ATOS

[spartan300]

ATOS has now terminated the contract with the government and is paying compensation to them , so how does this affect us who are waiting for an assessment I have been waiting 5 months does anybody know what is happening ?????????????????????

[cat3]

Hopefully a replacement provider will be found at a time which coincides with ATOS's exit early next year. And considering all the damage they've done and the hue and cry from virtually every agency, things are likely to improve with regard to the speed and quality of assessments. Seeing the back of this draconian organisation can only be good news for all claimants nationwide.

Take care John. x

[sospan in reply to cat3]

"Hopefully a replacement provider will be found" - strange the first thing that came into my head was Lord Voldemort from Harry Potter

[cat3 in reply to sospan]

I'm not getting it sospan.......sorry !

You wouldn't care to spell it out would you ? (Don't know 1st thing about H.Potter)

[sospan in reply to cat3]

Voldemort is Harry Potters nemesis in the books, no matter how Harry Potter kept on getting rid of him he kept on coming back stronger and more evil - that would be Atos's replacement

Some Voldemort quotes :

"They never learn. Such a pity"

"’I'm going to destroy you. After tonight, no one will ever again question my power. After tonight if they speak of you, they’ll only speak of how you begged for death"

"You’re a fool and you will lose everything"

And much more like the DWP and ATOS sorry meant Voldemort!

"I can make bad things happen to people who are mean to me. I can make them hurt, if I want…"

[cat3 in reply to sospan]

Bless 'im.....................bet he'd be a pussy cat with a little bit of TLC !....................

[headwayuk Partner Headway]

Hi Spartan,

Thank you for your question.

It looks like Atos is to continue providing the assessments until a new provider is brought in. This is expected to happen early in 2015, so for the time being nothing should change.

In fact, employment laws mean that the existing assessors will be able to transfer their employment from Atos to the new provider, although they will be working under the new provider/contract rules.

Atos will continue to provide assessments in some parts of the country for Personal Independence Payment (PIP), which replaces Disability Living Allowance (DLA).

Five months does seem a long time to be waiting for an assessment - is this for ESA? I know there is a long backlog for PIP assessments at the moment, so whether this is affecting it?

You can read Headway's response to the Atos news at headway.org.uk/news/headway...

And a statement from the Minister for Disabled People explains more about the change at parliament.uk/documents/com...

I hope this helps, please let us know if you need any support.

Best wishes,

Headway

[spartan300 in reply to headwayuk]

If ATOS is no longer responsible for assessing Brain injured peoples capacity for work who is? I have been waiting 5 months now for an assessment, made some veg soup Friday forgot about it on gas ring again finished up with carbon soup .

[headwayuk Partner Headway in reply to spartan300]

Hi Spartan,

For the time being it should still be Atos providing the assessments for ESA. They will continue providing them until a new provider is put in place, which should be around the beginning of next year.

Is your claim for Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) or Personal Independence Payment (PIP)?

I might be able to find details of the office to call to get a progress report.

Headway

[spartan300 in reply to headwayuk]

mine is for ESA , I telephoned atos on a free phone number and asked why it was taking too long for an assessment they said there was a big backlog of claims and I was in the system , I said that my health had deteriated since I sent my claim from November last year , they said to contact my doctor to fax them the details, my doctor said rubbish he was not going to fax them anything that is not how it works and that they don't know what they are talking about as he has been dealing with atos for a long time , so now atos is not assessing people with brain damage they did not tell me that , I have not had any form of communication from them at all in 5 months I did not know if they had even received my claim till I contacted them? is this part of a phycological plan play mind games, to not inform us what is going on to make us wait , and hope we will die, it looks like that to me from what I have read and been told, no wonder atos and their staff have been getting death threats that's what it said in the daily mail.

[Danslatete]

I think we get capita or group 4 as a replacement unless that's who will be doing the pip.

The test may not change because atos have always said that they don't set the tests dwp do, they just carry them out.

I suppose we will find out now.

[Stardrop]

I would like to think that the new lot worked from premises which were disabled friendly, so the lift was always working. That the staff who saw us and the people who oversee them had a good knowledge of brain injury, how some of us look and sound really normal but.....

That you never got your appointment changed the day before or cancelled when you arrived with your support worker who has swapped their day off and you have travelled to an unfamiliar town and made yourself sick with fear or doped to the eyebrows for nothing.

That whoever the new company is, that they actually write to the GP/Consultant in a timely fashion so there is a comprehensive report for them

I'm not holding my breath.

[allright in reply to Stardrop]

Hi Stardrop....You make some excellent points...And those points, with others that Headway and members define, should be made requirements for the working practices of those companies that replace ATOS. How to achieve this?...Check out the campaigning website campaignsbyou part of the 38degrees organisation that is already getting politicians to sit up and take notice...Check it out. I have a feeling that you are the person to get this kick started and get a result for so many people!

[philstretchdavis]

I have been on their list to be assessed for ages now. I'm not waiting, I'm just getting on with my life. If it happens, it happens and I will deal with it at the time. What right does anyone have that you can suspend your life for them?

[headchild]

There was a map of areas where Capita would be taking over from ATOS sorry I'm not sure where I have seen it as it's quite awhile ago now - sorry -

Our area is Capita.

My daughter who had Sever Disability Allowance has yet to have her assessment.

From what I have heard anyone who are in receipt of this will be left to the last.

Don't worry about it just enjoy the extra time before it starts

[headcase]

I hear that the delightful ( and oh so genuine)Mr Cameron and the so Incompetent Duncan Smith are seeking to replace the French IT services corporation ATOS with an as yet anonymous German engineering company. They are still determined to help the poor and disabled escape the "Welfare Trap" and will instigate the construction of a series of gas chamber sites across the UK to enable this to happen. May God bless them in an appropriate fashion.

My application for PIP (Thanks to Headway Bath) was initially made on 12/7/13 and I received a letter stating the outcome earlier this week 26/3/14 (I guess the thinking could be "why spend all that money on Gas Chambers when we could just starve them out of the Welfare Trap)

[sospan in reply to headcase]

Wait until you see the government think tanks proposal to prioritise NHS waiting lists for those in employment. So if you work you get bumped up if not you slip further back.

It would be interesting in a lot of these proposals if you were to substitute a racial or religious class instead of "unemployed" or "benefit claimants" there would be racial riots across the country and numerous legal complaints against racial equality

[spartan300 in reply to headcase]

Duncan smith or ,, Dr Death.

[cat3 in reply to headcase]

Brilliant narrative, headcase !

[headcase]

Thanks cat

fingers crossed maybe this Con/Dem(n) government might, take a leaf out of the Atos book and end its "contract" early due to hostility from the electorate!