Just in case you missed last night's Dispatches and Panorama - both investigating the real stories behind the government's Work Capability Assessments, used to determine if a sick or disabled person is capable of working or not - here are the links to the shows :
Panorama : http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006t14n
Dispatches http://www.channel4.com/programmes/dispatches/4od#3388055
Generally good.
ReplyDeleteBut why are the BBC still stating that DLA is for people who are not in work!
They could have reported on disabled people in work who are facing giving up jobs because they have lost the support they need.
tiggy
DLA is for people not in work? Geez, if they can't get the basic facts right, it undermines the entire programme. *sigh*
DeleteShould we all be asking our MPs to watch both programmes?
ReplyDeletePeta
Absolutely. I'm trying to find a way to download both shows so that I can put them on a DVD to send to my local MP.
DeleteI'll second that. It's not just the Beeb either. It's bloomin' tiresome explaining to people that DLA isn't means tested. That, and the old chestnut that sure, I do get the mobility component, and I am indeed allowed out of my cave....
ReplyDeleteBoth the Dispatches and Panorama programmes were a welcome antidote to the overwhelmingly negative barrage that appears every day denouncing the chronically sick. We know who the enemies are and this illustrated a truth of sorts (still with inaccuracies/omissions) for those who could be bothered to watch with olympic swimming competing for the attention of the sedated masses.BUT BE AFRAID be very afraid at Chris Grayling's comments remarking "if only tribunal judges would understand...." this should signal to all his covert intention to attempt a"NOBBLING"of the tribunal service and it's supposed impartiality/independance. It's already the case that the expertise of your advisor/advocate/representative and their familiarity with regulations and case law that would tie Sir Humphrey in knots is crucial to an individuals case being made clearly and cogently .These services along with legal aid are being drastically reduced there's already an indication of back room activity having occurred between DWP/ATOs at and before tribunal hearings that result in amended decisions before an appellant even enters the room to present their case. Make no mistake Grayling and IDS will be looking very carefully with their advisors at how they can "adjust" the tribunal process to suit the outcomes they intend.We already have a mix of tribunal judges some fair some foul some hanging some merciful I think Mr Grayling will be searching for a remedy to successful appeals which will likely involve a scrutiny of the composition of the tribunals to reflect a more "ROBUST"/"RIGHT-THINKING" character profile. Watch this space they are not about to fly in retreat from this thorny problem. For the dullards of Labour the Coalition politicians will take the flak for measures which they-Labour- conveniently won't have to take responsibility as more misery unfolds.
ReplyDeleteSam I thought the exactly the same thing when I heard Grayling say that. Made me fell sick.
Deletei doubt it the death toll is very high it could blow up in his face at any time in which the police will step in and they would do it behind his back he would be none the wiser
Deletethe police authority will only take so much suicide death that relates to welfare reform believe me
I wish I could believe you, but we seem to be experiencing some very extraordinary times. I believe we will see things getting a lot worse before they get better, but I am hoping for a change of Government. I think this is the only way we will be heard.
DeleteThanks for reminding me to catch these! I think that they should be force fed to the printed media of this country and required viewing for MPs. I am thankful that I can still work, and now even more terified of what will happen to me if one day I can't.
ReplyDeleteI have my WCA on Thursday. Apart from being terrified, I am very tempted to hand in my old spectacles and completely strip stark bollock naked.
ReplyDeleteGo to it, tell the truth, when you get home get your evidence ready and type up what you think will back up your case and print off to get ready.
DeleteI did this, and wrote down everything I could remember from the interview and had it incorperated into the appeal.
As all of the mp's i have emailed they are all in agreement in that they including my own tory mp do not know anything at all about benefits and never have done so that's a good sign at least it's honest
ReplyDeletenone of them plan to do so either as it's way to time consuming they tell me
my own mp thou tells me i know everything about benefits in which i say having lived by the system for over 30 years i should be an expert but their is still much to learn if you wont a gold medal (lol)
Careful. They'll tell you that you should get a job with the benefits agency ;)
DeleteSome good comment in the Mirror today concerning Grayling and the fact that even on 99thou a year the cheeky bastard charged us 109 thou to buy and renovate alondon aprtment.This despite his 1.5 million pound home is less than 17 miles away and he has two other houses he rents out even closer to the House of Lies .Now who is the SCROUNGER here eh Grayling perhaps he would like to meet us all and explain why we had to fork out for that place and tell him how it would as Kevin Maguire points out that it would take 20 years of benefit payments and enduring the pain we do to match anywhere what he billed us for just that ONE aprtment.WE all paid for his apartment and we bloody want it back.If 2013 it is his policy that housing benefit will virtually stop for a lot of sick and disabled people than why the hell should he keep this place when he only lives 17 miles form the House of Lies and has the use of ministerial limos to run him home.ALL in this together yeah right.Grayling should go now.....and next e;ection he just might but seeing as how most govt departments now have former corpoarate employed staff from such big players as morgan stanley etc it would make no difference as the torys are selling off the govt departments to these multis and along with that our democracy and all that is thier REAL agenda....govts run by big multi nationals whom they will be part of...scared you should be
ReplyDeleteI am sending this on behalf of my husband Samburumike, who is severely dyslexic and consequently very nervous of putting pen to paper (or fingers to computer keys!)
