uk social policy & the issues pertaining to Atos

I have tonight completed my Atos form prior to my next assessment, this will be my third assessment since 2005/6ish.
When I had my 1st assessment I didn't fully understand the content of what had been said about me, some of the terminology was not in my vocabulary and additionally I knew nothing about the DSM ,The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the set of rules, the criteria used for assessing mental conditions, I learned about that in 2006-2008 while studying Helth & socail welfare & socail policy at Wolverhampron university.

http://psychology.about.com/od/psychotherapy/f/faq_dsm.htm

Truth is I don't know what made ask for a copy of my assessment  to be sent to me at that time, i guess it was intuition.
When it arrived I glanced over it and put it away somewhere, it was quite some time later I went back and looked over it, I was infuriated at what had been said , and also at the fact that much of what I had answered had actually been twisted , I can categorically remember the answers I gave at the time, the position I was sitting in the desk, the room, the doctor, I remember these things and although they would be different to how I would answer them now, there is no doubt that they did not align with the assessment made.
As it happened, I was deemed unfit for work at that time, by the time the assessment had come through I had already made the decision to go to university, and made the application.

I had worked in various sectors of care previous to the depressive episode that had stopped me from working & and lead to that 1st assessment.

I have suffered from various mental health problems since I was a child, not all of them diagnosed or recorded. Although there were various health issues that were investigated from childhood that I can now recognise as being related to some of the issues & emotional traumas I experienced.
 I was, as a child deemed to have what was then called lots of nervous energy, I was excitably, also fainted in some situations as a reaction to certain things and my mum once said that a doctor had said I was super sensitive and that was why I reacted in certain ways to certain thing. These days I have no doubt many children like I was are diagnosed with adhd & shoved on Ritalin, I was fortunate, and had a busy programme of activities that I imagine heled not only give my mum a bit of space from me when I was at them but helped me channel my energy gave me interests to occupy my mind.

I have in my life been diagnosed with anorexia nervosa, clinical depression, anxiety and bipolar.
I am neither embarrassed or ashamed of this, although that has not always been the case, I readily admit that I can be very emotional but I have also learned how to wear a mask, that hides what I am feeling behind a smile or sometimes a frown or look of indifference, but indifference has never been something I have mastered , but that's not to say those who see me & don't know me can tell .
Anyway I am going off on a tangent...

I still have that 1st assessment, I keep papers of all sorts of things not always easily found , but I know where they are, I have a filing system of organized ciaos but that suits me, cos its my shit and others don't need to know where I keep my files & records, oh yes, I get paronid but that's relatively new, and to be fair its only paranoia if its proven to be unsubstantiated fears, I don't believe mine are, but I am sure that some others would disagree, of course though it could be suggested that that would be befitting their agenda.

Anyway, that 1st assesment is covered in scribbles from later, when I realised the issue related to what had been said, and the arguments I had against them in relation to the findings, thats imaterial to this blog though.

My next assessment was in 2011, I had to walk 17 miles to it and 17 miles home because my benifits had already been cut and although I had asked that my assessment day be arranged within the days soon after my giro day, it was always sent towards the end of my payment day when I was inevitably skint.
Having cancelled the appointment previously on these grounds I was scared to cancel again in case theY stopped my benefits as they had done before, as it happens at that time I was not getting the full benefit I should have been as a result of errors at the DHSS, but this I was used to, it was an ongoing issue from 2008 , 2007 really, when the issues that had began the problems that had me  be on the sick began, but that another story and irrelevant to this blog.

So I walked 17 miles to my 2end assessment, I have video of the day, including the interview , its on the net, and probably on my blog somewhere, I was about 6 stone at the time, I recently found video of me exercising I had made a few days before in preparation for the long walk I knew lay ahead of me... I look like a skeliton , far from healthy.

