turn up at last minute. I found it helpful to jot down questions and points to raise as they insisted on speaking only to the person who the tribunal was for and bringing up my points at the end. Not a nice experience.

[mikem8634 10]

I went to an appeal today to support someone who in my professional opinion is totally unfit to work and found the experience quite unpleasant. It was like being in court for committing a criminal offence. I can understand that some people on benefits should not be on them but to see someone with serious mental and physical health problems be reduced to significant distress felt unnecessary. I think as legal and medical professionals, interpersonal skills left a lot to be desired. I feel as competent professionals the information required for the purpose of the appeal can be gathered without putting people (who are already suffering enough) through so much distress. As a professional I felt intimidated into not being able to support my client. I was politely told to keep quiet and was informed i would get my chance to speak at the end. I didnt. So i raised the point and made my point. Totally unnecessary and quite cruel. Anyway we won but I reckon it will take a good few days for my client to get over that experience. My advice would be to go with some support. Unfortunately the clients representative from CAB didn't turn up at last minute. I found it helpful to jot down questions and points to raise as they insisted on speaking only to the person who the tribunal was for and bringing up my points at the end. Not a nice experience.

 

I'm sure it would have been a good deal worse without your support, good work Narla.

[TeaFan 10]

If you believe that every disability claim is legitimate, fine, if you don't, it may be that you are comfortable that the issue is being addressed. The methodology may be flawed, I don't know if this is the case. Many people who appear to have a problem with this appear to be the ones who feel they have been judged unfairly by the process, this may be affecting their perception (would they feel as they do if the decision would have swung in their favour?). As for the bankers, tax avoidance schemes, corrupt polticians, well these are also morally wrong BUT entirely different issues. If I stole £5 off someone, to suggest that my actions should be excused because I think I know someone else who stole £500 off that person would never suffice.

 

Then why don't you stop commenting. Do some research about ATOS. Then come back and comment.

 

What you've essentially said is that you don't know what you're talking about but you're still going to slate people on the Forum with terminal illnesses. Nice.

[sheff1johnny 10]

Im fed up of hearing about this tbh, ATOS, ATOS, ATOS. Everyone has an out of work friend on thier FB page who thinks the world owes them something, who constantly whinges about this, and compares the government to Nazis, Cameron is evil etc. Seriously, were all bored of it now.

 

If your fed up of it why comment. If I was fed up of something, I wouldn't even make the effort, still no worries as you won't be bothered to reply as you don't care.

[juniee 10]

did many of you catch last nights panorama, the great disabilty scam

made very interesting viewing, especially the young woman who was told by atos that she was fit to work if you saw her you knew that this was impossible and then the people who have been told that they that are fit to work are then sent to firms such as A4E., who also know that certain people are not fit to go to work but as they can make money from them they do not report this back to anyone, but instead do what in the lingo is called parking.

so now we have more companies getting rich on the backs of the ill and disabled and the

goverment sit in thier ivory towers lording it over everyone else.

one partly sighted woman went to one of these companies but there was no software of large print forms anywhere for her to use.

[sheff1johnny 10]

Just a note to help people who have to deal with atos, here's their landline number

01264 325540, saves having to pay for the call.

 

---------- Post added 01-02-2013 at 12:21 ----------

 

Further evidence is atos needs to be scrapped

The government's own figures revealed that 1,300 people had died after being told they should start preparing to go back to work, and another 2,200 had died before their assessment was complete, he said.

 

"Is it reasonable to pressurise seriously disabled persons into work so ruthlessly when there are 2.5 million unemployed and when, on average, eight persons chase every vacancy, unless they are provided with the active and extensive support they obviously need to get and hold down work, which is certainly not the case currently?" Meacher asked.

[Sam71 10]

Posts removed ???

[hotbird 10]

hi im due for my tribunal in 2 weeks what happens at these and who is there do they have all medical records and will I be better getting a note from the doctor about my conditions

[Viral 10]

A mate of mine is a doctor and does tribunals assesing peoples medical notes to see if they are fit for work (in court in front of a judge) one of the questions is" can you put a pen or pensil in your top pocket and then removre it? if you can, you are fit for some kind of work. he also referes to ATOS as "they couldn't give Atoss" they also get over £1,000 per patient they see, and £85 for everyone they get off benefit,

 

---------- Post added 16-07-2013 at 14:59 ----------

 

hi im due for my tribunal in 2 weeks what happens at these and who is there do they have all medical records and will I be better getting a note from the doctor about my conditions

 

Once you are refered to ATOS, thet don't accept anymore sick notes from your GP, you have to go through them and they decide weather you are fit for work or not.

