Atos seeks early exit from fit-to-work tests contract

[calamity jane]

IT company Atos has confirmed it is seeking to end its government contract to assess whether benefits claimants are fit to work. ..............



http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-26287199




CJ

[enaid]

Re: Atos seeks early exit from fit-to-work tests contract

Yep and a good riddance from me x

[des8]

Re: Atos seeks early exit from fit-to-work tests contract

But will it make any difference?
Replacement companies being mentioned G4S; Serco & Capita

[enquirer]

Re: Atos seeks early exit from fit-to-work tests contract

I wonder how much they will be willing to pay to get out of the contract. Or will the government allow their French chums to depart for free? Possibly even with a large chunk of the £500,000,000 that the contract was worth?

Any bets?

[enquirer]

Re: Atos seeks early exit from fit-to-work tests contract

But will it make any difference? Replacement companies being mentioned G4S; Serco & Capita

Given how Capita conducts it's TV Licensing business, this is ominous.

[enaid]

Re: Atos seeks early exit from fit-to-work tests contract

None of this is putting a great deal of faith in our GPs and Specialists, granted there are GPs who are probably easier to get a sick note from than others (that's well known I think). I still think it is their job to give an opinion as to if we are fit to work or not, as opposed to a bunch morons.

[des8]

Re: Atos seeks early exit from fit-to-work tests contract

But Enaid, that's because you're a caring person and not a member of the IDS hit squad

[bluebottle]

Re: Atos seeks early exit from fit-to-work tests contract

But Enaid, that's because you're a caring person and not a member of the IDS hit squad

I think once civil serpents realise they and their political masters are not untouchable, shares prices for the makers of loperamide capsules will sky rocket.

[CleverClogs]

Re: Atos seeks early exit from fit-to-work tests contract

Given how Capita conducts it's TV Licensing business, this is ominous.

Crapita already has been awarded the disability denial contract for PIP across Central England and Wales.
http://www.capita.co.uk/news-and-opi...-contract.aspx

[CleverClogs]

Re: Atos seeks early exit from fit-to-work tests contract

I wonder how much they will be willing to pay to get out of the contract. Or will the government allow their French chums to depart for free? Possibly even with a large chunk of the £500,000,000 that the contract was worth?

Any bets?

When one considers that ATOS did pretty much what they were told to do - to faff around and to reduce the number of successful claimants to match the arbitrary (and unsubstantiated) "expectations" of Lord Fraud and the DWP - one might expect that they'll not lose much (if anything) of the millions of taxpayers' money they'd expected to be paid.

The claim about ATOS goons being "abused" should be easy enough to check. A request under the FOIA to various police farces should reveal how often - if at all - they have been asked to attend a fracas, affray or altercation at an ATOS assessment centre.

[CleverClogs]

Re: Atos seeks early exit from fit-to-work tests contract

None of this is putting a great deal of faith in our GPs and Specialists, granted there are GPs who are probably easier to get a sick note from than others (that's well known I think). I still think it is their job to give an opinion as to if we are fit to work or not, as opposed to a bunch [of] morons.

Some GPs have. alas, been indoctrinated in the meaningless drivel of the "psycho-social model of disability" as peddled by Professor "Sir" Mansel Aylward - link - who seems to have the idea that, if someone thinks they are disabled, then they'll act as if they're disabled and that, if they think they've been cured, they'll act as if they've been cured.

One might even wonder, in that case, how soon will faith healing, voodoo and other such quackery be available on the NHS.

The ATOS assessors have, of course, been indoctrinated in the same way but have also been taught that people with disabilities always exaggerate the severity of their condition so, to provide a balanced report, they should downplay any difficulties reported to them.

[bluebottle]

Re: Atos seeks early exit from fit-to-work tests contract

Some GPs have. alas, been indoctrinated in the meaningless drivel of the "psycho-social model of disability" as peddled by Professor "Sir" Mansel Aylward - link - who seems to have the idea that, if someone thinks they are disabled, then they'll act as if they're disabled and that, if they think they've been cured, they'll act as if they've been cured.

One might even wonder, in that case, how soon will faith healing, voodoo and other such quackery be available on the NHS.

The ATOS assessors have, of course, been indoctrinated in the same way but have also been taught that people with disabilities always exaggerate the severity of their condition so, to provide a balanced report, they should downplay any difficulties reported to them.

Sounds like that professor who had a theory about Munchausen's Syndrome by Proxy. It was totally discredited after a mother was wrongly jailed on the strength of his testimony. The professor is now languishing in unemployment after being struck-off by the GMC. Any medical or healthcare professional who puts a person's health or safety at risk by their actions, even if instructed to do, should face disciplinary action including their name being struck from the respective register should their actions so merit it.

[CleverClogs]

Re: Atos seeks early exit from fit-to-work tests contract

Sounds like that professor who had a theory about Munchausen's Syndrome by Proxy. It was totally discredited after a mother was wrongly jailed on the strength of his testimony. The professor is now languishing in unemployment after being struck-off by the GMC.

He was erased from the Register, but won a judicial review and was reinstated. (link)
Three years later, he voluntarily relinquished his registration. (link)

Sally Clarke, whom he helped to gaol, was freed and her conviction was quashed, but the psychological harm done to her was too great and she drank herself to death. (link)