It took me 4 hours to walk there it was grooling but a pleasant day weather wise.
 I remember telling the Dr doing the assessment I had walked there & would have to walk back & she said I was fit, I smiled my legs were begining to seize up having sat for an hour for the interview and I had a long walk back, truth was I wasn't sure I'd make it the whole way, I was hoping she might be able to arrange my fare payment home , out of kindness if nothing else, it was , February , the road I had to walk was a rural country rd, no pavements or street lights lots of traffic and articulated lorries,I was not looking forward to it, but she didn't offer to arrange my fare and I didn't ask, I just got on with it , because I knew I had no option, I thought if the worse happens I can phone an ambulance!. I made it , by the last 8 mile it was getting dark, I couldn't feel my finger or toes, my limbs ached  it was dark and I was in tears I collapsed when I got into the house and climbed up to the bathroom to run a bath.
 As it happens I was deemed unfit for work on that occasion too.
 I guess none of that seems relevant to the Atos assessment but it kinda is, because my mental health at the time was fucked, I was coherent, I may have looked fit, but had she seen me without the layers of clothing for the February day I was very undernourished, again as a result of issues I had had with the benefits agency & in relation to my mental health condition because when I am stressed or anxious my eating pattern suffers. I can't eat, I want to but I can't , i force myself to now, but at that time my diet was not healthy as a result of the issues I was having with my benefits I couldn't afford to always eat well, additionally because of the benefits issues I was having it was often a choice of eat or heat for the gas meter and heat generally took precedence, although at that time I generally had gas for about a week of my fortnightly payments and electric till a couple of days before the next payment was due, it was tough times, and all of these issues did not serve to help my recovery from the ongoing issues with depression that in themself had been triggered by errors made by the local housing trust  & council tax when I was a full time student & they had made errors with payments which had gone on throughout the duration of my course plunging me into poverty, not to mention other issues that occurred I believe as a result of me challenging these errors which for over 2 years they denied making, while for 4 years they threatened me with eviction from my home & extorted money from my student loans that I did not own them. but that's by the by... lets move on to this bloody Atos assessment form I filled out tonight.

As I read through the form I could not help wonder what box ticking imbecile comes up with these pish stupid assessment questions that serve little purpose but box ticking nor reflect an iota of sense, not only in relation to mental health assessment but physical health assessment.
Before I discuss the points relating to social policy in relation to these assessments in relation to health & socail welfare I will briefly cover some of the questions in the assessment form that we fill in prior to our medical.

 Questions begin on page 3 requesting a phone number to to arrange a suitable date for appointmet.
this is flawed on  grounds.
1, Not all those who will be assessed are able to use a phone a result of their oral auditory or other physical physical disabilities
2 Therefore this means a third party or primary carer needs to be available to take the call. This impedes on the carers time & is not always a convenient form of communication to address appointment arrangements ie  a carer whose number may be given may not always have to hand the times and days available to the person being whose appointment is being made to concur other medical  appointments that need to be considered when organizing a suitable time in the best interest of the patient, so this is time wasting as well as an imposition.
What is wrong with the normal mode of written communication for organizing appointment which allows for unexpected incidents that may arise that may mean appointment date needs to be changed/reorganized, why is the usual mode of appointment for DHSS or NHS appointment making not being used, question is surplus to requirements and impractical.
 next...

Tell us about any times or date in the next 3 months when you cannot go to a face to face appointment.
People with health problems be they physical or mental cannot always plan issues related to their health 3 months in advance.
IE, if someone suffers from epilepsy they cannot tell you if three week on Tuesday they are going to have a serious seziure that may affect their well being that day or in the days following rendering them unable to leave their home or indeed their beds that day.
Likewise someone who suffers from clinical depression or bipolar cannot plan when they may have an episode that affect their ability to function or indeed comunicate on any given date.
 The practicalities of forward planning can and do apply to people with disabilities in regard of transportation and arranging accompaniment however this can and is often subject to their health condition, yes in some cases appointment may have to be cancelled at the last minute and rearranged as a result of this however the practicalities of requesting 3 month prior notification of someones life is an imposition and impractical from a medical assessment prospective. 
It is better to offer the appointment in advance by written communication and allow the patient to change it necessary in advance if appropriate additionally to ask the patent for their dairy of appointments 3 months in advance could be regarded as intrusive question is impractical & question is surplus to requirements and impractical.

page 6 asks about out patient treatments the patient is having & overnight stay as well as if pacients health issues are linked to drug or substance misuse.
however page 4 asks about patients doctors and one would expect that the patients medical history is already subject of record pertaining to the patients condition that are held by DHSS & patients reason for being in receipt of benefits  additionally one would expect that in order to assess condition, medical records are examined and therefore the question is surplus to questionnaire requirements additionally these are questions that should be discussed at medical assessment and do not need to be box ticked on questionnaire as the info should already be held by ATOS.& DHSS.

