Bravehearts

Woke up this morning to a message that the Scottish GPs have called to an end to WCA and Atos  involvement in them. It is really heartening to see the medical profession in Scotland come out so strongly against tests we all know are inhumane, unjustified and causing unnecessary pain and hardship. It is also thanks to the campaigning of the wonderful folk at Black Triangle that this has happened. We hope that this is just the start of health professionals everywhere uniting with us in condemnation of a company that is clearly so unfit for this work.

Press release follows.

BLACK TRIANGLE ANTI-DEFAMATION CAMPAIGN IN DEFENCE OF DISABILITY RIGHTS PRESS RELEASE

John McArdle                         0777 831 6875            

info@blacktrianglecampaign.org

http://blacktrianglecampaign.org

Scotland’s GP’s call for an end to controversial ‘fit for work’ tick-box tests carried out by French IT company ‘with immediate effect’

Scotland’s GP’s have today called to an end to the Government’s controversial computer-based ‘Work Capability Assessments’ carried out by French IT multinational Atos Origin for the DWP with ‘'immediate effect’:

http://www.bma.org.uk/images/slmc2011agenda_tcm41-212139.pdf
60 Lothian: That this conference, in respect of Work Capability Assessments (WCA) as performed by ATOS Healthcare, believes that:
i. the inadequate computer-based assessments that are used have little regard to the nature or complexity of the needs of long term sick and disabled persons
ii. the WCA should end with immediate effect and be replaced with a rigorous and safe system that does not cause avoidable harm to some of the weakest and most vulnerable in society

The Scottish-based disability rights and advocacy group Black Triangle was instrumental in getting the motion tabled at the Scottish Local Medical Committee’s (SLMC) conference at Clydebank.

Dr. Stephen Carty who works as a GP in the Leith area of Edinburgh and who is an active member of the campaign said:

“I welcome the support of the Scottish LMC conference on this matter.

This sends a ray of hope to some of the weakest and most vulnerable in society.

It also sends a clear message to other representative bodies including the General Medical Council (GMC) of the significant concerns shared by many GPs across the country.”

He said that “In my opinion the current contractual arrangements between the DWP and General Practice are unsustainable. The WCA as performed by ATOS is not an effective or safe method of determining "fitness to work" and this must be addressed.”

He continued: “All doctors are duty bound by the GMC to report any system or process that may be harmful to patients. The WCA is a harmful process. Scottish GPs have spoken: the GMC cannot remain silent on this matter any longer”

John McArdle, a founding member of Black Triangle said:

“The scandal of these assessments has gone on far too long. As a grassroots disabled people’s organisation we are over the moon that Scotland’s GP’s have spoken out so clearly and unequivocally in their condemnation. Our GP’s recognise the severe and avoidable damage that is being done to sick and disabled people through this brutal, draconian and profoundly unjust testing regime as they see it every single day. It must be halted now – ‘with immediate effect’.- before any further harm results and whilst the GMC launches a thorough investigation. They can no longer remain silent. They must act. ”

Atos Stories - coming soon...

You'd be forgiven for thinking we were a bit full of it, as we've collected a load of stories and not done much with them... But we can promise you we haven't been idle. The last few months have been spent organising material, writing the play and getting feedback about whether it works. (And like most of you we've also been getting a bit hot under the collar about the Welfare Reform and Health Bills, but that's another story).

We've had helpful comments from enough people to know that the play is on its way to being performable, and some good folk are going to workshop a few scenes. We've also had a think about how to get the play out to as many people as possible and we realise that we need to have two versions.

Atos Stories is more complex to stage and takes the essence of the stories we've collected rather than the individual detail. It has songs and dance, and a lot of physical action. It will probably take a fair bit of rehearsal time and be more costly to put on.

The Atos Monologues will be much simpler to do. It gives space to more of the stories which are rearranged in the form of conversations.It could be performed by one person or twenty and should be a cheaper and easier option.

So we'll make both available and if you want to perform, it will be entirely up to you to choose the one that works best for you.

In addition we'll also be posting key scenes which we think will work well as Street Theatre. There's one scene that has a particular Olympics flavour, so if there's anywhere safe to protest in London in the summer, we're hoping some of you might be interested.

