... you can lawfully demonstrate against ATOS on Wednesday 19 February from 8am onwards ! In case fellow members are not aware there are lawful demonstrations planned at ATOS medical assessment centres all over the UK on the morning of Wednesday 19 February.... i.e. next week ! For the avoidance of doubt these demos are being organised by people who respect the law and are not troublemakers. The organisers are apparent victims, like many CAG members, who just want to stand up against the alleged, and in many instances proven, ATOS malpractices carried out with the full knowledge of their (pay)masters at DWP. Prima facie ATOS and DWP appear to be jointly and severally liable for any such wrongdoing, but who has made a civil claim to date for such alleged negligence. Nobody !?

Hi I`m new to this forum and a novice with computers in general. My problem is I failed my atos medical and I am not sure what to do next. In January I had to cope with some difficult problems which left me very stressed and anxious and eventually feeling depressed. It took several visits to my doctor to get some help from counceling. I have had 4 cbt sessions so far and don`t know if this self help thing is working for me. I received 0 points for my medical, the whole experience was very stressful and on hind sight I felt like she put words in my mouth and prompted me to agree with what she was saying, hence the 0 points. When I got the result this morning I have not stopped crying, I can`t imagine having to go the job centre never mind actually working at the moment. I get very stressed and anxious just thinking about going to my cbt sessions. Should I appeal this decision and how do you go about it. I would appreciate any advice from anyone as I don`t have anyone I can talk to.

From the ATOS Miracles Facebook page: Would the injustices against YOU by the dwp and Atos make a good legal test case? Liberty are currently trying a bedroom tax test case and similarly would like to find an appropriate case against the dwp and Atos. It would set a precedence and could help many others. Ideally you would have co-operated with the process, then found entitled by the appeal process and suffered stress and hardship as a result. The case could be via the person themselves or the family of someone deceased. Atos Miracles will offer support to the brave person whose case is taken up. Together we can get things changed!

on new years eve ! i believe i will 'fail', infact im certain of it. this has left me full of dread. basically my problem is that i am very very anxious, everyday i can be vomit from once up to 6 times a day, its been shown not to be anything physical as i have had tests such as the camera down the throat. judging from what i have read about ATOS, they appear to find everyone fit for work. i would be interested to hear how they believe i would be able to hold down a fulltime job whilst vomiting at any moment. it annoys me so much, because i absolutely despise relying on the ESA money every week and im barely scraping through as it is. what can i possibly do to pass this medical ?

Hi one of my sons has autism and is on the highest level of dla for care due to him being a danger to himself and others. He went on to ESA in August as his training came to and end. He has now been sent a date for a medical assessment which is next week. We only received the appointment last week (4.12.13) Having done some reading around I am becoming more and more worried as my son struggles with the language and can often misunderstand the questions. I will of course be there to help him ( I am his appointee) but I cnaanot help but feel he will be tricked into giving answers that are not factually correct. I have phoned Atos and asked for the assessment to be recorded but the person I spoke to had to email another department as they dont know if recording equipment is available at that site. I have also spoke to Welfare rights at my council and they say if its recorded they ususally have a doctor doing the assessment. As my son is a vunerabe adult can I insist on the assessment being recordrd and if so can I ask for a copy? Any help or advice on the whole issue would be appreciated as my son is becoming very anxious and aggitated about the assessment.

Received my appointment for my next medical assessment for ESA, great timing arranged for 24th December! Also fro some reason not at my local center but one an hour away! Going to ring on Monday to rearrange the day, as my helper isn't available that day, also see if I can attend my local one, I live in Preston and the one they want me to go to is in Wigan! If it was the Preston one I could manage, just about, to go by myself but not the one in Wigan as I would need to taken a change of cloths and medical supplies with me, plus of course letters from my hospital docs, medications etc. Also they havnt mention if its to be recorded, I did request that!

