DWP ATOS and Military Veterans

The Rt Hon Andrew Robathan MP
Minister for Defence Personnel, Welfare & Veterans 
The Ministry of Defence 
Floor 5, Zone B 
Main Building Without Prejudice 
Whitehall 
London SW1A 2HB 

Ref: Chronically and profoundly disabled War Pensioners

It is with much regret that I find the need to personally contact you as, given the content of your letter sent to my MP on 20th June 2011, it seems clear that my MP didn't offer the Minister enough detailed information and recent contact suggests he is unwilling to help further with this very serious matter.

Hence, your response via both email and letter to my MP was totally inapplicable to my personal situation and to my concerns for the UK's profoundly disabled veterans. As Minister, you should also be alerted to the fact that I have recently distributed the results of detailed research, conducted over the past two years, into the relationship between Atos Healthcare, Unum Insurance and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and my research portfolio is now enclosed for your urgent personal attention.

This detailed and disturbing research evidence portfolio has been accepted by various academics, professionals, front-line national charities and members of the House of Lords, who have now quoted from it no fewer than four times during the ongoing welfare reform debates. This demonstrates why a private contractor should not be appointed to undertake any medical assessments when, by their own admission, they put profits before people and routinely overbook all appointments by 20% per day, to allow for possible non-attendance. As a consequence, profoundly sick and disabled UK citizens, many of them disabled veterans, attend an Atos assessment centre only to be sent home again. A recent Work & Pensions Select Committee report on the role of incapacity benefit assessments offers more detailed information.(1)

Please be advised that I am a chronically disabled female veteran, with a confirmed 70% disability War Pension for a condition that is expected to continue to deteriorate over time. Contrary to the suggestion to you from the DWP, this is not a battlefield injury but a profound and permanent illness/disability, secondary to being exposed to a classified virus when on detachment to the Institute of Aviation Medicine in Farnborough. Therefore, the comments as advised to you by the DWP are inapplicable in my case.

As the Minister for Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans, you will already be alerted to the fact that, as soon as a 70% War Pension has been allocated, the income for Disability Living Allowance (DLA) Mobility is stopped and transferred to the War Pension to acknowledge the very serious and permanent disabilities of the disabled veteran. Once a War Pension is allocated at 80% or higher, all DLA is stopped, with both the mobility and care components of the DLA transferred to the War Pension.

Therefore, someone surely needs to advise the administrators at the DWP, who wrongly advised you, to

(1) The role of incapacity benefit reassessment in helping claimants into employment. W&P Committee 6th report of sessions 2010-12 Vol 1

stop quoting from a meaningless script and comprehend that a permanent chronic disability is, actually, permanent and is totally regardless of the fact that the disability is funded by a War Pension.

Medically speaking, it is totally irrelevant how or where the disability first began, as the fact that it is permanent means, by definition, that it can't ever improve. Therefore, any planned totally unnecessary annual medical re-assessment, once DLA moves to the Personal Independence Payment (PIP), is totally unnecessary, medically unjustifiable and administratively incompetent, costing this nation unnecessary expenditure for conditions that, clinically, can't possibly ever improve.

Lord Freud now reluctantly claims that there will be the provision for some disability benefit recipients to be awarded PIP as a lifetime award. Therefore, given that I was awarded DLA for life for a profound and permanent disability, I assume that I should also be awarded PIP for life when considering my identified and permanent disabilities. Indeed, I believe that anyone with such chronic, permanent and profound disabilities should need nothing more than a paperwork re-assessment, as confirmed by Lord Freud.

It will come as no surprise to learn that disabled veterans at this level of confirmed and profound disability are in receipt of DLA. Therefore, regardless of the planned totally unnecessary and unacceptable changes to transform DLA to PIP, there is quite clearly no justification whatsoever to force profoundly disabled War Pensioners, with a 70% or higher confirmed disability, to endure an annual reassessment by a private contractor to retain access to future PIP funding. The very suggestion is totally abhorrent in my clinically qualified opinion, and the UK's profoundly disabled veterans should be reassured instead of living in fear and ever increasing anxiety, aided and abetted by atrocious press activity.

Regardless of the opinion from the DWP, as quoted by you to my MP, the fact remains that when at the higher levels of profound disability, and especially when living with constant and extreme levels of pain in addition to disabilities, there is no medical or administrative justification whatsoever to terrorise the chronically sick and disabled people of this nation, be they civilians or disabled veterans.

Therefore, please be advised that I do not accept the excuse offered to you by the DWP, nor do I accept that I am required to be annually re-assessed for a profound, permanent, and extremely painful condition that can never, ever improve but may well continue to deteriorate. Medical integrity needs to be restored.

As the Minister for this nation's veterans I urge you to now read the enclosed and very detailed research portfolio. Given that it is quoted in the House of Lords, I suggest that the Minister for Veterans really ought to be familiar with this deeply disturbing evidence impacting on the welfare of disabled veterans.

In closing, I invite you please not to trouble yourself with further contact with my MP who, due to recent comments, I no longer accept is willing to genuinely represent me and he continues to refuse to visit a lone, disabled, female veteran. Given the very limited information he supplied to you, I am sure you will appreciate my reservations.

I trust, Minister, that you are now much better informed.

Yours, most sincerely

Mrs S..., Disabled veteran (WRAF), Retired healthcare professional

Encl:

 ATOS, UNUM & the DWP - the planned destruction of the welfare state.
 Independent research portfolio. 

Copied to:
 
 AVM Ross Paterson        - Chief Executive SPVA 
 General the Lord Dannatt - Patron, the Forgotten Heroes 
 Paul Kingham             - Chair VAPC 

AVM Ross Paterson 
Chief Executive, SPVA
Management Suite 
Centurion Building 
Grange Road, Gosport 
Hampshire PO13 9XA 

I confirm that I have received your letter dated 6th March 2012.

Needless to say, your comments are cause for serious concern as you appear to have quite wrongly presumed that two years of detailed research is nothing more than an exasperated complaint regarding my own experience and, quite clearly, you have not accessed the research evidence. I find your suggestion that my research is nothing more than a continued complaint regarding my own past experience to be offensive in the extreme, and I would remind you that I was a healthcare professional and I am more than capable of recognising a breach of medical ethics.

The amount of previous correspondence has resolved nothing as your predecessor, and others, constantly failed to acknowledge the evidence and wasted a great deal of my time by attempting to silence me to stop the complaint without success. Attempts to intimidate me also failed.

My concerns are quite clearly not simply the fact that I object to private sector involvement in medical assessments but that the private sector involvement being used is Atos Healthcare, whose so called medical assessments are demonstrated to be totally bogus. Their assessments are copied from the highly discredited American corporate insurance giant UNUM Insurance - who were banned from operating in no fewer than 15 US states and 6 countries worldwide until 2008. Atos Healthcare has copied the confirmed bogus UNUM Insurance assessments to reduce the Department for Work and Pension's (DWP) welfare budget, at the invitation of the DWP, whilst terrorising our sick and disabled people, including disabled War Pensioners.

The disturbing and very detailed research evidence provided for you has been accepted and welcomed by frontline national charities such as the Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) and Macmillan, together with welfare professionals, veterans charities, select committees, MPs, members of the House of Lords, His Honour (HH) Judge Andrew Bano and medical professionals. HH Judge Robert Martin, when President of the Appeal Tribunals, wrote 10 consecutive annual reports all condemning the medical assessments by Atos Healthcare and it was HH Judge Martin who actually encouraged my research and instructed me to keep HH Judge Andrew Bano informed as he was in charge of the appeals for all War Pensioners. I have received letters from Judge Bano welcoming my very detailed evidence, yet the Chief Executive of the SPVA refuses to access the same very detailed reports.

I would urge you to at least access the evidence as supplied to you to permit the new Chief Executive of the SPVA to be much better informed than you are at the moment. Indeed, the report: Welfare Reform - Redress for the Disabled was quoted no fewer than four times during the recent very lengthy welfare reform debates in the House of Lords. Therefore, it is hoped that you can

comprehend that members of the House of Lords are very unlikely to quote from any report that is limited to one person's complaint against the system, as you do appear to be suggesting.

Furthermore, your claim that all the SPVA staff holds the welfare of disabled veterans as a "primary concern" was not demonstrated by Dr Kitchen, the Deputy Director of Veterans Medical Services. In 2010 Dr Kitchen's email exchanges with Dr Beswick, at Atos Healthcare, were grovelling to the point where Dr Kitchen sent copies of letters planned for me to Dr Beswick for his prior approval, in the hope that - in his own words -he was not writing anything that could "cause a problem for the company." Dr Kitchen also admitted to the employment of administrative staff to add the "touchy feely factor" to letters to disabled veterans to suggest greater concern for their welfare than Dr Kitchen actually believes himself, and his obvious concern was to apologise for the fact that I had complained with no evidence whatsoever of any concern for myself as a War Pensioner. I have enclosed a copy of a letter to Dr Kitchen of 7th June 2010 to permit you to be much better informed regarding your own staff and their attitude towards this disabled veteran. Dr Kitchen's demonstrated primary concern was to make sure that he did not upset the company and not the welfare of this particular War Pensioner.

Indeed, I would draw your attention to the fact that Dr Kitchen corresponded with Dr Beswick at Atos Healthcare via the Contract Manager because Dr Beswick would "not risk emails in case of any GMC (General Medical Council) investigation." Does that attitude not alert you to the type of company we are dealing with here, when the Medical Director refuses to communicate via email in case the GMC investigate him? I believe that that is cause for alarm and note the SPVA's total acceptance of anything Atos Healthcare staff decides to do to the obvious detriment of War Pensioners.

