Re: Atos Medical Assessments
An example for you.
My mum has emphysema (sp?), chronic lung disease, chronic asthma, osteo-arthritis. She uses a nebulizer 4 times a day (3 different drugs) and takes numerous pills and inhalers. She has to carefully plan her days to involve the least number of trips up and down the stairs. She can't even walk to the end of her road without having to sit down and or/have a puff on an inhaler.
Last year, 2 months before her 60th birthday, Atos decided she was fit for work. She would have to get a job or sign on for job seekers allowance. Her doctor was absolutely incensed and wanted to appeal on her behalf - how dare they question the opinion and authority of a doctor with 40 years experience, who has been treating my mum for 12 years?
Mum was lucky enough to come across a very sympathetic soul at the job centre (a rarity, it seems) who told her not to worry, just come and sign her name for 2 months then she would be on to her pension. However, at her second appointment it was a completely different story. Apparently, mum was able to work for an hour each day (in between nebulizer sessions and taking into account her illnesses), and the advisor wanted to know why mum hadn't applied for any jobs. Mum asked what kind of job she could do for only an hour a day, the advisor suggested, rather snottily, dinner lady. Mum asked if she had any vacancies for a dinner lady and was told, not at the moment... This advisor then went on to say, very nastily, that she herself had diabetes and SHE still managed to go to work. Where do they get these people...
I think it's absolutely disgraceful the way genuinely ill people are treated by this NON-MEDICALLY TRAINED group of decision makers. Thankfully, mum is now getting her pension (which wasn't an easy task, in the end, but that's another story).
Last edited by Angelai; 27-05-10 at 15:20.
Reason: UNFINISHED
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