Just to put things in a different perspective. I could not have any complaints with ATOS. I was at the near recovery point after an injury and they did have the courtesy of having a proper Doctor to examine under the new DWP rules. He did his job in a very courteous manner and I did all the required tests and one extra (blood pressure) which I mentioned on my form. I passed with zero points (as expected). If they did better tests (nerve conduction studies) they could have upped the points total a bit. So I was pronounced fit for work (=JSA) within three months. The tests do not cover head injuries which are one of the hidden injuries, but no matter as this means on the ATOS pass I do not have put Disability on a Job Application form. Then there was the matter of negotiating my reduced capacities with the Job Centre to still qualify for JSA. Doctor would not sign a "Fit for Work" certificate though. It does not mean I do not have empathy with people who think they have had a raw deal. I got all the pertinent information down on the form (I think this is rather important). In practical terms, there is a bit of problem trying to explain away the gap through illness on Application Forms. This requires a bit of creative writing. And in the final guess it is DWP who make the decision from the information they have got, so make sure they have it all written out clearly. I saw it all coming and I am glad I did not make an appeal, so it is not the only route to follow. I feel much better psychologically not putting Disability down on job forms. I won't be working machinery though. My reduced capacities would not allow this. Or humping pallets around. There is a snag with the WP and their mandates though. They are a bit punitive and not helpful. Still get relapses, but it is a hidden injury, so how can anybody tell? So in case somebody is the same position, take one thing at a time. But then I am feeling optimistic. There is a bit of a problem though. I do know not how I would pass a medical if I do get a job. I think the standard tests will show up an anomaly. So I can't really mention it. It has happened before.

Thought I would share my ordeal with you regarding the treatment I had at the hands of our famous ATOS. Sorry for the length as I decided to wait until the end to post this. My tale starts back in November 2012 when I filled in the forms and sent them back. This was followed by an appointment at my nearest centre (Centre A) at the beginning of December 2012 but this was changed to a date at the end of December. It was only on the morning of the assessment that anyone took time to read my form. I don't do stairs and the assessment centre was on the second floor so the nurse who was going to do the assessment rang me to cancel the appointment and to re-arrange the appointment at a different centre (centre B). Nothing was heard for 8 months! In August this year I was 'invited' to another assessment at centre A (second floor??) to which I called and Atos gave me the phone number of centre B and told me to arrange the appointment myself (great service eh!) This I did. Two weeks later I got a cancellation letter for a centre that is nowhere near where I live (let's call this one centre C) A few days later I received another appoinment for...... Yup, centre A! Another phone call ensued and a new appoinment was made for centre B. On the day of my appointment I received a phone call apologising and saying that the assessor had 'unexpectedly' not turned up however, in the same days post was a letter dated 4 days previously telling me that the appointment had been cancelled. Did ATOS have a psychic on their staff who knew 4 days in advance that the assessor wouldn't turn up. Just to point out, the previous letter was to cancel an appointment at yet a different centre ( call it centre D) It was September by this time when the last appointment turned up for centre A again! You can imagine my annoyance that a Government contracted company can get it so wrong. As such, they received on of my scathing complaint letters. I am good at these as I can be so polite whilst ripping them a new one. The full and frank grovelling apology was swiftly received followed by a new appointment at centre B (and about ruddy time too) I don't think they would have dared to send me another wrong appointment. On the day of the assessment, I arrived to find the receptionist frantically trying to contact the afternoon appointments to cancel them as they had 'issues' to clear from the morning session. My appointment went ahead. I don't think they would have tried to contact me to cancel. I have to say that the nurse was very friendly, took the time to listen to everything I said and to note it properly on the computer. The assessment took over an hour and in the end the nurse stopped the assessment as she could see I was physically and mentally exhausted. Anyhoo, the outcome of the assessment. I received a letter today confirming that I would stay in the support group and my next assessment won't be for 3 years So, after everything, the right result (for me anyway) Oh yes, I did have it recorded but then had to show the nurse how to switch it off:lol:

Hello, Had a home visit for DLA. First letter was postmarked a Friday with a 2nd class stamp for an appointment on the following Tuesday so only got the letter a few hours prior to the appointment. therefore rearranged it as no notice given, have kept envelope and letter Atos said they do not need to give any notice and they posted in plenty of time! Can anyone advise a link to guidelines were ATOS state the notice period that they have to or should give? Dr that turned up introduced himself as a current GP. However he is not on the GP or specialist register. When confronted with this at a later date - he has now said he didn't say this. However an audio recording was in place for personal use. Dr ignored aids I use and what he was told, stating I need no help - basically he has written a false report to say no care help required despite various reports from experts being ignored. Despite not being a current GP he carried out a physical examination and an eye test - GMC complaint maybe? Dr then went on to diagnose that I had a severe mental condition and suggested I should start treatment - news to myself and medical team. Something made up from a line I said about feeling a bit low at times. Have done an initial complaint via ATOS but it's they're stating the DR didn't do any of that and he is right and I'm wrong attitude - they haven't stated where to go now - what's the next level of complaint I can take? Any advise folks?! Thanks!

