New Welfare Options???

[Shabbychic]

As many of you will know, the government is swiftly implementing Welfare Cuts, to the delight of the "Healthy", Tax Paying Public. They are paying millions to a company called Atos, to carry out these ruthless cuts.

Everyone on Incapacity Benefit is being reassessed, using an impossibly difficult to pass method, by Atos, and transferred onto ESA. The majority who undergo this test will either be found fit to begin work immediately, or put in a Work Related Group, which will be means tested after one year.

A gentleman called Stuart Wyatt has come up with a remedy which may help the government make even more savings, so has contacted Atos with this in mind.

This (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49sMJQVuqPA) is what happened when he called them.:eek:

[Garnet]

All I can say is God help us....I hope...top marks to Mr Wyatt, calm collected and brilliant.

[squidge]

Having had an exploding appendix last year just three months after a c-section when my daughter was born, I claimed ESA. I then had an infection which whilst no very serious was persistent and meant I felt unwell for some time and could not lift or stuff for ages. I was asked to a ATOS medical in January 2010 which was cancelled due to bad weather. It was then March before they saw me and I had just had a final med cert saying I was fit for work from 15th. I saw the doctor and told him I was almost better and he asked me questions and a fortnight later I had a letter saying that I was fit for work for the entire duration of my claim to ESA which dated from 23rd November.

On that date I was having bits of my appendix removed in hospital ... I phoned and they said I had to appeal. I duly did that and my appeal was successful. I finally was paid ESA in May.

There were two things about this that didn't make sense. How could they say I was fit when I was in hospital having an operation and how could they backdate a disallowance when they could only say they had seen me in march? I was quite prepared for them to say I was fit from the date of my medical because I pretty much was, but it seemed completely arbitrary to backdate my claim. Was it in the hope I would just go away? I think so.

[Carole]

Seems to me that he asked a silly question and got a variety of silly responses ....... until the last lady who was brave enough to cut him off. Would love to hear the conversations between those who took the call in ATOS after they had passed him on to someone else. Once they got over their disbelief at the question being posed, I hope they managed to laugh about it. Perhaps his call will be logged in their 'Strangest things the public say' book.

Why have a go at the little people in the call centre? Surely it would be more useful - and fairer - to take the matter up with the policy makers?

[Gronnuck]

Seems to me that he asked a silly question and got a variety of silly responses ....... until the last lady who was brave enough to cut him off. Would love to hear the conversations between those who took the call in ATOS after they had passed him on to someone else. Once they got over their disbelief at the question being posed, I hope they managed to laugh about it. Perhaps his call will be logged in their 'Strangest things the public say' book.

Why have a go at the little people in the call centre? Surely it would be more useful - and fairer - to take the matter up with the policy makers?

I have to agree with Carole. Call centre staff are just following guidelines handed to them by their managers who in turn are following instructions from their directors. The real villains are the politicians who created the policy and are now ensuring its implementation.
The staff that spoke with Mr Wyatt will probably have a laugh about it in their break and then forget all about it.
We mustn't forget that the other villains in all of this are the hundreds, even hundreds of thousands of feckless scroungers who have used the system to make fraudulant claims and jeopardise the credibility of the whole system.
IMO the new blanket assessment procedure is not appropriate since every individual will be different. If money is to be saved the grubbiement would be wise to change the assessment system to evaluate the individual and then award allowances accordingly. The scroungers would be quickly eliminated and the taxpayer would be assured that they were getting the help to where it was really needed.

[Shabbychic]

I have to agree with Carole. Call centre staff are just following guidelines handed to them by their managers who in turn are following instructions from their directors. The real villains are the politicians who created the policy and are now ensuring its implementation.
The staff that spoke with Mr Wyatt will probably have a laugh about it in their break and then forget all about it.
We mustn't forget that the other villains in all of this are the hundreds, even hundreds of thousands of feckless scroungers who have used the system to make fraudulant claims and jeopardise the credibility of the whole system.
IMO the new blanket assessment procedure is not appropriate since every individual will be different. If money is to be saved the grubbiement would be wise to change the assessment system to evaluate the individual and then award allowances accordingly. The scroungers would be quickly eliminated and the taxpayer would be assured that they were getting the help to where it was really needed.


I don't think it was meant to be detrimental to the staff in any way. Atos though, are not innocent in what is happening. There are many horror stories of how people are being treated by their staff at assessments, and not being totally truthful about answers being given to them.

I believe the biggest problem is that while the government (including Labour who started it all) is destroying the whole welfare system, all protests are falling on deaf ears.

For example, yesterday, Disability Rights Protests were held throughout Britain, but not a mention was made in the media about them. The policy makers, the politicians and the majority of the general public, just don't want to know, but many will one day, and then not understand why there is no help for them, and no welfare system left.

With regards to those who have made fraudulent claims, the National Audit Office estimated that for the year 2009-2010 fraud costs were only 0.6% of DWP's budget, so blaming them is just an excuse used to justify these changes.

I think what Mr Wyatt is actually trying to do, is bring some attention to what is going on.

[Carole]

I don't think it was meant to be detrimental to the staff in any way. ...........................I think what Mr Wyatt is actually trying to do, is bring some attention to what is going on.

Sorry but this is not the right way to go about doing things. You only have to read the comments posted under the You Tube video to see the result.