So watch this space, postings coming soon...

And please do email us if you want to get involved atosstories@gmail.com

Dear Iain (& Chums...)

Dear Iain& chums,

We read today that you are pressing on with you disastrous reforms. That you don't believe people are suffering as a result of the Welfare Reform Bill.

You say this despite the wealth of concerns of disabled and seriously ill people, their carers and supporters. Despite the fact you've been defeated in the Lords 4 times over ESA and housing benefit, only narrowly avoiding a 5th because of Lib Dems too cowardly to defy the whip over DLA. Despite the twitter storm caused by the Spartacus Report and the wealth of stories of hardship and hurt that have appeared in newspapers of all political persuasions in the past fortnight.

How can you believe that no-one is suffering when the message boards of disability and carer groups are full of stories of distress and fear of the DWP and Atos assessments?

How can you believe that no-one is suffering  when 40% of ESA claimants (those that have the energy and support to do so) appeal their status of "fit for work"?

How can you believe that no-one is suffering when terminally ill people receive letters from the DWP stating they are fit for work?

How can you believe that no-one is suffering when 4 of the authors of the Spartacus Report have been in ill-health due to the stress of campaigning? And when Sue Marsh has ended up in a hospital bed?

How can you believe that no-one is suffering when Sue is turned down for DLA, when Kaliya Franklin (@BendyGirl) and 500,000 others like her won't qualify for PIP, despite being too sick to get out of the house most days?

How can you believe that no-one is suffering when your housing benefit caps stop families with disabled members being able to move to a house big enough for their needs?


You say you want fairness, to create less dependency, to help the most vulnerable. But you seem oblivious to the fact that  your policies do the opposite.

Everywhere we look people are suffering. It's time you opened your eyes and saw it too.

We Support the Spartacus Report (and some!)

Today has been an incredible day.


Thanks to the work of Dr SJ Campbell (@spooniedoc), Sue Marsh (@suey2y Diary of a Benefit Scrounger), Kaliya Franklin (@BendyGirl Benefit Scrounging Scum), Declan Gaffney  , Mason Dixon, Leigh James, Sam Barnett-Cormack, Rhydian Fon-James, Dawn Willis and several anonymous writers, the groundbreaking Spartacus Report has been produced. This report on the impacts of the proposed reforms to DLA in the Welfare Reform Bill is groundbreaking because it has been written and researched entirely by disabled and sick campaigners. And because for the first time the statistics the government would rather we didn't see are there in black and white. Statistics like 74% of disabled people surveyed were against reform of DLA - which slightly undermines the government's position that DLA reforms are welcomed by disabled people. Like the fact that DLA fraud runs at 0.5% (unsurprisingly, it's one of the most complicated benefits forms in the universe). Like the fact that the rise in people claiming DLA is 13% not the 30% the government presented to the House of Commons...We could go on, but you get the point and it's all in the report, so go and read it!


And thanks to the wonderful organisation of Sue and Kaliya, Declan and so many others the #spartacusreport has been sent by constituency reps to MPs, been in all the mainstream papers with even the DAILY MAIL reporting the 0.5% figure. Sue has been on Radio 5 Live today, giving Maria Miller a run for her money. And twitter and facebook have been overwhelmed with people writing and supporting the Spartacus Report.


The Welfare Reform Bill is debated in the House of Lords on Wednesday. Sympathetic Lords are reporting Lib Dems are wavering. Let's hope this will push them over the edge.


To quote (or possibly misquote) Miss Maudie in To Kill a Mockingbird. "It's a step. It may be a baby step, but it's a start."


Top marks to one and all.


We Support the Spartacus Report. So should you.

Christmas is coming and Atos is getting fat...

...stealing the pennies from the old man's hat.


The very wonderful people at National Protest against the Benefit Cuts have a neat idea for Christmas. Call our friends at Atos and tell them what we think of them. Please phone Atos 0800 783 3040/020 7830 4444 #atos & support mass phone complaint this week http://t.co/4k1zHA74

And if you're lost for words, why not sing them a seasonal carol?