Whilst you may presume that all the SPVA staff holds the welfare of disabled Service Veterans as a "primary concern", quite clearly Dr Kitchen does not as confirmed by Dr Kitchen in writing to Atos Healthcare management. Needless to say, Dr Kitchen was unaware that I would receive copies of his email exchanges with Dr Beswick and, if this is the quality of medical staff employed by the SPVA, then that is why our War Pensioners can no longer rely on the SPVA to look after their welfare. No doctor working for the SPVA should feel the need to apologise to a private company for the fact that a rogue doctor provided a totally bogus medical assessment of a disabled veteran.

Your predecessor was not interested in taking any evidence seriously at the time of my initial complaint, that was before I had access to all this additional disturbing research evidence. No-one in government will officially accept any evidence against this bogus company, as the UK take another step closer to the US sytle of health care to be funded by private insurance, although several MPs and Junior Ministers do express concerns in private. The concerns expressed by senior officials, such as the Judges and the welfare agencies such as Macmillan and the CAB, are all totally ignored by the DWP. Yet, there are growing numbers of very concerned MPs who have had to deal with their own constituents' distress.

My latest report: The Total Failure of the ESA explains it all, as now enclosed for your personal attention, and is yet another example of these totally bogus medical assessments as provided by Atos Healthcare and challenged by welfare agencies nationwide. Your claims that the company are outside of your area of responsibility are a given. Nevertheless, as the Chief Executive of the SPVA, with a presumed concern for the welfare of disabled War Pensioners, it is hoped that this amount of detailed and very disturbing evidence, which adversely impacts on the welfare of our War Pensioners, would at least be of some interest and concern.

Depending on the %age of disability, many disabled veterans will also be in receipt of both Incapacity Benefit, now being transferred to the highly discredited Employment Support Allowance (ESA), and Disability Living Allowance (DLA), which is shortly to be transferred to the Personal Independence Payment (PIP). These incomes are also now subjected to regular reassessments since Lord Freud was afforded unlimited authority, as the unelected Minister for Welfare Reform, to permit the DWP to terrorise all chronically sick and disabled people. So, the situation arises where chronically disabled veterans will be required to have no less than three assessments by Atos Healthcare to retain their

ESA, DLA and War Pension and they will be assessed again whenever they need to have their pensions reconsidered due to the predicted deterioration of their health or increases in their disabilities. Using a confirmed bogus assessment, this is identified as medical tyranny against War Pensioners and it is hoped that the claimed "primary concern" of the SPVA could be diverted to investigate why our disabled veterans are to be subjected to this medical tyranny as confirmed by high calibre welfare professionals. In the past, DLA could be awarded permanently when the profound disability was quite obviously permanent, but not any more. Hence the anxiety created when using a discredited assessment for conditions that can never improve.

It seems that no matter how much detailed evidence is presented, the government will ignore it all and now it seems that even a senior military officer, when Chief Executive of the SPVA, also has no concern for demonstrated bogus assessments carried out on our War Pensioners to prevent an increase in their pension. The only priority of Atos Healthcare, as contracted by the DWP, is to fail as many applicants as possible to limit the DWP welfare bill, and that includes our War Pensioners whose deteriorating health will be totally ignored to prevent any possible increase in their pensions.

Some War Pensioners are indeed fortunate. They still have their medical assessments conducted at home by retired military doctors, so they have a tendency to benefit from such an assessment. However, if the allocated short notice appointment is not convenient for the pensioner, they will be forced to accept the discredited assessments by Atos Healthcare that are challenged by the national frontline charities as well as welfare agencies, veterans charities and all other high calibre professionals working within welfare, but not it seems by the SPVA.

AVM Paterson, I would urge you to access my detailed research reports, together with the disturbing evidence as supplied by the CAB, Macmillan and other national frontline charities and, especially, the annual reports by HH Judge Robert Martin that are all identified in my research and all condemn the bogus medical assessments as conducted by Atos Healthcare. We all cannot possibly be wrong!

If the previously supplied detailed research evidence, as accepted by high calibre professionals, is to be summarily dismissed by the Chief Executive of the SPVA then it may be time to warn our War Pensioners that they can no longer expect genuine support from the SPVA, who simply support the DWP to reduce costs. Disabled veterans are clearly nothing more than a financial burden to the state that must be reduced. So much for the SPVA Chief Executive being "acutely aware" of their sacrifice.

Yours most concerned.

Mrs S..., Disabled veteran (WRAF), Retired healthcare professional

Encl: 
 Letter to Dr Kitchen, SPVA dated 7th June 2010 
 Copy of: The Total Failure of the ESA 
 Copy of: Lima softwear used by Atos 

Copy to: 

 General the Lord Dannatt - Patron, The Forgotten Heroes 
 Adam Douglas             - Chair, The Forgotten Heroes 
 Chris Francis            - RAFA 
 Henry Rowlands           - CAB 
 Susan McPhee             - CAS 
 John Pring               - Disability News Service 

Dr Rachel Perkins 
Chair, Equality 2025 
Office of Disability Issues 
Disability Directorate 
Ground Floor, Caxton House 
Tothill Street 
London SW1H 9NA 

Re: ATOS, UNUM and the DWP - the planned destruction of the welfare state

Further to my recent contact with the Office of Disability Issues, enclosed please find a copy of my detailed research portfolio that is the culmination of two years independent research, and my thanks for your agreement to access my work.

The report entitled: Welfare Reform - Redress for the Disabled was quoted four times during the recent welfare reform debates in the House of Lords and the evidence on my website is accessed from around the world thousands of times per day.

I am advised that both Unum Insurance and Atos Origin Medical Services both access my website 50 times every day.

I hope that you and colleagues working for Equality 2025 may find my research evidence of some interest.

Yours sincerely

Mrs S..., Disabled veteran (WRAF), Retired healthcare professional, Disability Researcher

Copied to: 

 Dr Stephen Hall, PhD 
 Professor Paul Gregg 

Daily Mail

British people are committing suicide to escape poverty. Is this what the State wants?

By Sonia Poulton, PUBLISHED: 17:23, 20 March 2012

In the last few months of his life, Craig Monk attempted several overdoses and was described as 'vulnerable' by his family.

An accident a few years before had resulted in the partial amputation of his leg and he had suffered unnecessary, and anxiety-inducing, obstructions in receiving state assistance - even though his disability was clear for all see.

Over time he slipped further into poverty, the ends could no longer meet.

Finally, the fear of there not being a light at the end of his personal tunnel overwhelmed him and Mr. Monk, a 43-year-old from Burnley, was found hanging in his home in October last year.

I would love to say this is an anomaly, a one-off. That here was someone who was psychologically unhinged and motivated by his own selfish considerations. I cannot. For there is far more to it than that.

As I write there have been almost 150 deaths related to sick and disabled citizens who fear being plunged further into poverty as our benefit system - designed to protect the vulnerable - increasingly cuts people adrift leaving them to fend for themselves.

For some people the solution is clear and irreversible - as it appeared to be for Mr. Monk.

And, for that matter, Helen and Mark Mullins.

The Mullins had physical and mental disabilities to contend with and had spent months fighting the notoriously complex disability process at the Department for Work and Pensions.

Starved, literally, of sufficient financial assistance, the couple's weekly food intake was bolstered by the vegetables they received from a soup kitchen in Coventry, a 12-mile round trip that they made weekly on foot.

The Mullins couldn't afford a fridge and so kept food in the garden shed. Eventually they could no longer stretch their non-existent budget to heating their home and they spent their remaining months living in one room.

Captured on camera by a roving reporter shortly before their death, Mr Mullins, criticised the system:

"They have no problems suspending benefits," he said, "They just put a tick in a box and they alter your life."

So it was that the Mullins' life was altered irreparably and, dreading another cold and hungry winter, they were found side by side, in an apparent suicide pact in November 2011.

...

I wonder if you can help me out here, then. What is the difference between people dying from starvation and people killing themselves before they have to face that certain misery?

Not that the people dying are only suicidal. Some have been pushed to the brink by the Coalition's continued use of the much criticised ATOS system, designed to tell how 'fit for work' someone is.

This French company and model - (any reason why we can't design and run our own?) - is cushioned with a whopping 100 million tax-payer funded pounds per year to move claimants from benefits to work.

The company was heavily attacked in the Harrington Report because its medical reports frequently failed accurately to reflect the assessment process or the circumstances in which they were conducted.

ATOS nightmare stories are legendary. People have suffered all manner of attacks - from anxiety to heart - during the process and the testing has proven unreliable according to the latest figures from HM Courts and Tribunals service.

Following a Freedom of Information request, the mental health charity Mind have released appeal figures for the period April to October 2011. They make for alarming reading.

They reveal that over the six months, almost half of the people who appealed against their ruling won their cases. That's 37,100 who had previously, quite wrongly, been found fit for work.

This success rate increased to 67 per cent when people were represented by, say, a lawyer or a benefits adviser.

Consider that. Sixty-seven per cent of assessments were found to be wrong. That's a huge failure rate by anyone's standards, and an expensive one too. Amounting, as it does, to some 50 million pounds to administer appeals each year.

And that's only the financial cost. What about the human cost of it? Where already vulnerable people are systematically broken down. Some never to recover.

Stephen Hill, 53, needed heart bypass surgery but was told he was fit to work and would be withdrawn from Incapacity Benefit in November 2011. This despite him winning a previous appeal against an assessment.

One month later, Boxing Day to be precise, and Stephen was dead from a heart attack.

His brother Anthony said: "The worry put so much pressure on him."

It is certain to get worse, for despite the ATOS assessments being repeatedly proven to be wrong, ministers are preparing to restrict legal aid for those seeking to overturn unjust decisions.