Very interesting article in the Guardian this is the link: http://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/jul/31/atos-fitness-work-test-greg-wood

I was told they were being challenged but i've heard nothing about it? I keep reading about frankly scandalous and shocking cases affecting people a lot worse than me and it seems like it's only going to get worse. I watch some news and political programmes and i never see it being a addressed at alll; why not? It's just sheer lunacy what's going on and i've thought about trying to return to work to avoid the uncertainty and difficulty of all these reforms. How they can get away with it? It's bad enough dealing with a health condition without the added pressure of some seemingly nasty and deliberate measures to hurt people or make things immeasurably worse. My question is how can this be allowed to continue withoyut legal redress when Atos doctors are coming forward and alleging they are asked to amend the interview notes. That's why i'm posting this, i was incensed when i read about that recently and i just remembered that Cameron said the weakest in society would be looked after with them in power but they don't seem to care which is why i guess they're called the nasty party! It's one thing to line you're pockets or be in bed with with big corporations but it's another to treat people clearly to sick or disabled to work this way. It goes against what this country, as i understand it, is about. Too unwell to continue so i'll leave it there! Cheers. Teej75

I am at the point of pulling my hair out here! I received the dreaded ATOS form back at beginning of June. I filled it in as best I could even though my GP said that I should not be filling in any form as I have no insight into a lot of my medical condition. I sent the form back to ATOS by royal mail special delivery which is guaranteed next day delivery and signed for at their end at the end of June. I have heard nothing from them at all until last week I had a really strange phone call from DWP asking me who my GP is and his address which I gave. I have had the same GP for 7 years so thought this phone call extremely strange. Today I received another of the dreaded ATOS forms with the same covering letter as the first one informing me to fill it in and send it back by November so I called ATOS with the help of my friend as I find it hard to grasp information. I told the ATOS operator that I had already sent my form in so she went and checked. When she came back she said that I have moved area and changed GP which means that the information they have been given on my form does not tally with the information they already had on me. She also said that the reason I received a second form to fill in is because my original form was rejected because I had moved. I told her I have lived in my current address for 7 years so have not changed areas and have not changed GP either. She insisted I had. She told me I was to fill in the second form to which I said I could not due to my disability as filling in the first one almost ended up with me being admitted to hospital and I also told her that I would send a photocopy of the original form to which said that would be fine !!! Can you believe it ???!!??? My friend who helps me also spoke to the ATOS operator and asked her why I had to send a photocopy of the original form when they already have it to which he was told because thats how it is. She said I was to put a covering letter in with it stating that I have not moved address, area or GP. My friend said that this is ridiculous to which he was told that it is what it is. I know ATOS are hell but this is over and beyond incompetant!

I recently had ATOS contact me, to tell me they have denied me a home visit because my of GP / ATOS requirements that I should of have a face - face to visit. The irony is , is that I did I ask him for a home visit but was refused without any reason and offered a phone appointment instead despite the fact he had never seen me ( i only registered a month before I got worse ) and was / still am housebound for some time. I had no idea at the time this wasn't considered appropriate as no one told me , and assumed it was fine because he was familiar with ATOS's rules and my medical history ( as I assumed most GPs are ) until ATOS told me otherwise 7 months later. During the phone consultation he surprisingly admitted not being familiar with ATOS's procedures ( although he had the info there but hadn't read it all ) so in response I reiterated what they had told me, just to make sure he knew , in addition to giving him their ph no and contact details . He concluded the consultation by telling me he was content do a letter for me based on what I had told him / history , and that he would phone up ATOS if required. After a month ATOS told me they still had not received a letter from him or a phone call , so I decided to write him a nice letter explaining this along with more input on my history and records backing it up to make life easier for him - still no reply or conformation so I was eventually forced to phone. When I did , I found out the letter had been done but was waiting to be collected , despite the fact he agreed to post it - because of my inability to travel. When I eventually did send the letter to ATOS , I not only had to do it once but three times , because they were apparently unable to find it in their system and even accused me of sending to the wrong address despite having recorded proof . Some 7 months later they miraculously find it - then hit me with this. We did receive a letter from your doctor , however the information was not accepted as he had copied on to us what you had told him. In the Healthcare professional's phone call to him recently, as he had not actually seen you to form his own opinion, he could not provide his own opinion to support your request for a home visit - it is insufficient evidence for a GP to copy on what their patient tells them without the GP being able to verify the information. If any one has any suggestions on how to proceed with this , and what course of action to take Id be interested to hear your replies. thanks, mike