[Itrytoplease 10]

Read Post No 2 on here, he/she is a bit flippant, but basically telling the truth, They are paid buy results, so their outlook is decline everyone they can and if they are truly ill they will appeal. The whole process is scabrous, made that way to put people off claiming.

[sheff1johnny 10]

hi im due for my tribunal in 2 weeks what happens at these and who is there do they have all medical records and will I be better getting a note from the doctor about my conditions

 

At a tribunal, the decision is independent, and it goes on a lot of what you say. There will be two people, one will be a medically trained doctor, the other is a lawyer. The courtroom is hidden away from the other courts. Ideally you would be best getting any evidence you can ready. They will not ask your doctor for any information. If your doctor can not give you the information needed, you can ask the chemist for a review of your medication for the last 6 months.

Atos are more concerned with your ability to work, where as the tribunal seems to concentrate on the disability. In an ideal world, it would be better for you to have CAB on your side.

There is a figure of 37 % of appeals are succesful, this goes up to 60% if you have reprensentation. These figures though are what are put into the Support Group.

Work related activity group, is what they may award, and this is good, not as good as support group, but still good.

If placed in WRAG, accept it, you will have a number of work focussed interviews to attend, I think 6 in two years. If you fail altogether, there is a higher tribunal, but as results stand. SUPPORT = BRILLIANT WRAG = GOOD

APPEAL NOT ALLOWED = BAD, BUT NOT THE END.

Anyway good luck, and try not to go alone, and write down some notes. If the questions are upsetting you, let them know. The main thing, don't get aggresive, but try to raise your key points, why you think the decision is wrong.

 

---------- Post added 16-07-2013 at 17:17 ----------

 

just on a further note, more evidence to show atos a target based company. Info obtained through freedom of information. In documentaries shown on BBC and Channel 4, staff say there is a 12% target. Atos say not, Dwp says not. Sheffield seems to says yes.

 

Between October 2008 and November 2012 (the latest data available), 28,100 claimants

underwent a face to face Work Capability Assessment (WCA) as part of their Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) claim at the Sheffield Medical Examination Centre. Of these, 12% were placed in the Support Group and 30% were placed in the Work Related Activity Group.

The remaining 58% were found Fit for Work.

Please note that these figures do not include incapacity benefits claimants that undergo a face to face WCA as part of their reassessment for ESA as information on the Medical Examination Centre attended is not available for these cases.

 

---------- Post added 16-07-2013 at 17:28 ----------

 

A mate of mine is a doctor and does tribunals assesing peoples medical notes to see if they are fit for work (in court in front of a judge) one of the questions is" can you put a pen or pensil in your top pocket and then removre it? if you can, you are fit for some kind of work. he also referes to ATOS as "they couldn't give Atoss" they also get over £1,000 per patient they see, and £85 for everyone they get off benefit,

 

---------- Post added 16-07-2013 at 14:59 ----------

 

 

Once you are refered to ATOS, thet don't accept anymore sick notes from your GP, you have to go through them and they decide weather you are fit for work or not.

I think you may have got the wrong end of the stick. Atos may write to your doctor asking them not to provide you with sicknotes, but this is still a doctor's choice.

They don't get a £1000 for each patient, I think a doctor could possibly earn up to a £1000 a day, working for atos. They are target driven, and are told never to go above 12% of people who they put in support group. The following may explain it a bit better, from a former atos doctor:

 

What's more, they have their own incomes to consider. When I was there I was paid £40 per appointment. If I worked hard, I could earn £4,500 a week.

Some of my colleagues pulled in as much as £5,000. They weren't keen to upset the apple cart and I don't blame them.

Even the civil servants at the DWP were complicit. They wanted to avoid complaints clogging up the system and, when I was at Atos,

Edited July 16, 2013 by sheff1johnny

[Itrytoplease 10]

sheff1johnny

There was only one person when I had my interview, Post 2 also states only one person present. Have you been to one?, or are you part of ATOS.

Has anyone had more than one staff member present, medical or otherwise.