So what we have is a system that is recognised as faulty, and we intend to remove the legal means by which to challenge its numerous errors. This comes in addition to the intended removal of benefits during the period of the appeal.

The message from Cameron and Clegg's Coalition to disabled and sick people is clear. Accept what we say, or we will make life a (barely) living hell. And for some people that has proven too dire a prospect to contemplate.

...

Just one week after the morally-bankrupt Welfare Reform Bill was granted royal assent, the Coalition announced widespread closure of Remploy, nationwide factories that employ disabled people.

Thirty-six of its 54 factories were picked for the chop with potential compulsory redundancies of more than 1,700 disabled workers.

"So much for helping disabled people back into work," said Steven Preece from the pressure group Social Welfare Advocacy.

The result is an untenable situation for disabled people. The possibility for earning a living has been seriously reduced - and this trend will continue as Disability Living Allowance is cut and will no longer enable some disabled people to work.

At the same time, the State will reduce the hard cash available to the claimant and will also pile on pressure to be assessed for millions of invisible jobs in a market place with almost three million unemployed.

The current 'new thing' for our disabled and sick to endure is the anxious wait for 'the brown envelope' from the DWP. So far a thousand or so disabled people have received instructions about getting back into work even though some have been given fewer than six months to live.

Extremely sick - some terminally so - and disabled people will be poked and prodded by physical assessors and blocked and humiliated by the clerical ones. Turn this way, turn that way. Walk, but not too fast. That may classify you as 'not disabled enough' or 'too disabled' - both state of affairs come with sanctions. Cattle truck, anyone?

It has to stop. Now. Our Coalition have pushed disabled people further into a type of poverty that we assume only exists in dictator-led countries. And we're not one of those, are we?

How can Iain Duncan Smith have the temerity, the sheer barefaced cheek, to say that 'no one will lose out' in these reforms?

Why doesn't he ask the mother whose Down's syndrome child will likely end up almost £700 a year worse off, as a result of changes to their Tax Credits. Or the 50-something man recovering from a stroke who will lose hundreds from his yearly allowance? Well that's the heating off for next winter, then.

MP's could do much worse than to look at the court of public opinion when it comes to their handling of the disability crisis. According to charity Papworth Trust, almost nine out of 10 respondents felt that disabled people are treated badly. Unfortunately too, for MP's, a whopping 82 per cent said that politicians were unfair with disabled people.

The Coalition do not want to continue ignoring polls. Take, for example, a specially commissioned YouGov survey, designed to test the national pulse towards benefits.

The message that came back was clear and unequivocal. People hold great suspicion and dislike for the current benefit system but did not support the cuts aimed at disabled people. A miniscule 11 per cent, only, supported cuts to disability.

Of course that hasn't stopped the Government from continuing to try and whip the country into a benefit hysteria. Take, for example, the DWP's own figures last week which were widely circulated in the media and stated that some 37 per cent of people claiming disability were actually fit for work.

This amount, it should be pointed out, clashed with the reality of the situation - which found that the figures in the pilot schemes were only 22 per cent and the result of the appeals had yet to come in.

A DWP press officer was thus forced to admit that yes, this would result in a significant drop in numbers from that released to the press. See how rumours get started?

"It also doesn't acknowledge the fact that the assessments are so inaccurate and many will not have the strength to appeal despite being wrongly classified as "Fit for Work"." Says Sue Marsh, co-author of 'Reponsible Reform - The Spartacus Report'.

"They will then have only Job Seekers Allowance to rely on and face exactly the sanctions a non-disabled person would. On less money than before."

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2117718/British-people-committing-suicide-escape-poverty-Is-State-wants.html

       To:   Prof Malcolm Harrington CBE
             WCA Independent Review
             6th Floor, Section B
             Caxton House
             Tothill Street
             London SW1H 9NA

Re: The Total Failure of the ESA is Confirmed

Further to your very welcome letter of 23rd February 2011, inviting me to keep you informed as to further research evidence, enclosed please find a copy of my most recent report: The Total Failure of the ESA is Confirmed. I believe the report contents are self explanatory and all detailed references are included.

I am also enclosing a selection of information that may otherwise not be brought to your attention. Indeed, I believe that you need to have access to evidence that many other people readily access, and I have no doubt there will be those who would prefer you not to see such disturbing information.

For example, the very strong article by the Daily Mail freelance writer Sonia Poulton is enclosed entitled: British people are committing suicide to escape poverty. Is this what the State wants?

An extract from Sonia's article was included in the lengthy email of 30th March, now also enclosed, as was an extract from evidence from a former Atos staff member who had identified the tyranny required by the company. As identified in my previous report: Welfare Reform - Redress for the Disabled, previously provided for your information, all evidence of care, concern and compassion has been removed when using the Atos 'medical assessments' on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), as copied from the highly discredited UNUM Insurance of America.

The only good news is that the recent TV mass marketing of individual Income Protection Insurance (IPI), by UNUM Insurance, has been stopped due to the volume of "negative publicity" according to the company. I can only hope that my detailed evidence reports have played some part in stopping this corporate giant selling its IPI to the unsuspecting British public.

It is hoped that the detailed and disturbing report by Professor Steve Fothergill, namely: Incapacity Benefit Reform: the local, regional and national impact, will also be brought to your attention as it confirms previous research evidence that these welfare reforms will: "...impoverish vast numbers of households and cause untold distress to countless more." Reference to the Professor's evidence is included in my enclosed report.

From your published report I note that you have high hopes that the under qualified Decision Makers (DM) will be consulting with the Atos Health Care Professionals (HCP) in order to improve the disability benefit decisions by the DWP. However, as previously advised, using totally unqualified basic administrators as DMs, instead of qualified Medical Administrators, is a recipe for disaster as already clearly demonstrated by the hundreds of thousands of victims of this government funded medical tyranny who have been wrongly found fit for work since the Atos system was adopted in the UK. The enclosed article by Sonia Poulton gives graphic evidence of the unnecessary suffering and the staggering numbers involved.

Given that research has already established that the HCPs are required to remove as many people as possible from DWP benefits, I confess I am unclear why you believe that inviting the DMs to consult with them will help? You are presuming that the HCPs will offer detailed medical testimony to help the claimants when they are required to do the opposite.

Once again I am left wondering just how many more victims will have their DWP disability benefits removed, using the bogus Atos Healthcare 'medical assessment' copied from the highly discredited UNUM Insurance, as planned by successive governments since 1994?

I confirm that your last letter was unexpected and I note that you have yet to respond to my reply of 10th September, 2011. I confess Professor that I have no idea why you thought I had at any time claimed that you had 'endorsed' my research and I am of the opinion that the DWP suggested that you should write what was an unexpected and defensive letter.

I can reassure you that I have not claimed that you have endorsed my research, nor would I Professor, and I would have hoped that you knew me better than to make claims that are not true. I have stated that you invited me to keep you informed and had accepted my research as a contribution to the evidence used for your reports, in keeping with countless others, as demonstrated in your letter to me of 23rd February, 2011.

Over the last few years you have been provided with very detailed evidence by the high calibre national frontline charities, disability support groups, doctors, disabled people and independent researchers. However, compared to your published reports, it seems clear that, in keeping with the DWP, you also fail to accept the detailed evidence of trauma and distress caused by the bogus 'medical assessments' as conducted by Atos Healthcare.

Therefore, one wonders at the point of inviting a 'call for evidence' as, clearly, all provided detailed evidence will continue to be totally dismissed.

Yours, most sincerely

Mrs S..., Disabled veteran (WRAF), Retired healthcare professional

Enclosed:

• THE TOTAL FAILURE OF THE ESA IS CONFIRMED - independent research report by Mrs S...

• Letter from Prof Harrington to Mrs S... dated 23rd February 2011

• BRITISH PEOPLE ARE COMMITTING SUICIDE TO ESCAPE POVERTY. IS THIS WHAT THE STATE WANTS? - Feature article by Daily Mail freelance writer Sonia Poulton, 20th March 2012

• Detailed email from Mrs S..., including disturbing quotes, 30th March 2012

• Letter to Prof Harrington from Mrs S..., 10th September 2011

Copied to:

• Dr Stephen Hall, Dr Jane Campbell, Dr Chris Johnstone, Dr Margaret McCartney, Sonia Poulton - Daily Mail, Private Eye, John Pring - Disability News Service, Neil Coyle - Disability Rights, Mike Hobday - Macmillan, Susan McPhee CAS, Keith Dryburgh CAS, Sue Royston CAB, Work & Pensions Select Committee, the Broken of Britain and Black Triangle disability support groups.

AVM Ross Paterson 
Chief Executive, SPVA
Management Suite 
Centurion Building 
Grange Road, Gosport 
Hampshire PO13 9XA 

Re: SPVA Investigation

I have today received a letter from Jon Parkin, the H/O Veterans Services, who has advised that you have kindly requested an investigation of my detailed research evidence and that I shall receive a personal response on your return from annual leave.

This is indeed welcome news, and I'm pleased to learn that my last letter of 19th March 2012 does appear to have attracted your valuable attention that may eventually benefit other War Pensioners.

However, given the extensive previous correspondence between myself and the SPVA senior management, I believe that this, effectively, requires the SPVA to investigate themselves, and I am therefore not too confident as to the probable outcome. Time will tell.

That being the case, I have enclosed further detailed information that may be of interest and I hope I may look forward to your response on your return to duty.

Yours, most sincerely.

