ATOS Origin is the French-based company whose UK arm, ATOS Healthcare is employed by the Coalition Government at a cost of hundreds of millions of taxpayers' money to supposedly carry out a fair and balanced review of people who are on disability benefits. As previously blogged here and a thousand other places, there have been many, many dreadful examples of vulnerable people being mistreated during cursory assessments that have effected more miracles than Lourdes, so much so that a recent report by MPs criticised ATOS's claims to be treating people properly.
This weekend has come news that a dozen ATOS doctors are facing possible disciplinary action from the General Medical Council for their off-hand dealings with disabled and sick people undergoing assessment. And one medical professional has raised concerns that, by working for a process that deliberately aims to achieve a 20% reduction in costs, Government-driven, non-medical concerns are taking precedence over the welfare of the patient, a breach of medical ethics.
Many disability campaigners have argued strenuously that a system that sets a deliberate financial target and then masquerades as a reassessment of individual conditions can never be fair or truthful. Much evidence bears this out - including terminally-ill people being told to get back to work and blind people being assessed as seeing because they have a guide dog. With ATOS seeking to achieve Government targets rather than doing right by disabled people, it has declared the overwhelming majority of those who have been assessed as fit for work, only to see around 70% reclassified as unfit when they have appealed to panels of genuinely independent medical practitioners. In spite of this massive failure rate, the Con Dems have continued to shell out hundreds of millions of pounds to the profit-seeking ATOS Origin (to be fair, Labour originally engaged ATOS and developed a very unfair test of disability, but this was aimed solely at new claimants - bad enough - while the Con Dems have massively increased both the cost and scope of the contract with ATOS to review several million current claimants as well).
There is some hope that parts of this sorry process may be revised or dropped in the coming months. While their Commons colleagues cravenly go along with their Tory Masters, Lib Dem Peers in the House of Lords have signalled they may vote with Labour to change the process if a motion on Employment Support Allowance is passed by ordinary party members at the Lib Dem Conference in a few weeks time.
In the meantime, disabled people will continue to be served by the likes of the ironically named Anthony Treasure, an ATOS worker who decided to use his Facebook page to make clear his view of the vulnerable people he is meant to be fairly and impartially processing in his job as an ATOS Centre Administrator: "Parasitic Wankers" he declares.
Given his employers' pisspoor record attacking the vulnerable and ripping off the taxpayer, we may be entitled to ask if he means his clients or his bosses; but we think Anthony has already made his feelings quite clear.
To complain to ATOS, please contact them by:
This weekend has come news that a dozen ATOS doctors are facing possible disciplinary action from the General Medical Council for their off-hand dealings with disabled and sick people undergoing assessment. And one medical professional has raised concerns that, by working for a process that deliberately aims to achieve a 20% reduction in costs, Government-driven, non-medical concerns are taking precedence over the welfare of the patient, a breach of medical ethics.
Many disability campaigners have argued strenuously that a system that sets a deliberate financial target and then masquerades as a reassessment of individual conditions can never be fair or truthful. Much evidence bears this out - including terminally-ill people being told to get back to work and blind people being assessed as seeing because they have a guide dog. With ATOS seeking to achieve Government targets rather than doing right by disabled people, it has declared the overwhelming majority of those who have been assessed as fit for work, only to see around 70% reclassified as unfit when they have appealed to panels of genuinely independent medical practitioners. In spite of this massive failure rate, the Con Dems have continued to shell out hundreds of millions of pounds to the profit-seeking ATOS Origin (to be fair, Labour originally engaged ATOS and developed a very unfair test of disability, but this was aimed solely at new claimants - bad enough - while the Con Dems have massively increased both the cost and scope of the contract with ATOS to review several million current claimants as well).
There is some hope that parts of this sorry process may be revised or dropped in the coming months. While their Commons colleagues cravenly go along with their Tory Masters, Lib Dem Peers in the House of Lords have signalled they may vote with Labour to change the process if a motion on Employment Support Allowance is passed by ordinary party members at the Lib Dem Conference in a few weeks time.
In the meantime, disabled people will continue to be served by the likes of the ironically named Anthony Treasure, an ATOS worker who decided to use his Facebook page to make clear his view of the vulnerable people he is meant to be fairly and impartially processing in his job as an ATOS Centre Administrator: "Parasitic Wankers" he declares.
Given his employers' pisspoor record attacking the vulnerable and ripping off the taxpayer, we may be entitled to ask if he means his clients or his bosses; but we think Anthony has already made his feelings quite clear.
To complain to ATOS, please contact them by:
- Email customer-relations@atoshealthcare.com
- Write to Atos Healthcare, Block 1, Wing G, Government Buildings, Otley Road, Leeds, LS16 5PU.
I am no fan of ATOS by any stretch of the imagination but is that site and that person for real? I'd want to be sure it wasn't a sick attempt at humour before clogging up their Inbox on the crying wolf principle.
ReplyDeleteATOS have apaprently confirmed him as a member of staff: http://the-newrepublic.blogspot.com/2011/08/atos-worker-disable-are-parasitic.html
ReplyDeleteHe is also one of two ATOS staff recently to post such comments about disabled people: http://blogs.mirror.co.uk/investigations/2011/08/atos-worker-laughs-at-down-and.html
ATOS have responded to my complaint with what seems to be the standard reply. It does certainly seem to confirm that this man is real and works for them.
ReplyDelete"From: R customer relations
Date: Tue, 16 Aug 2011 07:46:19 +0100
Dear Sir
Thank you for your email. We are aware of the situation and I can assure
you that this matter is being taken seriously.
Regards
Christine"
BUT DON'T LET THAT PUT YOU OFF - REGISTER YOUR COMPLAINT AND ALSO WRITE TO YOUR MP TO COMPLAIN ABOUT THE GOVERNMENT FUNDING THIS COMPANY TO EMPLOY PEOPLE LIKE HIM TO SUPPOSEDLY FAIRLY WORK WITH REVIEWING DISABLED PEOPLE'S LIVELIHOODS.