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Atos to lose WCA contract?
Guardian reporting that Atos may lose contract for WCA assessments
Have to ask, would this make any difference overall in the end?
Not in my opinion.
We all know Atos can be rubbish but they are just conforming to government guidelines and targets.
Are Capita any better? or Serco. Or G4S?
Typical government, blaming someone else for implementing THEIR stuff. Ho hum!
No
I sense there has been a successful propaganda inititiative to scapegoat ATOS; their removal will likely be implemented just before the election as a sop to the activist groups.
I feel it likely that ATOS will be hung out to dry as appeasement for Welfare Reform. I just hope it doesn’t work and the electorate sees this government in the light of what it’s done.
Yes, I would tend to agree that the timing is certainly very suspicious when you look at how they’re starting to prepare the ground for next year’s elections. Atos assessments have been, and continue to be, routinely dreadful, but the DWP decision-making structure clearly has no capacity or appetite to do anything about this situation.
A.n.other private contractor may improve the assessment process perhaps, but will the ultimate outcome be so very different, especially now we have MR to further delay the process and obstruct the route to justice for those so badly affected?
from the FT -
‘Outsource group seeks exit from UK £500m benefits contract after death threats
Persistent death threats against staff who decide whether sick and disabled people are eligible for benefits have forced the private company employing them to seek an early exit from a £500m government contract.
With opposition Labour MPs also stepping up criticism, Atos Healthcare said the political environment had become untenable and that it was no longer fair to employees to leave them vulnerable to attack.
“It is becoming incredibly difficult for our staff; it’s pretty unpleasant,” people close to the company said.
About 163 incidents of the public assaulting or abusing staff were recorded each month last year, Atos said.’
Atos now saying that in its current form the medical assessment system is not working for for claimants, for DWP or for Atos ..
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/benefits-uk-testing-firm-atos-3168142
Funny how Atos are suddenly being reported as saying they ‘want’ to give up the contract just as they were about to be given the boot anyway.
Talking of which…....................going off at a tangent….......... but not quite to the same extent as Helston Swimming pool in the 1970’s Paul, have a look at this attached response to a FOI via a local MP in particular the response to questions C and D from the DWP Information, Governance and Security Directorate.
I just don’t believe that the info re: mental health related appeals has not already been collected!
This might give adviser time to cope with the foreseen increase in PIP appeals,
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/atos-quietly-dropped-from-carrying-out-repeat-reassessments-by-dwp-internal-memo-shows-9151893.html
Government contracts based around statistical norms are always going to be a large part of the problem
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/dec/09/atos-disabled-people-assessment-fit-work-report
Talking of which…....................going off at a tangent….......... but not quite to the same extent as Helston Swimming pool in the 1970’s Paul, have a look at this attached response to a FOI via a local MP in particular the response to questions C and D from the DWP Information, Governance and Security Directorate.
I just don’t believe that the info re: mental health related appeals has not already been collected!
They did say they had info, but…............................£600…........................etc etc etc
Can’t you request a review? If they’re categorising claims by ICD10 category surely they’ll have a marker telling them which of those went to appeal and which are still in payment (i.e. won); it’s disingenuous to thin that they can tell which are still undergoing assessment but not those that have been to appeal and are still in payment.