Mrs S..., Disabled veteran, WRAF, Retired healthcare professional

Encl: 

 Letter to MS from Jon Parkin, SPVA, dated 3rd April 2012 
 Reply to Jon Parkin, 5th April 2012 
 Letter from Chair JCHR to Minister for Disabled People, 6th March 2012 
 Welfare reform bill 'could breach human rights' 
     - John Pring, Disability News Service, December 2011 
 DWP to force chemo patients to undergo stressful benefit checks
     - Macmillan, November 2011 
 Atossed Aside - Private Eye re , November 2011 
 Sole charity rep quits Work Capability Assessment Review Panel
     - Third Sector, April 2012 
 Letter to Jon Parkin, SPVA, 18th March 2011 

Copy to: 

 General the Lord Dannatt - Patron, The Forgotten Heroes 
 Adam Douglas             - Chair, The Forgotten Heroes 
 Mike Hobday              - Macmillan 
 Chris Francis            - RAFA 
 Henry Rowlands           - CAB 
 Sue Royston              - CAB 
 Susan McPhee             - CAS 
 John Pring               - Disability News Service 
 Dr Stephen Hall 
 Mr Jon Parkin            - SPVA 

     From: Air Vice-Marshal Ross Paterson OBE BSc PGCE FCIPD RAF
     Ministry of Defence
     Service Personal & Veterans Agency

     Chief Executive
     Service Personnel and Veterans Agency
     Management Suite, Centurion Building
     Grange Road, Gosport
     Hampshire, PO13 9XA

     CE 18/04/12

     18 April 2012 

Dear Mrs S...

I am writing in response to your letter dated 19 March 2012.

The general policy of private sector involvement in medical assessments for social security and other public benefits was a decision for ministers, not officials. I can, however, comment on the medical assessments carried out by Atos Healthcare for the Agency.

Atos Healthcare were awarded the contract to provide medical services to the DWP and SPVA after full open and fair competition which complied with all government and European procurement requirements. This contract ends in August 2015, following which there will be another open competition.

As you are aware, Atos Healthcare have been included in two government commissioned independent reviews of the Work Capability Assessment by Professor Malcolm Harrington in 2010 and 2011, with all recommendations relating to Atos Healthcare accepted or accepted in principle by the government. Recommendations from the first review have all now been implemented and I understand that Atos Healthcare is working with DWP on the second group. Atos is also subject to full parliamentary scrutiny through the select committee arrangements, the most recent one being 2011.

In terms of MOD no-fault military compensation, the contract requires medical assessments in accordance with guidance contained in the SPVA's "Handbook for Examining Medical Practitioners". This handbook is owned by the SPVA and written by members of its staff. Where examinations carried out by Atos Healthcare fail to meet the defined standards, the matter is taken up with Atos Healthcare management through the DWP contract management team.

Although LiMA, one of the subjects of the Professor's second review, is used for the production of medical reports for SPVA, like the handbook, the medical report template is owned and written by SPVA. The integrated logic built into LiMA that drives the "tick box" assessment you refer to in relation to social security benefits is not used for SPVA reports. For us LiMA simply replaces handwritten reports by providing a word processing facility. The examining doctors are not constrained in their form completion. I note also that in his second review, Professor Harrington concluded that "there does not appear to be any fundamental problems with the way in which the software operates". He went on to say that "many of the comments received...appear not to be robust or evidence-based".

I accept that no system is perfect and we strive hard to work together with Atos Healthcare to address complaints from veterans and to ensure that lessons are learned. Formal complaints from veterans about Atos Healthcare medical examinations have reduced and most recent figures show that 0.4% of examinations resulted in a complaint. The Veterans Advisory & Pensions Committee have recently (March 2012) told us that the number of complaints about Atos Healthcare received by the committees has reduced significantly.

Atos Healthcare has a comprehensive three tier complaints process and, in addition, SPVA management can make representations on behalf of veterans.

I am not complacent but I do consider that the above noted arrangements provide safeguards for veterans and that our efforts to address complaints have led to service improvement, confirmed by external independent sources.

I hope that this allays some of your concerns.

Best Wishes

      To:   AVM Ross Paterson OBE BSc PGCE FCIPD RAF
            Chief Executive SPVA
            Management Suite, Centurion Building
            Grange Road, Gosport, Hampshire PO13 9XA

Thank you for your letter of 18th April 2012 and I trust you enjoyed your annual leave.

I confess that Jon Parkin's letter, advising that you had requested an 'investigation' into my concerns did raise an eyebrow, given the amount of unsuccessful correspondence I have exchanged between myself and the SPVA in the past. However, it was possible that an AVM may indeed take my detailed evidence seriously, so I was more than happy to wait to hear from you again.

Needless to say, following two years of detailed research, the contents of your letter are already known to me and I am unclear as to why you would consider this information to be anything other than a confirmation of information I already have?

It may be good news that the Veterans Advisory and Pensions Committees are now reporting that there is a reduction in the numbers of complaints against Atos Healthcare (AH). However, there is also significant evidence that many victims of this government funded medical tyranny are just not well enough to cope with the demands of making any complaint/appeal, given the extraordinary amount of time taken for anything to be resolved. This reduction may be just a sign that people have stopped complaining, and hence should not be presumed to be confirmation that anything has improved regarding the unacceptable assessments conducted by this private and totally unaccountable company. My research portfolio offers you a great deal more detailed evidence.

Given that the Scottish GPs have just voted to have AH removed from the UK, and other medical conferences across the UK are expected to vote in the same way, this is much more significant evidence of how wrong these medical assessments are, given that the entire medical profession are against them:

"...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." (1)

I am amazed to learn that you feel that Professor Harrington's comments regarding the Lima software are worthy of comment. AVM Paterson, most people do not actually have access to the Lima software and so can only comment from their personal experience of being assessed by a staff member using the software. Consequently, they will not have the "robust or evidence-based" information as stipulated by the Professor. Is that not obvious? My reference to the Lima software is different and, if this is what's been used, then no wonder there are problems as the very limited possible replies to the carefully managed questions guarantee that it will be very difficult to be awarded the necessary points required.(2)

When you consider the reported comments from the former medical staff members of Atos Healthcare, who all testify to the only concern being profit, and not the welfare of the patients, (3) together with the fact that this £100million per annum contract has never been audited, (4) then the evidence is overwhelming, but so it seems is the resistance to accept it by all government officials. I guarantee that if you take the time to read my research portfolio you will be much better informed, and much better placed to look after the welfare of our disabled veterans as the Chief Executive of the SPVA, instead of only accepting the opinions of paid officials, as you appear to be doing so far.

My concerns still exist because profoundly disabled veterans are very likely to also be in receipt of both Disability Living Allowance (DLA) and the former Incapacity Benefit, now replaced by the terminally inadequate Employment Support Allowance (ESA), as confirmed by the nation's frontline welfare advisers such as Citizens Advice (5)

As stated in my letter of 19th March, we are now in the absurd situation where chronically and permanently disabled veterans will be required to have no fewer than three assessments by this highly discredited assessment system, and I would have hoped for significantly more concern from the SPVA than has been so far detected. Therefore, the fact that War Pensioners are not subject to the Lima tick test assessment for their pension is irrelevant given that they will be when being forced to be constantly re-assessed for either ESA, DLA or both.

To date you have totally disregarded the fact that the visiting AH doctor breached medical ethics, attempted to intimidate a lone, disabled woman in her own home and treated me with utter contempt. This is something else I would have hoped that the Chief Executive would be concerned to learn, yet it is totally ignored. If you consider the growing epidemic proportions of complaints for those victims being assessed for either DLA or ESA, then a reduction in complaints from the veterans regarding their War Pensions is little enough to celebrate if, like me, they have simply decided to never again invite a reassessment of their War Pension as the trauma just isn't worth it.

The Minister for Veterans has confirmed that, regardless of how profound the disability, disabled veterans will not be spared the relentless re-assessments for DLA, ESA or both. I would hope that the SPVA would consider challenging this decision as being administratively incompetent, as well as totally unjustifiable, if the welfare of the veterans really is their top priority and they really are 'acutely aware' of the sacrifice made by the veterans. This nation is meant to have limited resources so, from an administration perspective if nothing else; it is a catastrophic waste of resources to constantly re-assess people whose permanent disability can't possibly ever improve!!

Detailed evidence from the CAB is cause for considerable concern considering that Henry Rowlands has specific experience with the disabled veterans.(6) The enclosed very detailed email to Robert Goodwill MP is very informative, and confirms yet again the overwhelming evidence that the assessments by AH are totally bogus and impacting on the welfare of our disabled veterans:

"... is a clear imbalance as medicals for ESA are about "fitness to work" and DLA is about assessing the individual's care and mobility needs irrespective of whether they can or do work! Yet we have evidence to show that Tribunals have used an ESA medical for the basis of refusing (and removing) a client's entitlement to DLA." (6)

"...Atos Healthcare Medical Representatives ignore and disregard injuries attributed to Service even when the client is in receipt of a War Pension or Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) payment, and in the same vein they ignore PTSD as a medical problem and often disregard the client's mental state as being inconsequential." (6)

" Thirdly, ATOS Healthcare Representatives show a complete lack of knowledge when carrying out War Pension reviews, and do not appreciate that they are dealing with an accumulative total as a percentage for disability payments, neither do they understand that a Veteran in receipt of a War Pension in excess of 40% is entitled to apply for a Mobility Supplement irrespective of age and dismiss requests citing the clients age as the reason for inability to walk far rather than considering it in the light of his attributable injury." (6)

"While we appreciate, there is an urgency to try and cut costs, this should not be at the expense of our clients, many who would go back to work if at all possible, in the majority of cases, these are veterans who have contributed into the system while they served and often while working after they leave the services, yet when they need the help this is being denied." (6)

Therefore, given the above testimony from Henry Rowlands, whose a very experienced welfare adviser and spends a great deal of time helping disabled veterans, perhaps now you will comprehend why this system is causing trauma to so many of our disabled veterans ?? I would urge you to please read all the information in my research, and from Henry, as it offers a great deal more information that should be of serious concern to anyone claiming to be concerned with the welfare of our disabled veterans.

