Goog grief! Another govt ****up in the making.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/10661359/Atos-awarded-contract-for-NHS-records.html

havent they just bailed on the fit for work contract too

there must be some reason the our government keeps throwing money at these incompetent shysters…

The Tory Party has received £1.3 million in donations from donors linked to ATOS

I had a job application in for what I now realise was ATOS – I decided not to pursue the process.

Rather glad really..

£1.3M for £3bn worth of contracts, great deal for atos there!

Unfortunately this seems to be the way many big contracts are awarded these days, though expected it was far more prevalent in developing nations than in the UK.

I used to work for ATOS many years ago, they were a pretty decent company to work for then. It all started going downhill in the UK when they merged with Schlumberger, I left shortly after.

One of the big problems with a lot of these big government contracts is it is just a excuse for the government in power at the time to distance themselves from the nasty end of the sharp stick. If you look at the DWP contract ATOS want to get out of, the Government wanted a scapegoat to do a very nasty politically motivated job that they didn’t want to get their own hands dirty in. You can rightly point an acusing finger at ATOS for profiting from such immoral work, but it is immorality created by government policy.

Bang on MSP. As ATOS have repeatedly stated, they’re really just doing the admin for the DWP. The rules and the process were all devised by the thoroughly nasty and incompetent IDS, and his evil little minions.

The whole system is an utter disgrace in a civilised society. Its deliberately targeting and punishing the most vulnerable, the people most unable to defend themselves purely to prove an ideological point. Does anyone believe that after the shambles of its implementation, and the subsequent appeals process debacle that it will have saved a single penny? Probably the reverse

But that isn’t the fault of ATOS. The blame for this, among many other total cluster ****s lies squarely at the feet of the completely incompetent quiet man

I would love to punch his lights out, the shitty little turd. 👿

In the process of trying to see my local MP thanks to his Recovery From Estates Debt Management department. Have today fired off a letter to them as I’m no longer prepared to tolerate their bordering on aggresive and accusatory letters. Formal complaint process has begun, bring it on. 8)

Sue Marsh’s Diary of a benefit scrounger has many accounts of the utter fuckwittery of DWP & ATOS, who definitely share some of the blame.

Go get ’em CG!!!

Mrs Binners has worked with a number of disabled charities recently, and what the DWP are doing is absolutely deplorable. And its deliberate. I’ve seen examples first hand. Like a 60 year old, completely blind bloke being declared fit for work, then having his benefits stopped. People with serious mental illnesses being told to attend assessments in other towns, then having their benefits stopped when they failed to attend

How that **** sleeps at night I’ve no idea. But then he is a tory 🙄

binners – unfortunately most people just don’t hear about this stuff. It’s truly shocking how people can be treated.

Afraid to say that I also read about these cases on the health forum I use, it’s heartbreaking.

My current dealings are to do with them trying to claim money back from the estates of the dead. I’ve been so upset at the letters they send me saying that my late mother ‘may’ have been overpaid a benefit. I’ve had to produce bank statements etc going back 5 years, they don’t read the info I send. I’ve now absolutely had a gutful so they’ve been sent a shitty letter that will pi$$ them off proper especially as I quoted a reminder of their duties as per the Civil Service Act 1966. 🙂

definitely time to get your MP involved (if he/she isn’t already, or is indeed IDS). Works wonders IME.

Added to that, I’m trying to make contact with the Police about another matter. Do you think I can find anyone who actually wants to listen to me? Being pushed from pillar to post. 😐

My partner worked for them, pre the DWP debacle, and became ill due to the ‘targets’. As she believed in being a health professional & doing a good job – which she did not believe was possible given the time scales. She has been approached by agency’s since, and has turned down offers to work for them again.. the agency’s replies aren’t nasty more a.. “oh you’ve worked for them before?”
Again I’ve heard 1st hand stories of the DWP interviews “oh, so you managed to turn up for the interview, so your fit to work then…”
I shall be opting out for letting them anywhere near my data..

