Fight Back - Recording your assessment
PLEASE READ THIS!!!!!Hi guys, sorry to hear about the nightmare stories, but never fear Blazin Storm is here.
I went for an assessment (Wolverhampton), and informed the ‘nurse’ that i was going to use my phone to record the assessment. she said i couldn’t as they had a policy on recording,As state in the above post. i agreed to the conditions of recording and with professional equipment, but stated that i was not going to cover the cost of the recording as it was their policy, so they would have to cover the costs. They agreed unwillingly, but said that they did not have the equipment and would have to loan it from the DWP. they sent me. i was sent another appointment. (this is against the LAW (Equality act 2010)).
I attended the appointment and was given a CONSENT form to sign.(consenting to the recording). I read the form and it gave the usual information about how long they would keep the recording, where it would be stored, etc. Paragraph 5 of the CONSENT form stated that they had the right to give a copy of the recording to the DWP if they requested it.( that is no problem, but it means that they can give their copy of the recording to a third party). The 6th paragraph stated that:
” the recording that you have is to be used solely for the purposes of your benefit claim and cannot be published or reproduced”
I said that i was not agreeing to that so i crossed out paragraph 6, initialed it and signed the rest of the consent form. The receptionist came back about 15 minutes later with another form and said that the manager would not accept that i crossed out the paragraph and wanted me to sign another copy, which i refused on the grounds that by putting a condition in the consent form, it turns the consent form into a contract. They refused to give me an assessment, so i went straight to the job center and complained that ATOS had refused me an assessment on 2 occasions.
I was telephoned later by the DWP and i told them that they could not force me into a contract with ATOS and i would not sign anything that had stipulations in it. The woman said that she would ask ATOS to change their CONSENT form. She phone later and said that they wouldn’t change it so she would contact the Contracts manager of the DWP. I was called on the next day by a DWP rep who agreed that i didn’t have to sign a contract with ATOS, but that i may be ;liable to prosecution if i used the recording inappropriately (Empty Threat). I told her that as the recording contained my own personal information i could hang it off of the top of Big Ben if i wanted and there is nothing they could do about it. I also told her that i was willing to undergo any assessment but if there were any stipulations that implied any kind of contract with ATOS i would not sign it and if ATOS refused me another assessment, for any reason i would expect my full benefits,while ATOS and the DWP sort out their contract with each other.
ATOS sent me another appointment for the 2nd NOV. 2011. Watch this space!!!!
I can beat these idiots at their own game and so can YOU!!!. I’ve only come into contact with them twice an MADE them change their policies twice. I already told them that they would wish they never met me and once i beat them i will tell everybody how to beat them. i cannot expose my plan at the moment but i will within the next few weeks, but until then remember
You DO have the right to have your assessment recorded (Audio or Video). when you receive the appointment, inform them straight away that you want to have the assessment recorded as set out in their own policy. Under the Equality act 2010, they must have provisions in place for disabled people.
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Do not sign ANYTHING that stipulates what you can do with your copy of the recording. (under the Data Protection Act) you can request a copy of the recording and then are free what you want with your own personal information jf you have already been duped by this stipulation).The law states that you must attend the assessment.in order to get your benefits, and the government employ ATOS to conduct these assessments. The contract that ATOS have with the DWP means that if they refuse you an assessment after you have made all reasonable attempts to undergo an assessment, they are breaking the law and denying you the right to your benefits.
The reason that ATOS and the DWP are getting away with these injustices is mainly because WE, the people, are letting them get away with it. The more we do this, the more untouchable they will feel that they are. We can beat them if we unite and stick together. The protests that we see going on around the country are not effective but i am planning a protest that will cause major disruption to ATOS and the DWP and will be in touch with the moderators of this site an many of the other sites in due course, Until then keep checking these sites for more information.
Don’t get worried, and don’t get Mad. GET EVEN
Blazin Storm
My personal view of the world via the articles i read and post, because I believe in that path, mixed with the views of others who sometimes clash with my point of view... very badly at times! Spot which ones they are. DYK that if you had projectbrainsaver type kit you would already know that, and so much more!