AVM Paterson, I confess that your last paragraph is cause for concern where you claim: "I am not complacent but I do consider that the above noted arrangements provide safeguards for veterans and that our efforts to address complaints have led to service improvement, confirmed by external independent sources."

I can only conclude that you accept very limited evidence that all is well and fail to consider the substantial evidence from welfare professionals from across this country, including Paul Farmer, the Chief Executive of MIND, who's just resigned from the WCA Advisory Panel "..frustrated that the government was not paying attention to the growing chorus of alarm over the reliability of the test." (7)

Yours, most sincerely

Mrs S..., Disabled veteran (WRAF), Retired healthcare professional

References:

WCA = Work Capability Assessment
(1) News report: Scottish GPs vote to remove Atos Healthcare and bogus WCA assessments.
(2) Lima software used by AH assessments
(3) Comments from former AH medical staff
(4) www.whywaitforever.com/dwpatosveterans.html
(5) Citizens Advice Scotland: Unfit for purpose:
    www.cas.org.uk/Publications/publications/Evidence+reports/unfit-for-purpose
(6) Email to Robert Goodwill MP from Henry Rowlands CAB
(7) Charity chief quits over fit-for-work-test - The Guardian, 10th April 2012

Copied to:

• General the Lord Dannatt - Patron, The Forgotten Heroes

• Adam Douglas - Chair, The Forgotten Heroes

• Chris Francis - RAFA

• Henry Rowlands - CAB

• Susan McPhee - CAS

• Keith Dryburgh - CAS

• John Pring - Disability News Service

Mr Stephen Barclay MP
South Fens Business Centre 
Fenton Way 
Chatteris 
Cambs PE16 6TT 

Ref: Welfare Reforms/War Pensioners

From our previous correspondence, I believe you are aware that I am in receipt of a War Pension.(WP) My WP is for a confirmed, permanent 70% disability that is expected to continue to deteriorate over time, and the WP includes both an unemployability supplement and a mobility supplement that funds my Motability car.

Like other very disabled veterans, I am also in receipt of Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for care at the highest rate yet, despite all my efforts, I have been unable to establish what impact these future welfare reforms will have on War Pensioners in my circumstances once the Personal Independence Payments (PIP) are introduced to replace DLA.

I am well versed with the Department for Work and Pension's (DWP) claims of concern that the chronically sick and disabled people should not be identified simply by their diagnosis, to justify the DWP's insistence that everyone in receipt of DLA are obliged to have a 'face to face' assessment by what are claimed to be 'medical experts' yet, considering my detailed research, you will forgive me if I am sceptical.(1) There is no evidence whatsoever that Atos Healthcare (AH) have been using any 'experts' for the DWP assessments to date. Indeed, AH continue to breech the DWP contract daily by failing to provide the required 'specialist' medical opinion for all cases of terminal illness, cases of muskulo-skeletal disease etc, etc and with no apparent redress from the DWP when AH breech the £100million per annum contract. Indeed, this enormous and costly AH contract never has been audited, as confirmed in writing by the DWP....

Another total failure is the DWP claims that those with the greatest need will be placed straight into the Employment Support Allowance (ESA) support group, without any need for assessment by AH. Yet, the DWP fail to advise that the few who are placed straight in to the ESA support group may only remain in the support group without assessment for a maximum of 6 months. QED yet another totally misleading public statement by DWP Ministers, so you will no doubt appreciate my concerns for very disabled veterans once PIP is introduced to replace DLA. Furthermore, the evidence is overwhelming of the numbers of dangerously sick and profoundly disabled people who are not placed direct into the support group(2) so I suggest that it really is time to change that particular DWP script.

I am also aware that another corporate giant, who will no doubt have no past experience in health or welfare, has yet to be awarded the PIP contract by the DWP. Regardless of which totally unsuitable corporate giant wins the contract, the same queries will exist, as follows:

1. My DLA for mobility was transferred to a War Pension mobility supplement. Given the very detailed reported unacceptable experiences of disabled people, who have had to endure a seriously flawed assessment conducted by AH for their ESA claims, can you please confirm that, regardless of the results of any future PIP assessments for my care needs, my mobility supplement and my War Pension will remain unchanged and will not be adversely effected by any PIP decision for care?

2. The Minister for Veterans has advised that all other detailed medical evidence will be considered as part of the future PIP assessment. My War Pension confirmed a serious and permanent disability. Therefore, can you please confirm that my War Pension will be considered as strong evidence for the future PIP assessment?

3. Following confusing and inexplicable guidance from the DWP, the Minister also advised that other disability assessments cannot be considered for future assessments ie PIP. Please advise which information is accurate.

4. My War Pension is acknowledged as being permanent, as my disabilities are permanent. Therefore, for an identified permanent and incurable condition, can you please advise if PIP will be awarded for life? I realise that the Minister for Welfare Reform who, by his own admission, knows nothing whatsoever about healthcare or welfare and fails to comprehend that all profound disabilities are, invariably, permanent.

5. The Minister for Welfare Reform has claimed on national TV, during the welfare reform debates in the House of Lords (HOL), that some recipients of PIP may be awarded the benefit for life, depending on circumstances. However, the Minister for Disabled People recently claimed on Politics Today on the BBC, during an interview including Baroness Tanni Grey Thompson, that the PIP award will only be awarded for 5-10 years regardless of obvious, permanent and profound disabilities. Please advise which Minister is correct?

6. The welfare reforms have caused unnecessary anguish and torment, 70% of AH assessments are being overturned at Appeal in Scotland and 39% in England. The DWP script clearly isn't working as more and more people demonstrate that the AH assessments are bogus, and are totally unfit for purpose,(3) so please advise what you plan to do, as my MP, to support chronically and profoundly disabled veterans in your constituency? Agreeing with anything the DWP Ministers claim isn't considered to be supportive.

I look forward to hearing from you with some constructive replies to these queries that will impact on large numbers of our disabled veterans and on members of your constituency in particular.

Yours sincerely

Mrs S..., Disabled veteran (WRAF), Retired healthcare professional

(1) www.whywaitforever.com/dwpatosveterans.html 
(2) http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2137377/
    Man-suffering-blood-clots-open-ulcers-loses-benefits
    -jobcentre-labels-fit-work.html
    (contains pictures that some people may find disturbing. MS) 
(3) http://www.cas.org.uk/Publications/recent-publications/From+pillar+to+post 

CC:

(1) General the Lord Dannatt - Patron, The Forgotten Heroes 
(2) Adam Douglas - Chairman, The Forgotten Heroes 
(3) Chris Francis - RAFA 
(4) Henry Rowlands - CAB 
(5) Neil Coyle - Disability Rights UK 
(6) Keith Dryburgh - CAS 

AVM Ross Paterson OBE BSc PGCE FCIPD RAF 
Chief Executive SPVA 
Management Suite 
Centurion Building 
Grange Road 
Gosport 
Hampshire PO13 9XA 

Re: Disabled veterans

Further to my last letter of 21st April 2012, it was of significant interest to note that the Prime Minister(PM) recently, and quite unexpectedly, made the very welcome announcement that members of the armed forces would be made a 'special case' regarding disability benefits.(1) To that end, the PM advised that disabled veterans will hence forth be allowed to keep their disability benefits, without the need for the highly discredited regular 'medical assessments' as conducted by the totally unaccountable Atos Healthcare. It is hoped that the PM remembers to so inform his Minister for Veterans who advised my MP to the contrary.(2)

It seemed quite a coincidence that this announcement by the PM was made within three weeks of my last very detailed letter to you, as copied to General the Lord Dannatt, and following the strong submission by the Royal British Legion(3) regarding the proposals for the new Personal Independence Payment(PIP) to replace Disability Living Allowance(DLA). Indeed, Iain Duncan Smith's disturbing and well reported comments that limbless people could no longer presume that they would be offered the vital support of DLA has particular relevance to many disabled veterans.(3)

I suggest that it is cause for serious concern that the Work and Pensions Secretary continues to demonstrate his disturbing lack of detailed knowledge regarding the profound impact of disabilities. Indeed, the Secretary's indefensible comments regarding disabled workers in the Remploy factories was beyond breathtaking(4) and I struggle to believe that he did not anticipate the deep offence that would be caused. Perhaps that was his intention?

Of much more concern perhaps was the receipt of an unexpected letter from Professor Harrington, appointed by the Department for Work and Pensions(DWP) to review the Work Capability Assessments(WCA) as conducted by Atos Healthcare. At no time have I ever claimed that the Professor endorsed my research, despite a number of very encouraging letters from him inviting me to keep him informed with future research reports. Therefore, one wonders why the Professor suddenly felt the need to confirm that he does not 'endorse' my research when no-one has ever claimed that the did?(5) Perhaps the Professor wrote to me at the suggestion of the DWP who have, to date, failed to silence me or to stop my research that is now very well reported across the Internet and welcomed by all, from the frontline national charities and welfare agencies to the disabled and fearful individual searching for help.