It seems CG like the whole DWP operation is now completely ideologically fuelled to fit into the narrative they’ve been so furiously peddling (with a compliant right wing press revelling in it) that everyone on benefits is a scrounger, and its just a case of catching them out

The better half has had to deal with genuinely vulnerable people who are being caused endless stress, hardship and misery as a result of this completely heartless and dishonest zealotry. Though I’m sure IDS and his chums couldn’t care less. If it all goes to plan they’ll be able to hand their mates some more tax breaks before the next election

Its all about priorities after all. Despite us all being in this together

don’t get me started on those (bleep wits 😡

The whole ATOS fit-for-work thing is one of the most shameful aspects of this government – thousands of people having their lives ruined for ideological Daily Mail-appeasing that doesn’t even save any money.

Glad its not just me, Lol This lying underhanded incompitent company and the govt they work for are a collective Disgrace!

there must be some reason the our government keeps throwing money at these incompetent shysters…

Yep, you need to be a certain size/scale to be able to tick all the boxes for any Govt procurement contract, and meet deadlines – and have the actual resources/money to both bid (and lose).

Consequentially there are only a limited number of companies who can be chosen for pretty much any project – therefore any of those companies will continue to win contracts.

And of course they need to secure their directorships for when they get voted out.

E-mail’s been sent to local MP and his office has been called for an appointment. Assistant sighed audibly when the words DWP Benefits Recovery were mentioned and indicated that, yes, he’s had complaints before. 😐

Consequentially there are only a limited number of companies who can be chosen for pretty much any project – therefore any of those companies will continue to win contracts.

It is as if you think that the government has to sell off services and outsource everything. 😆

I accept that new IT projects do not just get built out of nothing, but kimbers’ point is surely about all the other things that atos/serco/g4s/virgin make a profit out of taxpayers and squirrel it away overseas provide that public servants used to do. The game in investing £1.3 million is as jch about getting governments to put as much out to tender as possible as it is about who wins the tender this time around.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-26356623

aint privatisation great!?

Backlogs of thousands of cases had built up in trial areas due to delays in assessment by private firms.

It found claimants were waiting an average of 107 days, and terminally-ill patients 28 days, for a decision on their cases – rather than the predicted processing times of 74 days and 10 days respectively.

It also suggested each new PIP claim costed an average of £182 to administer, compared with £49 under DLA.

The systematic destruction of the benefits system is Exactly what the gvts want, and they seem to be succeeding day by day, shamefull and Dangerous (for the people anyways)

I’m trying to make contact with the Police about another matter.

Tell them you’ve been speeding, otherwise they aren’t interested.

This is exactly why I’m all for Scottish Independence. I honestly believe no Scottish government would ever let this happen.

If you had a chance to step away from Westminster politics, wouldn’t you take it?

It’s a moral issue for me – and everything that’s happened with benefit reform is abhorrent. And voted Tory or not, it’s being done in your name.

The charity I am a trustee of has many of its workers spending all their time supporting appeals against Employment Support Allowance decisions. This means that they are unable to provide advice and support to other needy clients.

There have been some appalling cases I am aware of – one client committed suicide because of the trauma of the process, another client who had a leg amputated through cancer had her ESA application declined initially until our charity supported a successful appeal. This individual had been a hard-working, taxing-paying middle aged person until struck down by cancer – she gave a very powwerful interview to the local BBC News about her appalling experience at the hands of the DWP / ATOS.

What is also annoying is that despite well-reported cases of serious fraud (e.g. Serco, G4S, A4E) these organisations still get awarded lucrative government contracts.

In a coma and fit for work…

My theory is you will always find more than one MP linked to having shares or involvements with all these companies that are screwing peoples lives over!

Their corruption Stinks Chris! It sickens me to my stomach the way this country is going!
Im glad im as old as i am because i would HATE to be young and growing up now.

Yes. And they won’t even realise anything’s wrong until it’s too late. Too busy buying stuff and chasing the massive carrot on a string that is ‘getting on the property ladder’.

