The government have just announced that Capita (who own ATOS) have won the contract for PIP.
I can't say any more because it would come out as just a series of filtered words.
http://www.computerworlduk.com/news/public-sector/3373636/dwp-awards-disability-assessment-contract-to-capita/
Karen x
That sucks big time.
Thanks for info, Karen.
Oh no.... well, that's that then. Can't say I'm surprised. Horrified, but not surprised.
Hi, oh dear, more torment for some of us, eh?
luv Pollx
It seems like we have been $hit on from a dizzy height. Sorry about the expression, but this I show it feels. When I apply for pip I will post the findings as apparently I am in a trial area.
Mike
It seems like we have been $hit on from a dizzy height. Sorry about the expression, but this I show it feels. When I apply for pip I will post the findings as apparently I am in a trial area.
Mike
This may help-sorry
While it is true that the Atossers are not on my Christmas card list, they are only doing their masters bidding. The blame lies firmly with the Old Etonian Party and the only long term answer is to send them packing at the next general election. I would say the same thing about the spineless Liberals, but they are likely to be extinct anyway, which is nothing more than they deserve.
Not sure how reliable this site is, but might be of interest to those currently being Atossed.
http://diaryofabenefitscrounger.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/breaking-news-pos...
Hey Whammel
Bang on right there
From the Benefits and Work website
In a surprising, and for many Benefits and Work members deeply dismaying, decision the DWP have announced this afternoon that Atos have won the biggest share of the contracts for carrying out personal independence payment (PIP) medicals. A smaller share has gone to Capita.
PIP is due to begin replacing disability living allowance (DLA) for working age claimants from April next year, with all current working age DLA claimants having to be reassessed for the new benefit. The contracts for PIP medicals are worth up to a billion pounds in total and have attracted the attention of many multinational companies.
Atos have won Lot 1 and Lot 3 in the bidding for the contracts. Lot 1 covers Scotland, NE England, NW England & Isle of Man while Lot 3 covers London and South England. Capita have won Lot 2, which covers Wales and Central England.
Lot 4 which covers Northern Ireland has not yet been awarded and Lot 5 is also up for grabs, but the DWP have said they do not intend to use Lot 5 unless things go wrong with regional suppliers.
Atos are deeply unpopular with many claimants and disability organisations due to their methods of assessing claimants for employment and support allowance. On Monday of this week, the company was the subject of a Panorama documentary and a Dispatches documentary looking at alleged failings in the way they carry out the work capability assessment.
Capita, which runs the Criminal Records Bureau on behalf of the Home Office and is invariably referred to as ‘Crapita’ by Private Eye, has no history of carrying out medical assessments for state benefits. The company has been involved in a number of less than successful public service contracts in the past, however, including Individual Learning Accounts which were subject to fraudulent claims on an unprecedented scale and which were shut down after just one year.
Amongst the unsuccessful bidders for the contracts so far awarded are G4S who are still reeling from the Olympics security fiasco, Serco, Avanta, Ingeus Deloitte, APM UK, Reed In Partnership and Vertex.
You can read more about the award of contracts on the DWP website.
George
While it is true that the Atossers are not on my Christmas card list, they are only doing their masters bidding. The blame lies firmly with the Old Etonian Party and the only long term answer is to send them packing at the next general election. I would say the same thing about the spineless Liberals, but they are likely to be extinct anyway, which is nothing more than they deserve.
What about the party that brought ESA in before the last election ?
Neil
While it is true that the Atossers are not on my Christmas card list, they are only doing their masters bidding. The blame lies firmly with the Old Etonian Party and the only long term answer is to send them packing at the next general election. I would say the same thing about the spineless Liberals, but they are likely to be extinct anyway, which is nothing more than they deserve.
What about the party that brought ESA in before the last election ?
Hi,so you jusify what the coalition has done with ESA by blaming labour
John
Hi all
As our mates the atossers are sponsoring the paralympics, see link, does this mean they will the GB paticipants list to take benefits from them, ore even take PIP frm them next year, as they were fit to be Olympians
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/may/21/paralympic-games-organisers-...
Mike
While it is true that the Atossers are not on my Christmas card list, they are only doing their masters bidding. The blame lies firmly with the Old Etonian Party and the only long term answer is to send them packing at the next general election. I would say the same thing about the spineless Liberals, but they are likely to be extinct anyway, which is nothing more than they deserve.
