I know this person.
"From someone who wishes to remain anonymous."
My experience with Atos:
I was working in Central London in a very well paid job that I’d had for about a year. I was struck down with a spontaneous genetic degenerative disease that I had no idea I had. I continued working though liver and kidney failure for the best part of a year. Every time I had liver failure, I went to hospital and returned immediately to work less 20% use of my liver. I did this three times and now have 40% total use of my liver.
After a year, and an accumulation of another two autoimmune diseases (arthritis being one) I was fired from my job. I was forced to apply for ESA, which I did.
I had someone fill in their forms as I said what to put and 13 weeks later I was told to come in for an assessment. The first one, I asked them not to put any pressure on my liver or kidneys when they wanted to do their exam because they were both very inflamed and I had severe cirrhosis of the liver. When the ‘doctor’ did the exam, she put pressure on me and I vomited on the floor. Unfortunately, when I vomit, I wet myself. I didn’t have a change of clothes so as I was going home I had to travel through London with vomit covered and pee covered clothes.
The second time I had to go, my kidneys were almost completely failing. I’d only been out of hospital a few days and my husband and I travelled through London to Atos again. Whilst waiting, I went to the bathroom and whilst in the bathroom a lot of blood was filling up the toilet. I stood up and the blood didn’t stop. My damaged kidneys were giving up. I fell onto the floor, dizzy through blood loss and I rang my husband (in the waiting room). He came in, took one look at me and shouted to the reception to call an ambulance.
The receptionist came in, shook her head and flushed the loo and told me to clear up the blood. She then told me that under absolute no circumstances could I rebook my appointment with their assessor and if I chose to leave in an ambulance then my ESA would be stopped as I would be marked down as a non-attendance. My husband pleaded with her and asked if there was anyone we could see now and she said no.
We sat in the waiting room for another half an hour blood soaking through my trousers and onto their chair. I was assessed by an assessor who seemed to be concerned more with the chair I was sat on than the fact I was bleeding and went through the questions. Another half an hour later, we finished and we asked her to ring an ambulance. 'I’m not a bloody receptionist' was her reply.
We went back through to reception where they refused to call an ambulance so we did, and I was taken to hospital.
They said that I was in the same condition as the previous assessment 3 months previous. They assessed me for the WRA group again.
When I got home and was feeling better I wrote a letter of complaint, which never responded to.
About 18 months after that, I wrote to the DWP and told them that I felt my condition had worsened enough to warrant a move to the Support Group. I added all of the evidence. They sent another ESA50. (That’s another thing. My husband and I have filled out over 10 of these. 5 sent by recorded delivery yet they claim they never got them. Hmmm...)
I told them under no circumstances was I attending their offices again, they can come to me if they feel that I need to be assessed again. They reassessed me again and put me into the Support Group six months ago. No ESA50s have arrived since but I am dreading the receipt of another one. Same fight, another day.
