Friday, May 17, 2013

Whistleblower says Atos Work Capability Assessments are unfair

A doctor who worked for Atos carrying out Work Capability Assessments has resigned and has told the BBC that the assessments are unfair. He says that pressure was put on Atos staff to change the outcome of the reports.
But Dr Wood has criticised some of the tests which he says contain “dubious concepts and shaky reasoning”.
He claims assessors are told that if a claimant can walk from the kitchen to the sitting room, it proves they can walk 200m (650ft); and if a person can dress themselves once during the day that is proof they have enough concentration and motivation to hold down a job.
He insists these rules are not published in handbooks and guides, instead they are simply spoken about in training sessions.
Dr Wood, who was given special responsibility to champion mental health at Atos, said: “I was instructed to change my reports, to reduce the number of points that might be awarded to the claimants. I felt that was wrong professionally and ethically.
Watch the BBC Six O’Clock News report:



BBC News talked about this some more an hour later:



Tom Greatrex MP has written to David Cameron to urge him to order an investigation.
BBC News: Disability benefit assessments ‘unfair’, says ex-worker
The Guardian: Atos benefit claimants face biased medical assessments, doctor alleges
Benefit Scrounging Scum - Q: When is a target not a target? A: When its a statistical norm
Sue Marsh - What’s the state of ESA?

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