Part 1  physical functions  a set of very specific questions related to distance weights and abilities however, with physical disabilities although some cases & conditions may be subject of constistancy, many more conditions are not.
ie someone with rumotiod arthritis or osteoporosis  may be able to do things one day they can't on another, many physical health conditions are not the same everyday and the pain threshold and ability to do things  may vary considerably and fluctuate so the question are impractical  and in efficient for assessment purpose in questionnaire.

part 2 Mental cognative & intellectual function  Again questions deal with a set of specific  questions related to day to day living. Although there may be some conditions that can be subject of permanent
  behavior traits or abilities many more mental health conditions can't be.
As I explained before many conditions particular those related to mental health ie depressive episodes or manic highs or lows are not predicable , nor can anxiety attacks or conditions related to PTS that may see the patient fine for an unspecified short or long period but can be trigger unexpectedly at any given time. Further more the fact that these questions are preresented as multiply choice is just ridiculous and had no relevance as how this can be assessed .
Additionally these are all questions related to information that should already be included in the patients medical & DHSS records which are subject of the medical practitioner who actually knows them best and deals with then on a regular basis & is therfore familuar with their condition.

This is where the question of Atos becomes an issue of considerable waste in relation to public funds.

 Atos is I believe an insult to the NHS and is surplus to DHSS requirements.
It is my contention that when assessing a patients stability to be in receipt of benefits on medical grounds it is a question for their MD and indeed any specialist from the medical profession who has been directly dealing with their case.
A persons medical history is subject to record and it is both impractical and improper to have an Atos health professional assess their suitability based on a inefficient set of questions on a questionnaire and 1 hour or less, face to face interaction with the patient which the Atos assessor can then override the prognosis or diagnosis that has been recorded by their MD and regular care practitioners who know their condition & their case history best through regular interaction and assessment which should be being monitored by their doctors if they have an ongoing medical condition.

Further more the procedures and policy that are being used by Atos has been shown to have negative impact on the health of many patients and this in turn, in the long term does not save money but cost more and lifes.

There is no procedure or polices  in place and working that actually supports those being assessed as fit for work who loose benefits to support them through the transitional period financially or even practically to ease them back into work , although there is a fascist proposal by government that people will earn or learn.
There has been no consideration that when their benefits are cut and they prepare to try and find work that the financial strain that is imposed on then makes them vulnerable to financial distress and indeed may plunge them into debt or homelessness, their has been no consideration to the fact that many of these people have tightened their belts as best they can to manage on whats coming in despite inflation, rising costs of gas electric & the food they put on the table & the loss of benefits has a serious impact on not just their financial distress but their mental health & well being which impacts on their families and children's health and welfare as they try to cope with the consequences of these issues.

In addition the proposed earn or learn policy fails to address that for some people who will be forced into inappropriate jobs because they have no option the enviroment in which they are forced to work may inflame their health condition it is not always congenial for people to work in some situations but people will be forced to , additionally, might I suggest forcing people to do jobs they have no interest in does not pertain to getting the best performance from them.

Furthermore the phalicy that people don't want to work is a myth created by government , sure their may be some who don't but the vast majority of people do , but they also want a fair living wage for a fair days work.

The vast majority who of people who are on disability or other benefits as a result of health conditions are not on them by choice, they are on them because their health conditions whither physical or mental have rendered them unable to work.
Many, most,would like to work, and would, where the correct support mechanisms both financially and suitable to their health conditions available to them to do so,but they are not, not because of any fault of their own but as a result of government failure, as a result of government cuts to many of the services that would help some of those, with some conditions, that could be better addressed, back to work,
 but not by force, because the government has fucked up the economy and jobs market and need to make cuts and pick on the most vulnerable, which is what is presently happening though the incompetent impractical and frankly , damaging policies and procedures being implemented by the present UK government.