It is only government departments who do not appear to welcome the catalogue of disturbing evidence identified in my research portfolio namely: ATOS, UNUM & THE DWP -the planned destruction of the welfare state. Indeed, my website:www.whywaitforever.com/dwpatosveterans.html is still monitored by both Atos Healthcare and Unum Insurance 50 times per day. It should be of further concern that the transcript of a BBC News item from 2007, that identified Unum Insurance as the 2nd most discredited insurance company in the US, was suddenly removed from the BBC website with their total refusal to reinstate it despite countless public requests.... Given that the BBC News report demonstrated the influence of Unum Insurance, together with the fact that Unum's former Chief Medical Adviser now works for Atos Healthcare, the BBC do appear to have been instructed to remove the evidence.(6)

Now that the GP's annual conferences, in both England and Scotland, have just voted to remove the Atos Healthcare WCA assessments, as conducted on sick and disabled people on behalf of the DWP(7), and as many as 70% of all disability assessment appeals are successful, there really is little point in attempting to support what is a demonstrated totally bogus medical assessment system, imported from the US, that adversely impacts on the welfare of sick and disabled people.

Of course, what remains unclear following the PM's sudden announcement to uphold the Military Covenant is which disabled members of the Armed Forces was the PM making reference to? I confess I would wish for confirmation that the PM's ruling applies to all identified disabled veterans and is not limited to recently disabled members of our armed forces. Perhaps, as the Chief Executive of the SPVA, you may be able to access some form of confirmation that the PM's recent announcement applies to all our disabled veterans ?

I trust I may look forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience.

Yours, most sincerely

Mrs S..., Disabled veteran (WRAF), Retired healthcare professional

(1) Wounded heroes beat MOD in benefits battle - The Sun - 25th May 2012 
(2) Letter from Minister for Veterans 1st August 2011 
(3) Welfare reforms will deny wounded soldiers vital benefits
    - The Daily Telegraph - 15th December 2011 
(4) Iain Duncan Smith blasted over Remploy attack - Daily Mirror - 7th May 2012 
(5) Letter to Professor Harrington - 31st March 2012 
(6) http://www.whywaitforever.com/dwpatosveterans.html#unumbbc 
(7) GPs call for work capability assessment to be scrapped - The Guardian - 23rd May 2012 
    http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/may/23/gps-work-capability-assessment-scrapped 

Copied to:
 
 Marie-Louise Sharp       - Royal British Legion 
 Peter Poole              - Combat Stress 
 General the Lord Dannatt - Patron, The Forgotten Heroes 
 Adam Douglas             - Chair, The Forgotten Heroes 
 Chris Francis            - RAFA 
 Henry Rowlands           - CAB 
 Sue Royston              - CAB 
 Keith Dryburgh           - CAS 
 Mike Hobday              - Macmillan 
 John Pring               - Disability News Service 
 Sonia Poulton            - Daily Mail 
 Stephen Barclay MP 
 Dr Stephen Hall 

AVM Ross Paterson OBE BSc PGCE FCIPD RAF 
Chief Executive SPVA 
Management Suite, Centurion Building 
Grange Road Gosport 
Hampshire PO13 9XA 

Re: Disabled veterans

Further to my last letter of 21st April 2012, it was of significant interest to note that the Prime Minister(PM) recently, and quite unexpectedly, made the very welcome announcement that members of the armed forces would be made a 'special case' regarding disability benefits.(1) To that end, the PM advised that disabled veterans will hence forth be allowed to keep their disability benefits, without the need for the highly discredited regular 'medical assessments' as conducted by the totally unaccountable Atos Healthcare. It is hoped that the PM remembers to so inform his Minister for Veterans who advised my MP to the contrary.(2)

It seemed quite a coincidence that this announcement by the PM was made within three weeks of my last very detailed letter to you, as copied to General the Lord Dannatt, and following the strong submission by the Royal British Legion in the national press(3) regarding the proposals for the new Personal Independence Payment(PIP) to replace Disability Living Allowance(DLA). Indeed, Iain Duncan Smith's disturbing and well reported comments that limbless people could no longer presume that they would be offered the vital support of DLA has particular relevance to many disabled veterans.(3)

I suggest that it is cause for serious concern that the Work and Pensions Secretary continues to demonstrate his disturbing lack of detailed knowledge regarding the profound impact of disabilities. Indeed, the Secretary's indefensible comments regarding disabled workers in the Remploy factories was beyond breathtaking(4) and I struggle to believe that he did not anticipate the deep offence that would be caused. Perhaps that was his intention?

Of much more concern perhaps was the receipt of an unexpected letter from Professor Harrington, appointed by the Department for Work and Pensions(DWP) to review the Work Capability Assessments(WCA) as conducted by Atos Healthcare. At no time have I ever claimed that the Professor endorsed my research, despite a number of very encouraging letters from him inviting me to keep him informed with future research reports. Therefore, one wonders why the Professor suddenly felt the need to confirm that he does not 'endorse' my research when no-one has ever claimed that the did?(5) Perhaps the Professor wrote to me at the suggestion of the DWP who have, to date, failed to silence me or to stop my research that is now very well reported across the Internet and welcomed by all, from the frontline national charities and welfare agencies to the disabled and fearful individual searching for help.

It is only government departments who do not appear to welcome the catalogue of disturbing evidence identified in my research portfolio namely: ATOS, UNUM & THE DWP -the planned destruction of the welfare state. Indeed, my website is still monitored by both Atos Healthcare and Unum Insurance 50 times per day. It should be of further concern that the transcript of a BBC News item from 2007, that identified Unum Insurance as the 2nd most discredited insurance company in the US, was suddenly removed from the BBC website with their total refusal to reinstate it despite countless FOI public requests.... Given that the BBC News report demonstrated the influence of Unum Insurance, together with the fact that Unum's former Chief Medical Adviser now works for Atos Healthcare, the BBC do appear to have been instructed to remove the evidence.(6)

Now that the GP's annual conferences, in both England and Scotland, have just voted to remove the Atos Healthcare WCA assessments, as conducted on sick and disabled people on behalf of the DWP(7), and as many as 70% of all disability assessment appeals are successful, there really is little point in attempting to support what is a demonstrated totally bogus medical assessment system, imported from the US, that adversely impacts on the welfare of sick and disabled people. It seems likely that the PM made this announcement to leave alone our disabled veterans to permit the ongoing medical tyranny of all other chronically sick and disabled people with total impunity.

Of course, what remains unclear following the PM's sudden announcement to uphold his promise to the British Forces, is which disabled members of the Armed Forces was the PM making reference to? I confess I would wish for confirmation that the PM's ruling applies to all identified disabled veterans and is not limited to recently disabled members of our armed forces. Perhaps, as the Chief Executive of the SPVA, you may be able to access some form of confirmation that the PM's recent announcement applies to all our disabled veterans in receipt of disability benefits ?

I trust I may look forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience.

Yours, most sincerely

Mrs S..., Disabled veteran (WRAF), Retired healthcare professional

(1) Wounded heroes beat MOD in benefits battle - The Sun - 17th May 2012 
    http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/campaigns/our_boys/article4321544.ece 
(2) Letter from Minister for Veterans 1st August 2011 
(3) Injured servicemen could loose support under Coalition's welfare reforms,
    British Legion warns - The Daily Telegraph - 15th May 2012
    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/defence/9268370/Injured-servicemen-could-lose. 
(4) Iain Duncan Smith blasted over Remploy attack - Daily Mirror - 7th May 2012 
    http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/iain-duncan-smith-blasted-over-822000 
(5) Letter to Professor Harrington - 31st March 2012 
(6) http://www.whywaitforever.com/dwpatosveterans.html#unumbbc 
(7) GPs call for work capability assessment to be scrapped - The Guardian - 23rd May 2012 
    http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/may/23/gps-work-capability-assessment-scrapped 

Copied to; 

 Marie-Louise Sharp       - Royal British Legion 
 Peter Poole              - Combat Stress 
 General the Lord Dannatt - Patron, The Forgotten Heroes 
 Adam Douglas             - Chair, The Forgotten Heroes 
 Chris Francis            - RAFA 
 Henry Rowlands           - CAB 
 Sue Royston              - CAB 
 Keith Dryburgh           - CAS 
 Mike Hobday              - Macmillan 
 John Pring               - Disability News Service 
 Sonia Poulton            - Daily Mail 
 Stephen Barclay MP 
 Dr Stephen Hall 
 Baroness Jane Campbell 
 Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson 

Mr Stephen Barclay MP
South Fens Business Centre 
Fenton Way 
Chatteris 
Cambs PE16 6TT 

Dear Mr Barclay

Thank you very much for the copy of the letter you sent to Maria Miller, regarding my queries, and I shall look forward with interest to her reply.

On a personal issue, enclosed please find copies of letters recently sent to the Jobcentre Plus regarding unexpected contact relating to my personal income. As you will see from the correspondence, previously provided via email, this incompetence is breathtaking and now, as my MP, I invite you to please make enquiries as to the following:

Why are Jobcentre Plus details regarding my personal circumstances years out of date?

Why did I receive documents about my benefits in July from an office that, apparently, closed in April?

How many more disabled people are to tolerate this level of total incompetence? On a related matter, I enclose for your personal attention please, a copy of a detailed feature article from yesterday's Independent press. Kliya Franklin is the founder member of Benefit Scrounging Scum and began the disabled community's rejection of government funded tyranny against us.

I shall look forward with interest to your reply and I thank you for your continued and valuable support.

Yours sincerely

Mrs S..., Disabled female veteran (WRAF), Retired healthcare professional

Enclosures: 

 Letter to The Manager, Mansfield Benefit Centre - 20th July 
 Letter to David Reid, Manager, Jobcentre Plus Glasgow - 26th July 
 Sickness & disability are not the same 
    - feature article by Kaliya Franklin 

Copied to: 

 Dr S Hall PhD 

Mr Stephen Barclay MP
South Fens Business Centre 
Fenton Way 
Chatteris 
Cambs PE16 6TT 

Dear Mr Barclay

Re: Unexpected DWP contact

Thank you very much indeed for the copy of the letter you sent to Maria Miller regarding my queries. I shall look forward with great interest to her reply, although I think we can both predict the Minister's response.

