Contact your doctor and tell him you want a copy of your medical file going back to 1995,they cant refuse to give you it although they might try and charge you for the printouts,let cab or your solicitor contact the hospitals and ask for your files (you should get legal aid). I dont think there should be any need for you to go to appeal, get a copy of the report from the dla that states you no longer meet the requirements for dla again they cant refuse to give you it. It looks like they have made a massive mistake and believe me when i say mistakes like this is going on all the time. Have you managed to get help about your debts yet ? I notice by your latest post you seem to be feeling a bit better, keep going you will win in the end. George

I am sorry but have you had a medical exam done recently by the dwp/atos? How has the dwp decided you no longer qualify for dla ? they would have had to contact you first, then contact your own gp ,or send out an atos hcp(remember they are not all doctors).Unless they have new information about your condition they cant just stop your benefits, they need medical proof that your condition has improved and in your case it would have to improved a great deal. I stay in glasgow and they still use tas 1 so i dont know what they mean when they say they dont use them anymore. I asked my doctor for a full copy of my medical file dating back 15 years so i could show the dwp how often i had to attend hospitals and my gp.I had no problem getting it as you are entitled to it. You could write to the dwp and ask for a SUBJECT ACCESS REPORT and they also have to give you it.Then you might be able to see exactly what the dwp and atos have said about you. I know it can get you down but please dont take no for an answer.When you get your case sorted and you will, all your money will be backdated.If you cant get in touch with cab try and find if you have an advice centre or contact welfare rights ,but please keep fighting dont let them beat you. I believe this is what the dwp and atos are hopeing people do,as they know not everybody will take them on.I have won my case but i am still fighting atos and the first hcp who examined me and i will be going to the general medical council with my complaint when i have exhausted atos,s complaints procedure.Try,if you can to contact your mp and put pressure on him/her to take on your case. It is a total disgrace that the dwp/atos can treat people like yourself the way they do and have no one to answer to. Keep well George

Please get in contact with your friend from cab asap as he can also write to your creditors for you and it will take some pressure off you.If you have been on dla for such a long time and your condition hasnt changed,then there should be no reason for you not to still get it .Dont let atos brush you off speak to your doctor, are you still attending hospitals ? get as much information you can about your disabilities and what the dwp have said in the past about your condition.As i have said, atos have tried everything to get me to go away but they have no chance.Keep your head up and keep fighting .

Its quite long but bear with me and i will post it

I had a letter from terry moran telling me that the dwp had gave me all the information about my case and he told me not to write any more letters as all my questions had been answered.Guess what ? the information he gave me was totaly wrong ! i got compensation off the dwp for maladministration, so dont even believe terry moran.Good luck in your case

I tried something similar on another site and it mysteriously got shut down,dont mention dr,s names as you could maybe get the site into trouble.I agree we all need to do something about atos. Everyone who loses their benefits should go to appeal as it may cause havoc with the appeals process, everyone should get their mp involved as they wont like to work for a change , everyone should write to yvette cooper as i am sure she thinks people wont, everyone should complain to atos and go through their complaints procedure to make their job harder, everyone that can should take their complaints to the general medical council to try and get them involved,everyone that can should contact the parlimentary ombudsman as they can look into the dwp and atos. We may not be able to march on 10 downing street but we all maybe individualy be able to disrupt the system and the people that work for atos.I have and i will not take no for an answer from atos, the dwp, my mp, yvette cooper or anyone else i think is cullpable for this totaly unfair biased system that our government have put in place.Please keep fighting and dont let them push you aside.

please dont give up, that is exactly what atos/dwp want you to do.You should contact cab asap as they will help you, they can write to your specialists and get legal aid for you to get letters from the specialists you have seen. If you get these letters and they confirm all your conditions then the tribunal will find in your favour as it will override any atos hcp(remember they are all not dr,s).Most of these biased atos hcp,s are there to put people off benefits pure and simple, dont trust any of them. I have been fighting them for over a year now and it seems i have backed them into a corner, i have proof that their hcp done my medical wrong but i have to go through their complaints procedure before i can take it to the gmc and the parlamentary ombudsman.I should be able to do this soon. Since then i have had a second medical from a different hcp and before he came out atos had to supply me with his qualifications so i could check he was properly qualified.Atos tried to tell me i couldnt do it but i had a letter from the dwp telling me it was ok for me to do this,i also told atos that i would want to read the hcp,s report before he left my house and once again atos said it wasnt allowed but the dwp had told me that was also ok,atos tried to tell me on 4 separate occaisions that their hcp,s dont show people their reports before they leave the house, they said "prior to 2007 they had to let people see their reports but this isnt so now" I asked them to show me legal proof of this and to this day they havnt done so.So anyone that is having a medical for dla or other benefits let atos and the dwp know you want this information and dont take no for an answer if anything it will make atos un-easy. When the hcp came to my house their was a representitive from atos with him (has this happened to anyone else) The man from atos told me "he was here to make sure my medical was done correctly" this tells me they know the first one wasnt.Anyway i have been awarded dla at higher rates and their was no need for me to take it to appeal. So when you are dealing with atos do whatever you can to make their job harder and dont believe a word that comes out of their head office or their hcp,s.