Right on Whammel !!!!!
The fight now is to get Labour to promise they will get rid of Atos when they win the general election, and to reinstate a welfare system that is fair and humane, and to make sure they act on that promise.
(and yes agree, the lib dems are finished. Clegg killed them off)
Pat x
While it is true that the Atossers are not on my Christmas card list, they are only doing their masters bidding. The blame lies firmly with the Old Etonian Party and the only long term answer is to send them packing at the next general election. I would say the same thing about the spineless Liberals, but they are likely to be extinct anyway, which is nothing more than they deserve.
What about the party that brought ESA in before the last election ?
Neil
Yep, it was Labour alright, but I somehow doubt it was ever intended to be implemented with the savagery of this Government and if it was my stance would be the same.
I don’t think anyone doubted that something needed to be done about the abuse of incapacity benefit, but this amounts to the persecution of the sick and disabled. Wasn’t it originally introduced in the eighties as invalid benefit to help reduce unemployment figures?
From what I remember DLA was going to be left alone for existing claimants, but could be wrong.
While it is true that the Atossers are not on my Christmas card list, they are only doing their masters bidding. The blame lies firmly with the Old Etonian Party and the only long term answer is to send them packing at the next general election. I would say the same thing about the spineless Liberals, but they are likely to be extinct anyway, which is nothing more than they deserve.
Hear hear. The LibDems are finished, Boris will probably lead the Bastard party at the next election.
I really do hate this government, even more than Thatcher,but I'm also afraid of them, it's harder to fight when you're ill.
hi i was also told when i filled in DLA forms at CAB the girl said if your on DLA by the time the new system comes into play you will be left alone...could be wrong but i'm sure she said that
take care
baz
hi i was also told when i filled in DLA forms at CAB the girl said if your on DLA by the time the new system comes into play you will be left alone...could be wrong but i'm sure she said that
take care
baz
Sorry Baz, but it's not that simple. Those on indefinite DLA awards will probably be the last to be reassessed, but it'll come to us all sooner than we'd like. I remember a post not that long ago on here saying that lifetime/indefinite awards were scheduled for reassessment for PIP in 2016 with everyone else before then, but I think there is also the chance of being selected randomly before that. I could be wrong with the details though (anyone?).
K :-(
If ATOS is doing PIP then those of us receiving DLA are going to be royally (filtered word).
Its all because of this Governments austerity cuts. The French Government are implementing the Robin Hood Tax.
VIVE ROBIN DES BOIS!
France proved that Governments can say yes.
Yes to asking the financial sector to pay its fair share. And yes to giving money to help those who need it most.
The tiny tax of 0.2% will raise hundreds of millions a year from the financial sector and will, in part, be used to tackle global poverty.
George
I wish I were French right now too. They all fight any changes and their government listen. Just look at the attempt to raise their pension age to 62 for all, its been reduced back down to 60 from what I gather because everyone was out on the streets causing mayhem. Our poor citizens will have no hope of any pension and have to work till they drop - and what of what we were told some years ago - more leisure time with people being able to use their pensions for leisure pasttimes. Goggledigoop, we have been spun yarns forever here. Rather like nearly free leccy when first nuclear power station opened! My leccy bill aint small, is yours?
Are we the only citizens to be bullied in such a way our stress levels are making our symptoms worse? Surely bullying via government is against the law?
bren
x
It won`t worry the government Bren, they`ll just change the law,
XX
S
Not sure how reliable this site is, but might be of interest to those currently being Atossed.
http://diaryofabenefitscrounger.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/breaking-news-pos...
I don't know about reliable, but there is a link inside that one that takes you to a list of all the descriptors.
http://www.tameside.gov.uk/esa/wca
If one accepts for the moment that ATOS have to work with what they have ben given, then the very crude scale should be an obvious target for protest - as being too crude and too prone to error. A 4-point scale FFS. Even worse, it is an unequal interval (and one that does not fit any of the basic types of scale used in statistics).
Even worse, the scale uses discrete variables (0, 6, 9, 15) to try to label a person somewhere on a continuous variable (disability), so as to assign them to a dichotomous variable (fit or not fit).
So, how about an attack on the theoretical basis of the assessment descriptors, as well as on the people who are applying them?