On a more personal issue, enclosed please find copies of letters recently sent to and from the Jobcentre Plus regarding their unexpected contact. As you will see from the content, Jobcentre Plus staff now claim that anyone not in receipt of Incapacity Benefit are still required to present themselves for a Work Capability Assessment(WCA) to retain National Insurance Credits for future access to a Retirement Pension. I guarantee that the vast majority of the disabled British people are unaware of this anomaly and I am alerting you to this fact in case other disabled constituents are faced with the same situation. There was, of course, no acknowledgement at all of the fact that I was contacted in July, in error, from a benefit agency office that was, apparently, closed in April....

Happily, the Service Personnel & Veterans Agency(SPVA) are familiar with this problem of National Insurance Credits and appear to have resolved it in my favour. Time will tell if Jobcentre Plus staff accept the opinion of the SPVA, another government department, or if they attempt to insist that I must endure the WCA; the most discredited medical assessment system in British history.

Looking to the future, at some time I will be required to have an assessment as I am in receipt of Disability Living Allowance(DLA), at the highest rate, for personal care. It is therefore a growing concern that evidence is now advising that all claimants are required to be assessed at an Atos Healthcare(AH) assessment centre, with no exceptions, and claiming that a home assessment will not be permitted. Needless to say, this suggested enforcement of physical attendance at an assessment centre is totally unacceptable, is medically impossible for many, is in breach of the United Nations Human Rights for Disabled Citizens and I for one am physically unable to conform if this is the latest shocking requirement by the Department for Work & Pensions.(DWP)

Enclosed for your attention, please find copies of information relating to the AH assessment centre at Peterborough, the nearest to my address. As you will note from the description, there is no disabled car parking facilities next to an assessment centre that is

exclusively used for testing chronically sick and disabled people. Even worse, directions indicate a 30 minute walk (1) if parking in the nearest public car park at the Queensgate Shopping Centre. There is it seems some very limited metered parking on the road close to the assessment centre but some of it is resident's only, the parking is so limited it can't be guaranteed, yet disabled people are required to present themselves for assessment at least 10 minutes in advance of the planned assessment time when parking access is totally unrealistic.

Therefore, whilst conscious of regular demands on your time in the recent past, I would ask you to please establish some confirmed facts for future DLA assessments. Clearly, claimants like myself, with breathing limitations of sudden onset that are secondary to my primary condition, that cannot be planned or predicted in advance, cannot possibly travel anywhere when suffering a flare-up that impacts on breathing. As a consequence, please understand that I can't and I won't ever agree to any medical assessment away from the security of my home. The reasons should, I hope, be apparent. Please establish that those of us who are too ill or disabled to travel, some with significant and possibly life threatening conditions, will continue to be provided with a home assessment, by a suitably qualified medical professional, for any enforced and totally unnecessary future reassessment of DLA in advance of the Government's planned move to the Personal Independence Payment that is neither needed nor wanted in this country.

On a related matter, I enclose for your personal attention please, a copy of a detailed feature article from the Independent press. Kaliya Franklin is the founder member of 'Benefit Scrounging Scum' and began the disabled community's rejection of this government funded medical tyranny against us.

I shall look forward with interest to your reply and I thank you for your continued and valuable help.

Yours, most sincerely

Mrs S..., Disability researcher, Disabled female veteran (WRAF), Retired healthcare professional

Enclosures: 

 Letter to The Manager, Mansfield Benefit Centre - 20th July 
 Letter from Jim Murdock, Jobcentre Plus - 31st July 
 Reply to Jim Murdock, Jobcentre Plus - 2nd August 
 Sickness & disability are not the same - feature article by Kaliya Franklin 
 Details of Peterborough Assessment Centre, Atos Healthcare 

Copied to: 

 Stephen Hall PhD -academic adviser 
 Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson 
 Henry Rowlands -CAB 
 Chris Francis -RAFA 

(1) Peterborough Assessment Centre -Atos Healthcare 
    http://www.atoshealthcare.com/claimants/locations_home/
        locations_details_peterborough 

Prof Malcolm Harrington CBE
WCA Independent Review 
6th Floor, Section B 
Caxton House 
Tothill Street 
London SW1H 9NA 

THANK YOU

Like many other sick and disabled people in the UK, I watched the BBC Panorama programme this week with great interest. Together with the equally important documentary by the Dispatches team, shown on Channel 4 half an hour prior to the Panorama programme, both documentaries were of real importance. Your comments in particular were noteworthy, and I am writing to thank you for your very valuable contribution.

At least now some of the British able bodied people may have been educated since the national press have been hiding reality for a long time.

Chris Grayling's comments about the waste of life and 'people at home doing nothing' demonstrates the serious problem disability activists have always had, given that all Ministers in the Department for Work & Pensions (DWP) do seem to presume that anyone surviving on disability benefits has a wasted life. Presumably, working voluntarily when able is of no consequence. I am gainfully employed in the safety of my own home every day when physically well enough. I just don't earn a salary, I don't claim Incapacity Benefit and will not be claiming Employment Support Allowance either.

Whilst we can all appreciate that some chronically sick and/or disabled people should indeed be given any possible help to find work if they are physically able to consider employment, nevertheless, as you said, the computer assessment as conducted by Atos Healthcare "...won't work" when considered in isolation. Recent figures confirm that 94% of all Decision Maker decisions are a 'rubber stamp' of the Atos assessment, so nothing has changed or improved, despite government assurances that they accept your recommendations. They may Professor, but they don't implement them. The government also closed the Remploy factories that were employing disabled people......!

The very dangerous DWP 'one size fits all mentality' still exists, insisting that people with such conditions as end stage Emphysema should prepare to go to work, whilst continuing to totally ignore all detailed medical evidence, is against all my training and my understanding of a compassionate society. This is the consequence of using totally unqualified Decision Makers who have no comprehension of the significance of such a life threatening diagnosis.

I don't think any of us object to the claimed principal behind the assessments. However, any system that will not tolerate detailed information as provided by the claimant's own GP or Consultant is sinister. The comments from the Minister, during the Panorama programme, demonstrates the very

dangerous situation we have with medically unqualified politicians failing to comprehend the magnitude of this process, with seriously ill people living under endless stress waiting for the DWP brown envelope to arrive, then being distressed as they are forced to endure an inhumane process, only to have the identical process repeated within weeks of the decision. This is government funded medical and psychological tyranny. Meanwhile, disability hate crimes in the UK are rising due to government propaganda, and a national press only too happy to print totally bogus DWP claims.

Since when does an occupation health assessment totally ignore all detailed medical history evidence? Only in the UK, when using medical tyranny, can a diagnosis of terminal cancers, Huntingdon's Chorea and Emphysema be totally ignored. Claiming this medical tyranny is for the victim's own welfare is obscene, whilst disregarding all evidence of the harm this system has created.

For your information, I have enclosed a recent letter to The Minister for Employment who usually responds, but he's using the standard DWP script and has never moved from it. That's because the DWP are not in charge or control of this system; they simply supervise it. This system was designed by a US corporate insurance giant, who now boast that they are 'guiding UK welfare reform' and the UK is little more than another US State for welfare and, increasingly, for our health service too.

Following the documentaries, Chris Grayling wrote a very defensive piece for The Guardian, that mentions you by name Professor, so I thought I ought to send a copy to you, now enclosed. I am also enclosing an email from Henry Rowlands, seconded to the Citizens Advice Bureau from the Royal British Legion(RBL), and overwhelmed by the atrocities against this nation's sick and disabled veterans. Henry has just taken sick leave, possibly never to return.

I do appreciate that you were given an almost impossible task Professor, the government totally underestimated the disabled lobby's strength of purpose and you did what you could. I regret that I believe the government were using you, going through the motions of using an expert whilst refusing to access or accept any other evidence from professional reports. To this day, the DWP have failed to implement many of your recommendations, people are not only suffering but dying and suicide numbers, following these bogus DWP assessments, are climbing. You must surely have come to the same conclusions yourself.

I wish you well Professor, and I thank you for having the courage to take part in the Panorama documentary.

Kind regards.

Mrs S..., Disability activist, Disabled veteran (WRAF), Retired healthcare professional

Enclosed: 

 Feature by Chris Grayling 
 Letter to Chris Grayling, DWP 
 Email from Henry Rowlands, RBL 

Copied to: 

 Prof Paul Gregg 
 Neil Bateman 
 Stephen Hall PhD 
 Dr Chris Johnstone 

Goff Daft
H/O DWP Correspondence Team 
Ministerial Correspondence Team 
DWP 
Caxton House 
Tothill Street 
London SW1H 9NA 

Dear Mr DAFT

Ref: TO/12/15138

Once again you have taken the liberty of responding to a private and confidential letter, addressed to the Minister for Employment, and your response to the detailed evidence provided for the Minister is entirely inappropriate.

Kindly be advised that I have spent the past two years researching the relationship between the DWP, Atos Healthcare and Unum Insurance and your reassurances, Mr DAFT, are quite meaningless to someone who clearly knows much more than you.

Given the detailed letter provided for the Minister, I would be obliged if you would now kindly desist from sending me a standard DWP script, that totally ignores detailed evidence provided, and solves nothing apart from demonstrating that you would appear to have no comprehension of the total irrelevance of what you write. Kindly don't waste my time again.

Please be further advised that the information you are distributing is totally incorrect, the £100million per anum Atos contract has never been audited Mr Daft, as confirmed in writing by the DWP, so I suggest you get yourself much better informed before sending out standard DWP script to disability activists who do appear to be much better informed than you.

