Benefit Busters: C4, 9pm 20th Aug

[Awesome Wells]

I'd forgotten that bit.

So the UK authorities are supposed to take his word that no doctoir in thne UK can touch his back! I couldnt believe what I was hearing and noone challenged him on it, from what we saw.

I would think the UK authorities (presumably you mean the DWP) would take note of the people it employs to deal with health problems. We call them doctors, join us!

What kind of slippery slope do you want to skate down if you think that not even qualified GPs (to say the least) can be trusted? This is not just ridiculous, it's scandalous.

 

[ukbix]

I would think the UK authorities (presumably you mean the DWP) would take note of the people it employs to deal with health problems. We call them doctors, join us!

What kind of slippery slope do you want to skate down if you think that not even qualified GPs (to say the least) can be trusted? This is not just ridiculous, it's scandalous.

In the case of incapacity benefift, the dwp give more weight to an ATOS assessment (which in the case of a mental health assessment is often done by a nurse, not a doctor) than they do to reports from a family GP, specialist or CPN etc.

Oddly for DLA, its meant to be the opposite (for mental health cases) with the atos assessment not regarded as the best form of evidence.

The DWP put little weight on GP evidence, unless its a GP employed by atos.

 

[Awesome Wells]

These assessments don't seem to be done by nurses or doctors. I wonder what the credentials of that woman interviewing him in the film were?

Is there no room for interviewees to reject/complain at the interview stage about a potential interviewer's lack of applicable credentials? Or would that just tick the scrounger box?

 

[Upchuck]

I watched this programme and I was wondering what Kieron was going to do for the rest of his life if he remained on the sick. Would he ever work? What would he do? I agree he had a bad back but could work in some capacity, and it would be good for him. He was just negative and lost. The alkie girl was in no way suitable for work. A more broken person I have not seen for some time. I think the state owes someone like her and should take care of her. She was one who should not have been referred to The Shaw Trust.

On the whole I thought the workers were ok. The ex-car saleswoman was busineslike and fair I thought. She was also very patient as I would have lost it with a few of those clients. The target based approach was wrong in an industry like that, as I felt the staff took the job seriously and really did want to help people, but the target system cheapened and pressurised the whole thing.

It was the least interesting of the 3, but it raised some interesting issues.

 

[_angel_]

I'm on dihydrocodeine; and yes, it is a heavyweight amongst pain killers, just below the super-heavyweight division of morphine. I've now been on DF 118’s for quite a few years; yet, I’m only reviewed on an annual basis.

I do hope that lad from programme isn’t taking the dosage I watched him take on a daily basis, even if these are prescribed. Because I’ve been taking strong pain killers for over 20-years I’m very careful about how frequently I use DF 118s.

For years I’ve only taken DHC when the pain becomes pretty intolerable. I’ve found I can live with moderate to high levels of pain; sure, it knackers me, but at least my stomach and other vital organs are not being attacked by the deleterious effects taking powerful meds long term.

Problem now is this. My GP’s aware of how I manage my pain; and, in general she’s in agreement; that is, if I can do without pumping pills every day, so be it. However, if I was on benefits, unable to work due to disability, I could be forced to take the meds every day in order that I function well enough to go to work.

They can also force people into having surgical procedures or operations if a doctor tells them that such and such an operation could improve someone’s condition. Apparently, there is an operation I could have on my spine to ‘improve’ my condition. By all accounts the procedure is very hit and miss; my rheumatologist wasn’t too positive of it being a success when we spoke about it a few years ago.

Two people I know who’ve had the operation are now permanent wheelchair users; at least I can operate over short distances outside my wheelchair.

I do hope the poor sod from the programme last night appeals against the DWP findings. It’s a fucking outrage that they can allow anyone but a qualified doctor to carry out those examinations. Doctors and the BMA should be beating a path to the doors of the DWP while howling their indignation at these practices.

Unfortunately unqualified people managing to turn down sick people's claims isn't a new thing.

I hope they don't get to the point of being able to force someone to go in for risky surgery, though. Surely at some point they need to listen to the advice of specialists and doctors!

 

[Awesome Wells]

business like and fair eh?

She was a pinch faced harridan with zero interest in seeing the people who were visibly fed up with being there as anything more than targets for her bonus.

People who think the world is a sales forecourt should NOT be working in industries such as this.

 

[Upchuck]

business like and fair eh?

She was a pinch faced harridan with zero interest in seeing the people who were visibly fed up with being there as anything more than targets for her bonus.

People who think the world is a sales forecourt should NOT be working in industries such as this.

I think that's an unfair assessment of that woman. She was doing a job that I could only last in for a couple of days, was also realistic and empathetic despite her hard facedness. I don't think she was excessively target driven, she was buisinesslike and trying to be positive in a workplace that would get the better of most of us. Like the people she was helping, she was merely a pawn in a bigger game. All in all I thought she was ok.

 

[Psychonaut]

Is there no room for interviewees to reject/complain at the interview stage about a potential interviewer's lack of applicable credentials? Or would that just tick the scrounger box?

from what i gather the assessment is supposed to be about the interviewer asking (often loaded and misleading) questions & filling in a form, rather than making their own judgements.

Ill be tempted to ask 'are you a nurse/doctor? well then this isnt a medical examination. lets wait until the doctor gets here' & cross my arms. Maybe not, but ill try & make some sort of protest, however meek - im assuming if you just roll over submissively and not vigilantly second-guess the line of questioning ill be fucked anyway.