ReplyDeleteHe has been through the assessment procedure for Industrial Injury Benefit on two occasions. On both occasions he failed to obtain what our doctor and ourselves considered a reasonable settlement, and appealed. On both occasions the appeal was successful. He is now retired, and (hopefully!) won't have to go through the process again.
His suggestions are as follows:
The first assessment should not be done by a qualified medical doctor, of whom the assessee is likely to be in awe - after all, psychologically, one expects a doctor to tell the truth about one's condition! Instead, the assessment should be made by a qualified nurse, who after all would be capable of taking blood pressure, checking movement levels etc.
The Decision Maker should be a fully qualified doctor, independent of the DWP, who will also have before him the local practitioner's notes and any specialist's assessment made at hospital. There must be no attempt to impose quotas at either stage.
If the assessee then remains unhappy with the assessment, the paperwork should go to another (not the initial Decision Maker) doctor for review.
If the result still remains unsatisfactory to the assessee, there should be a tribunal of three doctors to adjudicate the appeal. One of these should be the assessee's own local medical practitioner. There should also be a lawyer who would be able to elucidate any points of law that might be in question, who is not one of the three people on the tribunal.
We hope this gives a positive approach to the way in which the system could develop, which will be fair, and seen to be fair, by both the assessee and the public in general. It would also relieve the DWP of any accusation of imposing targets.
i did suggest from day one some guidelines very similar to your own and my Tory mp said it was very simple and hadn't realized how simple i had made the process
DeleteRegretfully my process has not been taken up by the DWP and has left me as if I'm to blame for all of the deaths that have gone on along with all the tears
the welfare reform bill is very simple to undertake and for the life of me and my tory mp cant understand on why my views have not come about as you will not find any better however long we have to wait
as i say there are very similar to your own but with all interviews conducted in the claimants home this is to safeguard the unseen mental health of a claimant and to in general protect the health of all claimants and to keep a check out for any multiple fraud claims from the same address
as i say however long we wait my review form is by far the best as it covers all aspects for review and gives the claimant the most protection with regards their health it also gives the DWP the chance to make sure that all benefits are up to date and that each claimant is claiming all of the benefits they are entitled to and that no one was missing out or slipping through any cracks in the system
professionally i am a very highly skilled policy maker and have been from a very young are according to my references and an expert in small detail as you would expect from someone who served the governor of the bank of england for many years i just don't make mistakes i never have done and was never allowed to from the time i can remember
All this stuff now to me is just everyone in the DWP and government playing the fool and that is the only way it could possibly be seen the policy at this time is clearly wrong and causing much pain and anguish to thousands if this were a business or care home the police would have moved in and shut it down in the first month
There would be one major objection to assessments being undertaken in the claimant's home. Whereas, in the majority of cases, the assessor would probably have no difficulties, there are unfortunately some claimants whose friends and relatives would be more than capable of threatening, or indeed of making, physical assaults on the assessor, in order to intimidate and influence the result of the assessment.
DeleteAs an ex-Collector of Taxes in the Inland Revenue, I can assure you that such threats are a regular occurence. Indeed, I have been threatened with knives, coshes, and on one occasion have had a shotgun aimed at me at point-blank range - the last by a gentleman whose nephew was a Member of Parliament. Fortunately I was able to maintain a calm demeanour and to extricate myself from these potentially dangerous situations without incurring any physical injury (though I can assure you that the psychological effects were deep and long-lasting). In each case there was an independent witness who would have been able to testify in a Court of Law if the situation had escalated to actual assault; this would not necessarily happen with an assessor in the family home of a claimant.
The DWP don't have a problem sending Atos Doctors to do DLA assessments at home, and I haven't heard any complaints from these Doctors or the DWP about threats.
DeleteI was assessed at home by an Atos Doctor, and I believe it helps give a much more accurate account of the patients (clients) abilities in their own environment, and it also reduces the enormous stress involved for terminally ill, and housebound patients.
The DWP already go round claimants homes and have done for years all i am saying is that that when they do go round they can take a professional doctor with them
Deletei have never known of a sick or disabled person who would turn this offer down in preference of going to their offices which makes no sense at all if your ill especially even if your disabled it's most inconvenient
I would have thought that the revelations of underscoring by assessors,the doctor who was told to reduce the number of points he had awarded to a claimant and the other dubious practices that came to light,indicated a possible case of obtaining pecuniary advantage by deception by depriving claimants of benefits to which they are entitled.This surely warrants an investigation by the police.