Hi, I'm new to the forum, but have been reading a few posts on here and finally decided to see if anyone can help me with the issue I am facing right now. I attended my second ATOS medical last year after winning my last appeal, knowing that I'd done everything I could, I knew (like the time before) that the person assessing my illness had it in for me from the start of the interview. She hardly spoke to me, never looked at me and didn't pay attention to the fact that I was shaking within the interview. Needless to say, I appealed the decision like I did the last time and knew that it was going to be a long wait. Oh, this was just before Christmas as well. So I had no money whatsoever over the Christmas period and had to wait roughly six or so weeks to receive something after they had processed my appeal. Anyway onto my appeal, I waited and waited for a letter to arrive to tell me when my hearing was going to be, even phoning them a couple of times to ask if they had any idea of when I should hear something back. I was fobbed off continuously and told that it could take anything up to a year, I already knew this from before. So I waited for a letter to arrive, fast forward a couple of weeks or so since I phoned them to ask when my appeal was going to be and I receive three of the notorious brown envelopes in the post. I open them to find out that not only has my tribunal been heard without me knowing, they have stopped my benefits, which I rely on by being unwell. I hadn't received any letters from them regarding my tribunal, so I had absolutely NO idea when the tribunal was taking place. I did receive some help filling in some papers after my money was stopped before Christmas, so the people who helped me received copies of the letters for the tribunal, but I hadn't seen any of these letters that they had filed when I saw them yesterday to discuss why my benefits had been cancelled. The first time I saw said letters were when the worker pulled them from their file. I was shocked. Does anyone have any ideas on what I could do please? As you can understand, I am desperate right now, I have no money whatsoever and bills to pay through having hardly any funds for months. I've been in tears for most of the day.

Hi, Quick question. I'm helping a friend with his appeal (which is due to be heard August 6th) after scoring 0 points at his ATOS medical. He was misusing alcohol and suffering from anxiety, stress & depression and claimed ESA from late 2011. He had his ATOS medical in March 2012 and was decided that he was fit to work in April 2012. He immediately appealed. I've been looking at an exemption, regulation 27(b), which states that you can be found incapable of work if: ‘there would be a substantial risk to the mental or physical health of any person if he were found capable of work’’ Given that he was previously misusing alcohol & suffering from anxiety, stress & depression and also adding to the fact that he tried to take his own life in February 2012, is it likely he can win an appeal using the above regulation. If so, how does one go about explaining it at the actual appeal? I will be attending with him so I would appreciate any help or advice that people can give regarding the above or anything else that may be relevant to bring up at the appeal. Thanks in advance.

My support worker filled out my old ESA claim over a year ago & I hadn't communicated with ATOS since missed appointment in Feb. Now magically as I send in updated ESA claim form, I get home assessment letter from ATOS. As if they are really desperate to be able to work off the older inferior less detailed claim form. I feel it would be a mistake to go ahead, as my updated form was only sent off a week before ATOS letter received. The ATOS letter makes no note of my request for any assessment to be recorded by the assessor using official professional recording equipment. Plus I'd put that a symptom of my Asperger Syndrome is that I can't answer the phone, yet the ATOS letter says I may phone them if I have a problem! Plus it says the assessor will phone me to arrange a time to visit. I never answer my phone to anyone apart from my Mother, so they will be unable to do that. I think they tried to phone several times a few weeks ago & have proof I don't answer! I'm not sure what to make of this. Are they ignoring my ESA claim form & should I respond by ignoring them? In my ESA form I explained that I'd be unable to answer the door to an assessor & that I have no one able to help me. Also as my ESA keeps being stopped when my 1 month sick note runs out & GP is late to respond, I have to live off my DLA & therefore have never been able to feel secure enough to get a proper carer who I can rely on to help me. I never have visitors & am housebound. This is really making my blackouts & absences worse, I really feel like punching ATOS now. I can't even see my GP & he refuses to visit me, receptionist explained last year the GP only visits the very ill/ housebound. I explained that was me, but they still refused! So I haven't seen GP in getting on for a year. But to be honest if everyone else's GP is as useless as that one, I don't know how he has any patients left- I can't get any meds because he will not communicate with me. He knows I can't change surgery because a new GP will not issue a sick note without allegedly seeing me or getting to know me! I would say my GP knows nothing about me anyway, even though I've tried. He will only communicate via face-to-face & I can't do that. I've used voice recognition technology to write to him several times & explain numerous problems (which he ignores & just sends invite to see him!). I don't know anything about what is normal regarding how to deal with GPs, I have no idea how anyone copes- GPs seem rather useless. I don't know why people rave on about GPs, if this is suppose to be someone on my side, I fear to think what ATOS will do.