Brilliant ! I hope everything goes well for you

Thanks Yes its the dwp, i have asked for all information whether it is in house,phone calls if they are recorded,any info between the dwp and atos plus any hand written memos between offices.They asked me what offices and i have said everyone that has had any dealings with me.I also know 4 separate dm,s looked at my case so i have asked for it as well. What i am trying to find out is. Can they withold any info , can they refuse to give me it and are they legaly bound to hold onto peoples data for a certain time. I still have an on-going complaint about an hcp, can this affect any of the information i want ? Ta George

I am sending in a subject access request to the dwp, any help in what i should be asking them ?

Does anyone have any information on the company atos use for the so-called independent company the use in their complaints procedure ? I have asked atos but are refusing to give me it,I also asked how it could be independent when they helped pick it

Does the health profesional council have their own web site and can you contact them and ask for peoples registration

You could be correct but i have seen posts from people who have complained to the gmc about how their medicals were done and the gmc have said they cannot get involved because the hcp was a nurse and not a doctor.My wifes medical last week was done by a nurse and i asked her for her gmc registration number and she told me she wasnt registerd with the gmc but was passed to perform these medicals by the secretary of state

You can only contact the gmc if it is a registered doctor atos call their people health care profesionals and this allows them to employ doctors , nurses, physios and any other person with a medical background as long as they go through and pass atos,s training. Their training consists of 6 stages and it includes reading, class days, more reading, multiple choice questions (which you have to pass) another in-house class day and then you have to do 5 medical exams which are with someone from atos and if you pass them you are then a qualified hcp and can go and do the medicals on your own

I think recording the medical exam would help but i think a major problem with the hcps employed by atos is in their written reports.Most people seem to think their medicals have went ok and they have answered all the relevent questions but when they are informed that they no longer qualify for benefits its only then that people ask for a copy of the hcps report and realise that the hcp has put down the exact opposite of what you told them. I would like to see that after the medical you have access to a translated copy of the medical report before it is sent back to the dwp. Then and only then will it be deemed fair to everybody it will also make sure that these people who are employed by atos will have to do their job the way they are ment to . Prior to 2007 (according to atos) people were entitled to a copy of the report but for some reason they dont need to now ( i have asked atos to show me the official document that proves this but yet they havnt) As far as i am concerened atos are in it for the money only and it wont matter a jot to them what your cindition is and how it affects you and the dwp and the government are happy to let them carry on as long as it gets people off the sick. In one of the earlier posts on this site someone is asking for people to sign a petition to 10 downing st and i would ask as many people as they can to click on the link and sign it. Maybe we should petition 10 downing st to go back to allowing people to see their medical report before it is sent back to the dwp. I am sorry if it seems i am ranting but everytime i read posts on this site i get so angry by the way the government, the dwp and atos are treating people with genuine illnesess and disabilities

I think atos took over in 2005 (someone on this site will confirm it) Make sure if and when you go you take someone with you (it will go against you if you dont) and remember they are employed by atos, they are neither impartial or objective.

Its been at least 4 years since her last medical.In that period she has had to fill out 2 medical questioneres which she passed (that was the old points system) I am not a 100% sure but i think they can call you for a medical anytime.They say they will look and revue peoples cases from time to time. If you have a letter stating you dont need another medical for 5 years then i dont think they will bother you.If they do write to them and give them a copy of your letter, i would also advise you if they do try and give you a medical before the 5 years go to an advice centre they will be able to fight you case for you.

Just an update. My wife got a letter today saying she has passed the medical and wont need another untill july 2011. I dont know if its because of what i told the nurse at the begining of the medical . I told her i had an outstanding complaint against an atos hcp and i believe for whatever reason atos hcps are taking no notice of what claimants are saying to them and putting down the exact opposite of what they are being told. I then went on to tell her i would be taking notes on what she asked my wife and what my wifes replys where i also told her that if there was any mistakes or un-truths i would also be complaining about her. I know people have said record the assement, but if you cant afford the equipment take a note pad put it on the desk in plain site of them and as soon as the start talking you start writing , if at anytime you havnt managed to write down what was said interupt the hcp and ask for the question to be repeated. It seemed to have the desired affect on the hcp that done my wifes medical.