ReplyDeleteTom Greatrex MP has secured a parliamentary debate into Atos and WCA on September 4th, according to the Social Welfare Union.
ReplyDeleteGood news - wish it was tomorrow, though!
The reform policy as it's stands now in my mind is to kill and destroy the lives of as many people as possible
ReplyDeleteThat has always been my view from day one and will continue to be my view having looked at all the evidence and i mean all
Everyone in the house of commons is just playing the typical British nothing to do with me gov. type of thinking and it's about time some very serious questions were asked about all of these mp's and lords as they come across as either as dimwits or very cunning you can take your choice I'm just glad i never have to meet these people
Sign it to try and help get a review into this atrocity http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/20968
ReplyDeleteI put a post up about these programs on my local conservative Facebook page - within an hour it had vanished, along with my right to post anything else on their page. Seems they are doing this to many others too. So much for freedom of seech and them working for us. But I suppose the truth and Freedom of speech are not things tories are known for being fans of.
ReplyDeleteDo you know someone else who can still post? Ask them to put up a message why was it taken down, what have they got to hide. As Grayling tells us, if you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear. So why are they trying to cover this up if it is all so above board as they claim?
DeleteI posted a link on a Tory supporting website to something else and that too was removed.
Contact Panorama and Dispatches direct about your experience - worth a try. They made the programmes after all. This really needs exposing.
Delete[QUOTE]Do you know someone else who can still post? Ask them to put up a message why was it taken down, what have they got to hide. As Grayling tells us, if you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear. So why are they trying to cover this up if it is all so above board as they claim?
DeleteI posted a link on a Tory supporting website to something else and that too was removed.[/QUOTE]
This is grayling going public so that in any court action he can quote that the genuine public had nothing to fear from welfare reform and keep his nose clean and off the hook
Well it doesn't as he and others failed to build in safeguards in to the welfare reform bill as their are many innocent sick and disabled people fraught with worry at this time and they will have to endure many months of uncertainty and stress until their appeal is heard and while many people wait for their appeal to be heard many will die just through the stress of it all
I'm very scared about my WCA tomorrow morning, this is my second one. I know what to expect, I am completely aware of how Atos, DWP do their business, or not. Am I too late to contact Atos and state that I would like my assessment recorded ? After watching Dispatches/Panorama, I feel extremely uneasy about even attending.
ReplyDeleteI think after the 2 programmes you might find the HCP is a little better at treating you well, than they might have been before. They know now people are watching. The programmes should reassure you this stench is coming out into the open. Certainly, you won't fare any worse than you would have done otherwise. But forewarned is forearmed. So be confident that you now know some of their tricks and be prepared. You can ask about a recording but they are saying at the moment all their recorders (all 11 of them for the entire country!)are broken. This used to be a reason to get another appointment but Grayling has put an end to this. You could try secretly recording it, if you have a phone of something that can do this. This is perfectly legal to serve as a reminder for you, but the tape will not be admissable as evidence. But be aware if they find out, the interview will be stopped immediately, as will your benefits. Try taking someone with you if you can and get them to write notes.
DeleteFailing that write down everything you can remember when you get home. Take heart from the fact that the programmes DID reveal what we all know to have been going on anyway and that is the first step to getting it stopped. Good luck.
Firstly, good luck.
DeleteIt may be too late for you to request a recording by now, but in theory it is still your right to do so, and http://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/ do a good letter using the proper legal-speak that you can use (if, God forbid, you have to go through this nightmare again). But I think you have to subscribe to obtain it. They are very good and I recommend you join if you possibly can.
Thank you for your advice.I'm totally prepared for tomorrow and any appeal I may need to launch afterwards. I sometimes forget just how much support I have from friends etc.Including unlimited legal support, and fantastic doctors.The hard part is saying out loud, to a complete stranger, that you have a life threatening/limiting disease, without bawling one's eyes out at the unfairness of it all. Is that questionaire thing still available, the Prof.Harrington one ?
DeleteYes, Harrington's call for evidence:
Deletehttp://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/harrington2/
See Sue's earlier blog from Wed 25 July:
"IMPORTANT: Harrington calls for Evidence"
Glad you feel prepared, and there is no shame at all if you DO bawl your eyes out in the wretched WCA!
Sonia Poulton has a petition/open letter to Ed Miliband for people to sign. https://twitter.com/soniapoulton
ReplyDeleteThe Sonia Poulton google doc letter to Ed Miliband crashed because too many people tried to sign, but you can see it here
ReplyDeletehttp://ramblingsofafibrofoggedmind.wordpress.com/2012/08/01/open-letter-to-ed-miliband-please-add-name-and-postcode-if-you-agree-with-contents/
https://twitter.com/soniapoulton