My sister works for the government and was hospitalized for 4 week with alot of health problems. She has been off work for 3 months so her workplace has asked ATOS to give her a telephone consultation. I am going to record the conversation using Trucall - do I have to inform them? I want to record it as I will be doing most of the talking as my sister is on heavy medication, and they will be asking her detailed questions. Also, should they have notes from her doctor about what is wrong with and what her meds are and how severe her illness is or is this something I talk to them about over the telephone?

I have got my medical on Friday,second attempt.rang up Atos and medical centre ,groundfloor and recording ,my wife is coming in with me , any advise ? thanks

My wife and a number of her female relatives all suffer from Psoriatic Arthritis. My wife and her cousin are both on a small dose of chemotherapy (Methotraxate) to try and preserve the joints etc. Her cousin is at the tribunal stage of the ESA process. Atos do not seem to recognise the use of chemotherapy in arthritis, when its been a known treatment for years. My wife as been on this treatment for two years and the side effects are not getting any better, unfortunately over recent months her arthritis as left her bed bound at times and unable to work etc. I fear that in the near future that she will have stop work completely. I was just wondering if any Gaggers out there have had any experience with this disease/treatment and how they presented it to ATOS. I have looked on a number of sites and there as been some some success with rheumatoid arthritis which uses the same treatment but nothing in relation to my wife's arthritis.

GPs charge disabled up to £130 to appeal fitness-to-work decisions Doctors are charging sick and disabled people up to £130 for medical evidence to appeal decisions about their fitness to work, The Independent has learnt. NHS GPs are telling patients they will only provide the necessary details to challenge controversial Work Capability Assessments if they pay. Others are refusing to help at all. Citizens Advice say in many areas GPs are helping with an appeal only if patients pay a fee of between £25 and £130. There are also reports from 15 of its centres that family surgeries are refusing to provide evidence at all. GPs who refuse to help – or charge increasingly high fees – argue that writing up medical evidence takes up time when they could be helping patients. But Gillian Guy, chief executive of Citizens Advice, said: “Charging sick and disabled people more than £100 for medical evidence beggars belief. This process is clearly failing.” A lack of evidence from doctors will make it more difficult for people to navigate what experts say is an already “flawed” system. The Work Capability Assessment, which is currently conducted by the private company Atos Healthcare for the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), has already been beset by criticism. More than 600,000 of the 1.8 million assessments carried out by Atos since 2009 have been the subject of an appeal, at a cost of £60m. Around a third of the appeals succeeded. After an investigation by the DWP, which found that two in five of Atos’s written reports were not fit for purpose, the company will no longer have a monopoly to carry out the assessments. http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/gps-charge-disabled-up-to-130-to-appeal-fitnesstowork-decisions-8785041.html

Hello, I haven't been out of my home in over 6 months. I missed an ATOS assessment & have been ordered to keep providing fitness for work statements. On my latest one the GP has put that I have agoraphobia- technically I don't have this. But the GP seems to have put this rather than actually address or acknowledge the long list of complex issues I did report. GP also sent me letter stating not been out in 6 months & can't attend assessment. Could ATOS still find me fit for work/WRAG? If so how do they expect me to attend please? I know GPs must get hundreds of requests daily for help with supporting evidence for benefit claims. It just seems so wrong that ill patients are expected to request medical evidence our self- we're not doctors. It also seems like the GPs are then spending time that is suppose to be their patients consultation time on providing evidence- with time severely rationed by GPs they then have no time left to actually address their patients health issues. I wrote out a list of problems in the past too. Instead of even attempting to address them in a competent manner- they too were just all just classified as 'depression'- even though in no way related to such! I'm getting the distinct impression that the GP is trying to save himself paperwork by only listing up to 2 problems or maybe they are told they can only do 2?