Geoff
While it is true that the Atossers are not on my Christmas card list, they are only doing their masters bidding. The blame lies firmly with the Old Etonian Party and the only long term answer is to send them packing at the next general election. I would say the same thing about the spineless Liberals, but they are likely to be extinct anyway, which is nothing more than they deserve.
I love your phrases like "Atossers". I remember that I used to enjoy reading a lot of your comments a few years ago, I always thought that you are a very clever man. We have met at one or two events along with Lollipop and few others as well. I noticed that the ladies seemed to find you attractive, you devil. I particularly like your "Old Etonian Party" phrase, very apt. This shower of sh** we have at the moment have always worried me, I've had some first hand experience of these posh boys, they are incapable of making any kind of decision on their own, so they surround themselves with lackeys of the sycophantic variety. I'm going to stop there as I feel a rant coming on.
Anyway, I was pleased to read you again.
Bill.
I saw a programme on TV called "Disabled or faking it" and it gave me shivers after my problems with ATOS.
All I can say is thank God for Karen who sorted it all out.
I suspect a lot of people with MS will be seen as faking it.
My disability is so complex due to mental health problems and issues I suspect I won't even be able to fill out the form properly and might not fair well with assessment.
How do you explain loss of functionality allong with all the other stuff.
I suspect as I came of Incapacity benefit last year in exchange for ESE I suspect I will be up front for a new assessment.
Squeeak
Mr Mouse
Not sure how reliable this site is, but might be of interest to those currently being Atossed.
http://diaryofabenefitscrounger.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/breaking-news-pos...
I don't know about reliable, but there is a link inside that one that takes you to a list of all the descriptors.
http://www.tameside.gov.uk/esa/wca
If one accepts for the moment that ATOS have to work with what they have ben given, then the very crude scale should be an obvious target for protest - as being too crude and too prone to error. A 4-point scale FFS. Even worse, it is an unequal interval (and one that does not fit any of the basic types of scale used in statistics).
Even worse, the scale uses discrete variables (0, 6, 9, 15) to try to label a person somewhere on a continuous variable (disability), so as to assign them to a dichotomous variable (fit or not fit).
So, how about an attack on the theoretical basis of the assessment descriptors, as well as on the people who are applying them?
Geoff
It's unbelievable Geoff. Absolutely bloody unbelievable. Can you imagine the feedback you and I would have given a student who proposed such a scheme? Poor third at best 
Kx
Poor third at best, Karen?
No Way
That sort of incompetence should have been beaten out of a student at A level. In a University, it would have got an instant "Fail" from me. And, not a good Fail either - 15%-20% at most.
And that is not the first time I have seen total failures of comprehension in the area of Statistics in the civil Service.
Geoff
Poor third at best, Karen?
No Way
That sort of incompetence should have been beaten out of a student at A level. In a University, it would have got an instant "Fail" from me. And, not a good Fail either - 15%-20% at most.
And that is not the first time I have seen total failures of comprehension in the area of Statistics in the civil Service.
Geoff
I guess I've been beaten down on marking: we're not allowed to fail students any more (an external examiner once changed one of our third year marks from 11% to 45%, no kidding, and 11% was generous). It does no one any favours when all that happens is that, when they leave, they end up designing fatally flawed systems that hurt real people - and no one cares, because they don't understand either.
K :-(
I love your phrases like "Atossers". I remember that I used to enjoy reading a lot of your comments a few years ago, I always thought that you are a very clever man. We have met at one or two events along with Lollipop and few others as well. I noticed that the ladies seemed to find you attractive, you devil. I particularly like your "Old Etonian Party" phrase, very apt. This shower of sh** we have at the moment have always worried me, I've had some first hand experience of these posh boys, they are incapable of making any kind of decision on their own, so they surround themselves with lackeys of the sycophantic variety. I'm going to stop there as I feel a rant coming on.
Anyway, I was pleased to read you again.
Bill.
Hello Bill,
You have a fine memory, if far too generous with your comments. That was a mighty fine lunch in Leamington Spar and I hope swan (Silke?) and the girls are keeping well. It was great meeting up with a few other users of the site and pity nothing like that happens anymore, unless of course I am just not invited, but prefer not to dwell on that too long.
From our conversation about Krefeld Airbase, I suspect the first hand experience of posh boys goes along the lines of lions led by donkeys, but this is a wild guess. It must be tough being born to rule when obviously suffering from the effects of inbreeding.
Good to see you still use the site and hope you keep popping in.
Derek
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