My wife had to go for a medical the other day. When we arrived we were told that there was a 40 min delay,i told the receptionist that i dad parked the car in a parking bay for two hours and going by the delay i would end up getting a ticket, she told me i could go out and put extra money in the meter but i told her no and if she wanted us to stay then she could give me the money , she then said she could re-arrange the medical but i told her we wouldnt be comeing back,she went and spoke to her supervisor who then said we would get the medical on time (and we did) When we went into the medical i asked the hcp if she was a qualified dr and she said no she was a nurse, i then asked her what her qualifications were and she explained she was trained by atos. I then told her i would be taking notes and querying any of the questions she asked my wife. She let for about 15 mins and came back with a note,she went on to tell me about the data protection act but i told her i knew about it. I also informed her that i had an outstanding complaint against an atos hcp and i would be obtaining a copy of her report to make sure she put down what my wife told her as this was one of the problems people have with atos. I have to admit that she was very plesant and it seemed if she understood my wifes condition. It will be interesting to see what she has put down in the report as i warned her if her report in anyway is false i would be taking it further. She knows i took notes on my wifes responses to her questions so there cant be any mistakes.I will wait and see how it goes and i will keep you all informed. Cheers George

Has anyone ever got to court with atos and won ? Has anyone got any information on what happened to atos in America ?

Is this the atos thread ? If it is could anybody show me how i can find the information about atos being fined in America. Thanks

Iam fighting my own case against atos just now. My case against their hcp is rock solid so it will be interesting to see what their reply is. In-between my fight against them i have found information that might force them to change the way they do the medicals but i dont want to say too much too soon (its possibly a legal issue). When i get the reply from them i will let you know how i got on. I am actually interested to see if they will still back their doctor so as soon as i find out i will let you all know.The one good thing to come out of this is that i am actually training to become a volunteer in an advice centre.If i can help one other person to fight atos/dwp then it will be worth it

I know this might not help short term but i would advise as many people as possible to write and complain to atos about their hcps.Try and get your mp involved because the only way atos will be stopped is if enough people complain and take their complaints as far as possible then the government will eventually sit up and take notice.Mp,s wont like having to work for their money so make sure they are involved. This is happening all over the uk and i dont believe for a minute that its by chance that so many people are getting declined for benefits after visiting an hcp employed by atos. I think it is time for people to start to fight back , contact everybody you think might help your case ,automaticaly complain against the dr that done your medical get your mp involved. I get so angry when i read sites like this , that atos seems to have the governments blessing to do this and get away with it.

Has anyone on this site asked for a full audit and did they get all the info. I have asked under the foi act if the dwp are using vra (voice risk analysis) .Do you know how long the dwp have to keep the information they have on you

Hi everyone this is my first post I am trying to get as many people as i can to let me know what happened when they went for a medical or had one done in the house by an atos emp/hcp. I was advised by my gp and a girl who worked in the job centre to apply for dla. I sent for the for the forms and i spent 4 weeks reading about dla and how to apply. I sent the forms away and expected to be given it as my dr was backing me. This is when it gets good. The dwp sent an emp/hcp from atos to do my medical in my house. just before he arrived i got a bed delivered from the district nurses to try and help with my sleep problems . When the emp arrived he made a comment about the bed and i explained who sent and why. I was suspicious from the start as he parked his car 4 houses away. He went through his medical asking me a few questions about my disabilities, i explained that i had neurological problems effecting my right side i also told him i had extreme allergies to fragrances (he noticed his aftershave was effecting me)and i also had numerous food allergies . The allergies effects me 24 hrs a day 7 days a week. The only other tests he done was to ask me to lift my right arm, walk app 6 feet and do a peak flo test once will i was sitting down . He then asked me if i had a repeat prescription even though i had left all my medication out for him, he said it would save him a lot of time. I went on to tell him that not all of my medication was on the prescription but he took no notice. When i got letter from the dwp telling me i wasnt entitiled to any part of dla i was quite shocked, so i asked them to send me copies of my application, my own gps report and a copy of the emps/hcps report .When it arrived i had to phone the dwp to get the emps report translated. When the translated copy came in i was totaly shocked to read what the emp had wrote. He had left out some of my medication, he had disagreed with himself , he put down the opposite of what i told him and lied on more than one occasion. Since then i have written to the dwp/atos and asked questions under the foi act , i am at the second stage of complaint to atos , i am complaining to the gmc , i have won my appeal for dla ( i still have a problem with the award ). I have started to look at sites like this one and i am totaly shocked at the amount of people that have had to go through worse than me . Quite a lot of people have gave up. I am looking for people to post messages on sites like this one and explain what happened to them when the either went to an atos medical ct or had a medical at home. I know this wont be easy but if we can get enough people to complain about atos then eventually something will get done. I have already posted a similar letter on yourable.com and have had a good response. I know that the emp/hcp done my medical wrong, i am also angry that the dwp used his medical in deciding my application for dla. I have found out that this dr is well known to the welfare rights in glasgow.(they could tell me his name before i gave it to them ) even the appeals tribunal know about him , there has been hundreds of complaints against him yet he is still employed by atos/dwp so i am going to do everything i can to bring atos/dwp to task. If any of the members on this site have had similar problems or know someone who has i would like them to reply to me and let me know what happened. I would like to appologise for this post being so long . George