I really could do with some advice. Here's the situation: I was on support group, moved over from incapacity benefit, due to mental health issues. Two months after getting moved over (which had involved being assessed) I get an ESA50 form. As it was so soon after being assessed, I wrote back to both ATOS & DWP asking why I needed to fill in the form when I'd recently been put on support group. I hear nothing for a while. Then ATOS replies saying its not them, but the DWP. Fair enough, I'll wait for the DWP reply I thought. Never received one. Wrote back to ATOS asking for them to hold their horses until DWP gets back with a decision about if I need to it. Fast forward to Friday, and I don't get paid. Phone up - told no payment is due as I didn't fill out the form, and it had been to a decision maker who decided to terminate my claim. First of all - I have received nothing from the DWP in writing. Secondly - I know now I should have just filled the form in and sent it back, but I did not know that then. I didn't want to go through another assessment so soon and still believe its completely wrong. Anyway - I was told I will not get any appeal rate. What do I do now for money? I have a toddler, and another child on the way. In this situation, how can they just kick me off when they didn't respond to me, when I have to have money to buy food to eat, let alone for my son... I'm at a total loss. Is this a sanction? Or is it a complete end for my claim? Can I re-claim? What normally happens when you fail to comply with the regulations, as the rude man at the DWP put it?

I have read a number of threads relating to Nurses who work in an assessment or advisory roll for ATOS. I enclose a copy of parts of their code of conduct which clearly state there duties to people under their care. The following are the Nursing and Midwifery council rules for record keeping Record keeping: Guidance for nurses and midwives • 42. You must keep clear and accurate records of the discussions you have, the assessments you make, the treatment and medicines you give and how effective these have been • 43. You must complete records as soon as possible after an event has occurred • 44. You must not tamper with original records in any way • 45. You must ensure any entries you make in someone's paper records are clearly and legibly signed, dated and timed • 46. You must ensure any entries you make in someone's electronic records are clearly attributable to you • 47. You must ensure all records are kept securely ________________________________________ This section relates to the nurses Duty of Care Duty of Care • 32. You must act without delay if you believe that you, a colleague or anyone else may be putting someone at risk • 33. You must inform someone in authority if you experience problems that prevent you working within this code or other nationally agreed standards • 34. You must report your concerns in writing if problems in the environment of care are putting people at risk This section relates to Competence • 38. You must have the knowledge and skills for safe and effective practice when working without direct supervision • 39. You must recognise and work within the limits of your competence • 40. You must keep your knowledge and skills up to date throughout your working life • 41. You must take part in appropriate learning and practice activities that maintain and develop your competence and performance In a number of recent treads Nurses have submitted reports based on assessments that have had major differences to the recordings. I refer you to the section on record keeping. Nurses have also been made aware of changes made. See second section. One nurse was reportedly acting as a Mental Health Advisor when she was employed by the local council to advise in family planning. Please read the section on competence . The only comment I will make is How are they getting away with it ?

Hi,new to this site,got esa medical in 2 weeks time,,need advise regarding asking for a recorded medical,I am 59 ,male ex miner,have been unable to work since 1992 due to accident in the mines.have been on invalidity,incapacity since then,I have been accessed at 50% industrial disability,back problems,miner beat knee & Pneumoconiosis, by DWP for life, just had right hip replaced .any advise would be appreciated

I have seen on youtube people claiming that ATOS only asked questions related to their immediate medical history (ie ignoring archived long term or non-diagnosed conditions) & didn't make a thorough evaluation. I've seen the point scoring system for mental/physical health (as I have problems in both) & assumed I would be asked all questions on it- to get a thorough evaluation & fair score. But from what I've heard they don't ask these questions & so most people have virtually no opportunity to get the points they are entitled to. Instead of ATOS asking all questions, people claimed ATOS apparently observe behavior & get away with claiming they did not witness the problem & so can score them 0 points. But in reality you have no chance of showing that you can't do the things on the lists & so would need to be asked them! Do they really not ask? DWP want me to attend an ATOS assessment, but I think my ESA would be taken away if I do. As most of my problems are not diagnosed. Those that are eg aspergers syndrome, are not recognized as proper condition- even though have caused me lifelong extreme difficulty. My GP has finally done letter stating I need home visit due to depression/phobias & I sent this to DWP, but haven't heard from ATOS. I also requested any assessment be recorded. I couldn't attend ATOS in Feb & my ESA has been reduced by £56.90 fortnight since- even though they sent letter accepting good reason for not attending. So not sure why they sanction me? They claim they won't put it right until been to ATOS assessment. But it's not my fault ATOS haven't given me a home appointment & I have difficulty phoning people. I don't know what to do, I can never get through to DWP anyway & they never reply to letters? I'm not sure if it's wise to write to ATOS as this may be seen as me consenting to ATOS doing an assessment, for which it seems they will just automatically score me 0. Does anyone have any experience of this please?