God Rest You Merry Gentlemen,
let nothing ye dismay,
For Atos your good saviour
will take your pains away,
And lead you down to Tesco
To work till Christmas Day

Oh Tidings of Comfort and Joy, Comfort and Joy

Oh Tidings of Comfort and Joy.

(with thanks to the Atos Miracles FB guys)

The First Nowell, Atos Healthcare did say

To certain poor claimants in beds where they lay

Their legs where they lay, too painful  to sleep

On a cold winter’s night that was so deep

Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel

You’ve done our assessment & now you are well

Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel

You’re fit for work now so go out and sell

Good King Atos he looked out

On the feast of Stephen
When the snow lay round about
Deep and crisp and even
Brightly shone the moon that night
Though the frost was cruel
When a poor man came in sight
struggling with his fuel


Page and monarch went upstairs
Up they went together
Ignoring  claimant’s wild lament
And the bitter weather
"Sire, the stairs are too steep now
I can go no longer."Hither, page, and stand by me
If thou know'st it, telling
Yonder claimant, who is he?
Where and what his dwelling?"
"Sire, he lives a good league hence
Underneath the mountain
Right against the forest fence
By Saint Agnes' fountain."
"Bring my laptop, bring my pens
Tell him to come hither
Thou and I will question him
When we bear him thither."

Fails my heart, I know not how,
I wish that

 I was  stronger."
"My laptop tells me different son.

No points means you are fit now

So go and get yourself a job

Quick get on with it now”

So the claimant left the house
Too tired to make a protest
Weak and ill and failing fast
he lay in the snow to rest
Therefore, Christian men, be sure
Wealth or rank possessing
Ye who do not bless the poor
Won’t yourselves find blessing 

Coalition Cancer

Every time we read about this government's approach to benefit claimants we despair. Today, we heard this - that all cancer patients in stage 1V chemotherapy are to be put onto ESA, just like those in stage 1V radiotherapy -http://diaryofabenefitscrounger.blogspot.com/2011/12/government-cancer-pr-disaster.html?spref=tw

For those who are uninitiated in cancer speak, Stage 1V cancer is the end of the road. Being on Stage 1V chemo means that you're not going to beat your illness, you're not going to be one of those jolly survivors the media love to celebrate. What you are going to do is create a little bit more time on earth with the people you love to say goodbye. Anyone who has witnessed a friend or relative have radiotherapy or chemotherapy can testify to how unpleasant it is. On top of an already painful and debilitating illness, the person will be constantly vomiting (on chemotherapy) or so weak they can hardly get up (on radiotherapy).  How in God's name anyone with that degree of illness and in the middle of treatment is supposed to be work ready we cannot fathom.

Furthermore, if any of us were at this stage of end of life, what we'd want is to be to enjoy the last bit of time we have with the people we love in peace and dignity. The last thing a seriously ill person needs is to be worrying about WCA and whether they have enough money to pay the bills.

Yet another example of the cancerous heart of this coalition government. And another reason to stand up & shout ENOUGH.

Sickening.

So here's the deal...


The current Government, that bunch of millionaires with enough in their collective back pocket to keep the NHS going for a few more weeks, have already pushed through unpopular health care reforms. The ones that are making doctors responsible for implementing the NHS budgets. Whilst there are some advantages to this (clinical views can inform good commissioning) it potentially creates a situation where GPs will no longer be able to prescribe on the basis of need, but on the basis of what's affordable. And we all know where that will lead...


To add insult to a very very big injury, the newest proposal from our millionaires in Westminster, is that GPs will no longer be responsible for determining who is well enough for work. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-15801515   Because of course there are long queues of sick malingering bastards outside GP surgeries, conning those softie doctors into allowing them to stay at home...You know, the ones with mental health problems, or depression, MS or cancer...Leeches on society, the lot of them. If they were back at work the economy would be functioning SO much better wouldn't it? Of course those millionaires in the government, who will never have to worry about getting sick or old or stressed, would endorse a process that allows an "independent tribunal" to determine if someone is well enough to work.


It's not just Atos sick and disabled people will have to contend with. Hey, look, now they can go through the whole degrading, humiliating process again with a bunch of strangers who, no doubt, will not have a medical qualification between them.


Makes you feel sick doesn't it?