For anyone interested in opting out of the NHS medical records thing:

The Big Opt Out

Like a 60 year old, completely blind bloke being declared fit for work, then having his benefits stopped.

Last time I looked retirement age was 65 and being blind doesn’t stop you working. I have worked with visually impaired people,cancer sufferers and survivors,amputees,epileptics,wheelchair users ,stroke victims, heart attack victims etc at nearly all of my workplaces.
And binners (and others)don’t let your prejudice against IDS and the Tories(which I happen to agree with btw :wink:)get in the way of the facts. The majority of the changes to the welfare system are supported by all the main parties.Most of the testing that ATOS carry out was in place before the last election as were the planned changes that incur such ire, in pilot areas prior to rollout.

Just because it was in place before the tories doesn’t make it moraly right, humanity has no place in ‘their’ all business world and the poorest and sickest suffer the most! Adolf was vilified for treating people like they do.

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/feb/28/man-starved-to-death-after-benefits-cut?CMP=fb_gu

Sickening! The list of atos Victims goes on and nothing is being done.
This country should hang its Brainwashed head in shame.

Last time I looked retirement age was 65 and being blind doesn’t stop you working. I have worked with visually impaired people,cancer sufferers and survivors,amputees,epileptics,wheelchair users ,stroke victims, heart attack victims etc at nearly all of my workplaces.

I’m genuinely pleased to hear you have Nick, because plenty of workplaces still do discriminate, and if you put down a serious health condition or disability on your application form, you won’t even get an interview. They say that stuff is anonymous – it isn’t. And lets not go there for people who have a mental health condition. Plenty of people are “managed out” of their jobs who are ill, and this affects the mentally ill quite a lot more. So the workplace doesn’t want you, but neither does the state want to support you.

Bottom line is, most workplaces are run along the lines of ensuring maximum profitability, which means a low cost operating model. Adaptations for people with disabilities or illnesses cost money. The Access to Work fund has been cut, and it’s difficult to get anything from it, so there is little incentive for employers to remove barriers to work. Some, of course, are great, and employees are able to return to work after serious illnesses, accidents or injuries, and they do take on people with disabilities and health conditions. But many won’t even consider it, because they think you will just be an absentee sick note.

not just Atos, they are just symptomatic of the governments attack on those at the bottom

http://stupidsanctions.tumblr.com/

the government aren’t doing a very good job of “attacking those at the bottom” when:

– they have raised the tax free amount by 20% for the lowest paid
– those with the highest incomes are now paying a significantly greater share of tax than 5 years ago
– the top 1% of earners pay 30% of all tax
– the top 10% pay 40% of all tax
– the income equality gap is smaller now than 5 years ago
– anyone earning £28K or less is now receiving more in services / tax credits than they pay in tax.

You do have to admire the sheer determination of the guy who decided to sanction someone for not completing a fitness to work assessment as they had a heart attack during the assessment so had to stop.

the government aren’t doing a very good job of “attacking those at the bottom”

They really are, you know. Most of the stuff you’ve listed there is pretty much irrelevant. And frankly a lot of it sounds pretty dubious, to say the least. The DWP has been constantly castigated for issuing misleading guff like that, to justify their assaults on the poor

If you think earning 28k is ‘the bottom’ then you’re living on a different planet to those who really are at the bottom. The ones who genuinely are – and we are talking about sick and disabled people here, and everyone on benefits – have been relentlessly demonised as ‘scroungers’ and then attacked pretty much relentlessly by being penalised by cumulative changes. Its death by a thousand cuts, and its morally repugnant

Don’t listen to me though, I’m just a bleating lefty. this pretty much sums it up

I was assessed. The guy was an arsehole. Patronising trying to make out it’s my fault and that I was lazy.I completely lost it and wanted to rip his face off. Luckily my social worker was there to stop me. I got nothing.
This bloody government/health authoroties are doing a fantastic job.
My consultant was removed due to budget costs.
From being assessed monthly for my bipolar the last time I was seen was November and my next appointment was supposed to be April. This only changed when I started to self harm again.
Nobody gives a shit if you’re sick anymore.