HOME visits and taxi services
Dear Department for Work and Pensions,
Could you please answer the following information regarding to this freedom of information request
1,Cold you please supply me with the link or documentation where the DWP and Atos healthcare state that a Service User can only be allowed to postpone their ESA medical assessment once?
2, is the above directions a Government related decision,that the DWP and atos are guided by or is it just something the DWP and atos have brought out jointly? please show me the actual guidelines pertaining to my questions?
3,If the former is a Guideline why is ATOS and DWP, allowed to breach such recommendations? i have evidence to support that some appointments have been cancelled 3 or 4 times, without the need for any sanctions enforced by the DWP,in relation to having benefit suspended, due to the claiment failing to attend medical assessments, due to many hospital appointments.
4, How many Services users have requested a home visit for their esa assessment in the last 3 months?
5, how many Service users have been denied a home visit with regards to their esa claim in the last 3 months?
6, How many Service users have requested the use of a taxi, as a way of getting to their medical assessment in the past 3 months?
7, How many Service users have been denied their request to use a taxi service in reference to their medical assessment in the last 3 months?
8, Please show me any practice guidelines or documentation related to home visits, and taxi use for ESA assessments, and what medical conditions would the Service user need to have to be allowed a home visit, and the use of a taxi, please supply me with the handbook guidelines where such decisions are defined?
Yours faithfully,
Alison Stevens
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Dear Alison Stevens
Please see your FOI response attached
Kind regards
Health & Disability Assessments (Operations)/Department for Work and Pensions/Room 306/Block 31/Norcross/Norcross Lane/Blackpool/FY5 3TA
William Hammonds left an annotation ()
Atos HCP can misrepresent a client in all wca reports.
The only way to put a stop to this is to have an audio recording made of the wca.
Atos will offer to supply the audio equipment. When you arrive at your wca they will ask you to sign a waiver which states that you will not use the recording for any other purpose than to assist your claim. After all, the recording will belong to them and they can decide what a copy can be used for.
If you have a wca booked you can take your own recording equipment as long as you give formal notice that you intend to record.
This will make the recording yours, and you can use it to prosecute the HCP privately. The Hcp can not hide behind the corporation when accused of misrepresentation which has caused loss or harm.
Small claims courts were designed to simplify claims, and I can assure you that you will be surprised at how easy it can be to prosecute. One step above small claims courts are fast track courts. These courts are also a breeze. Try visiting any of these courts and ask an official how to make a claim, they will gladly help you as it is in their interest to have the business.
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John Slater left an annotation ()
The DWP position of only allowing people to postpone their WCA once is nothing more than internal policy. The DWP confirmed to me via a FOIA response that it has not statutory backing whatsoever. In effect someone within the DWP simply decided that 4 weeks was the number.
As there is no statutory backing the 'right' to do this can only come from the Secretary of State's Common Law rights and these are no greater than yours or mine. If a person has good reason to postpone their WCA then the DWP are on unsafe grounds to find against them. I suspect that if the DWP stopped the benefits of someone had 'good reason' to postpone their WCA and they took the matter to a tribunal the DWP would loose.