Data shows multiple complaints made against scores of PIP assessors
This information is worth having – not necessarily for what it says in its own right – but certainly because of how it could reflect on the current PIP reassessment.
It seems to me that reassessors would do well to check the identities of the Atos/Capita staffers who carried out the original assessments.
It would be useful to see if particular assessors were responsible for more people being denied benefits, and if they were assessors about whom complaints had been made.
Sure – it’s entirely possible that only one per cent of assessments have attracted complaints.
But how many were wrong? And how many caused harm? And were the same people responsible?
Scores of healthcare professionals may have been able to continue carrying out disability benefit assessments despite being the subject of multiple complaints about their behaviour, competence and honesty, confidential new documents have revealed.
The official reports, prepared by outsourcing giants Capita and Atos for the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), show that up to 180 personal independence payment (PIP) assessors were the subject of at least four complaints each in three-month periods in 2016.
The documents, released under the Freedom of Information Act, show that 161 assessors working for Atos had more than three complaints made against them in a three-month period.
And 19 Capita assessors were also subjected to at least four complaints in a three-month period in 2016.
Neither Atos nor Capita, nor DWP, will say what action was taken against these assessors and whether they are still carrying out face-to-face assessments of disabled PIP claimants.
A DWP spokeswoman said: “During the period you’ve outlined above, [Atos] and Capita completed a combined total of 945,000 PIP assessments.
“The total number of complaints that assessment providers received was less than one per cent of the total number of completed assessments.
“The PIP assessment providers thoroughly investigate all complaints and take appropriate actions.
“In addition, the PIP assessment providers have a target for customer satisfaction of 90 per cent, which they have consistently met since it was introduced in 2016.”
Source: The PIP Files: Data shows multiple complaints made against scores of Atos assessors
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What action was taken, either a letter saying they had been told and were still allowed to carry on, one of those excellent specimens of medical incompetence assessed me and then a few years later assessed someone I knew ,had they learnt anything, no, the mistakes were still going on, utter incompetence is the only thing I can think of
I didn’t complain about my Atos assessor even though her behaviour during the assessment and her lies and nasty comments on the forms deserved it. I phoned the DWP to complain but was told to complain to Atos – as she worked for them, not the DWP. I knew that complaining to Atos would be a waste of time as the assessor was doing just what they wanted her to do, give me 0 points so they could collect their money.
I am sure many other people have not complained due to believing it would be a waste of time and using their limited energy when feeling ill should be spent on trying to get through their day.
Not all assessors are nasty pieces of work like the one I was unfortunate to have. Three months after my assessment, a friend asked me to sit in on theirs. The lady – from the same Atos office as mine was – was delightful. My friend and I were suspicious. Three weeks later my friend received the full PIP money in his account plus backdated to start of claim. He received the letter and the requested assessment form later. Fair comments from the nurse, nothing rude or nasty. In fact, exactly the same as she had treated my friend during the assessment. Yes my friend’s assessment was stressful, but not due to the behaviour of the assessor, unlike in my assessment.
every time iv been assessed iv complained to their companies they work for dwp and their very own nurses headquarters a lot don’t but we must if you want it to change
If there they “have a target for customer satisfaction of 90 per cent” and they have “completed a combined total of 945,000 PIP assessments” does that mean 94,500 assessments were not done to customer satisfaction? The customer being the DWP of course, not the claimant.
Excellent points.
It seems to me that the DWP are not recording complaints! In my Mandatory Reconsideration Notice it was written that the DWP were ” … unable to make a complaint on your [my] behalf … “, and that I should ” … contact Atos directly …”.