I further suggest that you stop making endless references to Professor Harrington, whose just appeared on national television and confirmed that the DWP have failed to introduce the Professor's recommendations, sick and disabled people "are suffering" and that he doesn't like it.... !!

During the Panorama documentary: Disabled or Faking it? the Minister demonstrated this government's total contempt for high calibre professional opinion, especially from the President of the Appeal Tribunals, whose detailed reports all exposed the fact that the Atos assessments "failed to coincide with reality" and reports from high calibre institutions such as Citizens Advice, Citizens Advice Scotland, Macmillan Cancer Care and

others, all confirm that the Atos assessments can't possibly work, but the Minister dismisses them all, as do you it seems.

Therefore, given the fact that my research is welcomed and accepted by UK institutions, was quoted during the welfare reform debates in the House of Lords and is now reported in America, kindly desist from sending me any more standard DWP scripts that totally fail to respond to any single query as addressed to the Minister.

I suggest you access the following feature article as published on a website in America:

re: Welfare Reform Tyranny Direct from the USA

http://lindanee.wordpress.com/2012/07/18/welfare-reform-tyranny-direct-from-the-usa-bymo- stewart/

Yours sincerely

Mrs S..., Disabled veteran (WRAF), Retired healthcare professional

Enclosures: 

 Letter to the Minister for Employment - 30th July 2012 

Copied to: 

 Professor Paul Gregg 
 Professor Peter Beresford 
 Professor Malcolm Harrington 
 Stephen Hall PhD 
 Mike Hobday - Macmillan Cancer Care 
 Sue Royston - Citizens Advice 
 Keith Dryburgh - Citizens Advice Scotland 
 Stephen Barclay MP 
 Baroness Jane Campbell 
 Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson 
 John Pring - Disability News Service 
 Chris Francis - RAFA 
 Henry Rowlands - RBL 

It is too difficult for ill people to claim benefits

Anne E Dyson General Practitioner,
Brickfields Surgery, 4 Brickfields Road,
South Woodham Ferrers, Essex CM3 5XB, UK 

I have worked in the NHS as a principal and partner in general practice providing primary care for patients since 1986.

I have met patients who have told me of the difficulties they'd had claiming sickness benefits, but I had previously had no personal experience of the system.

Recently I was diagnosed as having breast cancer and had to have a mastectomy and sentinel lymph node biopsy and needed chemotherapy, trastuzumab (Herceptin), and radiotherapy to give myself the best possible chance of long term cure. This treatment meant that I have been unable to work since early July 2012 because of illness. I have regularly paid national insurance contributions throughout my working life, since 1982. I wanted to claim employment and support allowance, which is a non-means tested benefit based on the amount of national insurance contributions that has been paid to date. I looked at the Department for Work and Pensions website, naively thinking that I would be able to complete a claim online. But this is not possible, and neither can you obtain a claim form to complete at home and send back. Instead, I was expected to ring an 0845 telephone number, which is charged at a non-geographical rate, at my own expense; wait for 30 minutes for the phone to be answered; and complete a 40 minute telephone interview with someone in a call centre. She said that she would send the forms for me to check and sign.

Unfortunately, when I received the forms they contained several errors; the most important was that I had been recorded as a dental rather than a general practitioner, and the dentist's address had been given instead of my surgery. So I had to telephone the 0845 number again, wait another 30 minutes for the call to be answered, and tell the representative that the forms had been wrongly completed. I asked if it were possible to send the forms back with amendments, but that was not acceptable. Instead, I had to write a covering letter pointing out the errors and discrepancies and providing the correct information. I was also asked to produce my original birth certificate, marriage certificate, and medical certificate of sickness and to provide details of any pensions or sickness insurances that I had paid for privately. These documents had to be sent by recorded delivery to the local Jobcentre office to process my claim. I was shocked by the bureaucracy of a system that is supposed to be a safety net for people who fall sick through no fault of

their own and have paid national insurance contributions all their lives. Fortunately, I am not reliant on receiving any state benefits for my living expenses because I have sufficient private provision, but I am sure that many of my patients are not in such a lucky position. Furthermore, I do not feel ill or unwell as such, otherwise I might not have had the strength and perseverance to persist with my claim. And nor do I have hearing loss or a speech impairment, which would make a telephone interview impossible. I am also organised enough to know where to find my birth and marriage certificates and so on.

It is a scandal that the system is so complicated: it is likely to fail the very people who are most in need of help. I suspect this may be a deliberate government ploy to reduce the number of benefit claims and reduce the overall cost of welfare. If so this should be publicised and shown for what it is: the government withholding funds from sick and needy people through a bureaucratic claim system. Competing interests: The author has completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form at www.icmje.org/coi_disclosure.pdf (available on request from the corresponding author) and declares: no support from any organisation for the submitted work; no financial relationships with any organisations that might have an interest in the submitted work in the previous three years; no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work.

Provenance and peer review: Submitted on 15 August 2012 as a rapid response to BMJ 1988;296:1341; not externally peer reviewed.

Cite this as: BMJ 2012;345:e7209

BMJ Publishing Group Ltd 2012

Mr Stephen Barclay MP
South Fens Business Centre 
Fenton Way 
Chatteris 
Cambs PE16 6TT 

Re: Enclosed letter to the Minister for Employment, dated 30th July 2012

It is with regret that I find the need to contact you again so soon after my recent correspondence. However, now that the Department for Work and Pensions(DWP) appear to have blocked all incoming contact, and the reply from the DWP Correspondence Team is simply a quote from a standard text, that totally fails completely to acknowledge or to respond to the text of the enquiry, it does appear that I must contact you again.

Enclosed, please find a letter addressed to the minister for Employment. The Minister has not as yet seen this letter, so has been unable to respond, due to the DWP's prevention of contact with Ministers by the British public. Therefore, I would be grateful if you would please take the time to offer this letter to the Minister given the number of people, on-line, awaiting his reply to what is perfectly reasonable comment.

Given that the recent Panorama programme(1) : Disabled or Faking It? -first shown on 3rd August -clearly exposed the fact that 32 people per week are actually dying after having been found fit for work using the highly discredited Work Capability Assessment, as conducted by Atos Healthcare, I believe it is time for the Minister to respond in writing.

Thank you as always for your time.

Yours, most sincerely

Mrs S..., Disabled veteran (WRAF), Retired Healthcare Professional

ENCLOSURE: Letter to Minister for Employment, 30th July 2012

(1) PANORAMA: Disabled or Faking It? http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01lldrc

Mr Stephen Barclay MP
South Fens Business Centre 
Fenton Way 
Chatteris PE16 6TT 

Dear Mr Barclay

Ref: Unresolved issues re DLA/PIP and disabled veterans

Many thanks for your letter of 21st August and for the enclosure of a lengthy if inadequate response to my queries from the then Minister for Disabled People, Maria Miller MP.

With reference to your letter to Mrs Miller of 27th July, you will note from her reply that the Minister totally failed to respond to the precise questions you raised, provided a needless history lesson regarding the government's ongoing welfare reforms and I respectfully suggest that this is a total waste of everyone's time and limited resources, especially mine.

Therefore, at the risk of trying your patience due to the need for regular recent contact, I would be most grateful if you would please provide a similar query to the new Minister for Disabled People: Esther McVey MP.

As previously advised, like all other chronically and permanently disabled people with an illness and disability, that can never improve and is expected to continue to deteriorate over time, I would like a real explanation for the need for totally unnecessary reassessments, that promotes unnecessary anguish and stress for those involved. Certainly, increased stress is medically contra-indicated for all chronic health conditions.

Furthermore, given that I am identified as a War Pensioner(WP), there seems to be a constant presumption by certain politicians that all WP disabilities are the result of military action. In fact, I worked as a healthcare professional and contracted a classified virus, that led to a permanent and life changing disability due to illness. I was not on the front line....

This government's constant excuse of not wishing to label people simply by their disability may fool the press and the general public but, to this former healthcare professional, when also ignoring medical prognosis this can only ever lead to catastrophe. And so it does.

Certainly, the detailed debate in Westminster Hall(1) yesterday offered further disturbing evidence of the total failure of the Atos Healthcare(AH) 'medical assessments' that were also exposed and discredited in two high calibre recent TV documentaries by Panorama(2) and Dispatches.(3) Indeed, the now infamous quote from an Atos staff member was: "..if you have one finger that works, and you can push a button, you don't score anything...."(3) Even Professor Harrington, the government's own chosen adviser, stated on camera that "...people will suffer.."(2) and I am suggesting that, in 21st Century UK, the vulnerable chronically sick and disabled people of this nation should not be suffering due to any government imposed 'medical assessment' which are neither medical nor assessments.

Another recent amazing revelation is that, according to the Department for Work and Pension's(DWP) own figures, the Atos Healthcare(AH) assessments have resulted in 1100 deaths between January and August of 2011. These victims of this American style of medical tyranny had been removed from disability/incapacity benefit, and placed into the work related activity group, following an AH assessment with benefit decisions made by the totally under- qualified DWP Decision Makers.(4)(5) Desperate stories of this government imposed human suffering using AH abound(6) yet the DWP have still awarded AH the contract to reassess people on Disability Living Allowance, who now also live in fear of this government.

In short, I have a 70% permanent and profound disability that can't ever improve, as confirmed by a Consultant on behalf of the Appeal Tribunals. Furthermore, I also live with constant and, at times, extreme levels of pain and my breathing is often compromised.

Therefore, following the Prime Minister's recent announcement that disabled members of the British Forces will be awarded 'special treatment' by the government,(7)(8) I do require something other than government rhetoric to accept the need for any further re-assessments, using a totally discredited assessment, when another government department at the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency(SPVA) has already confirmed my permanent and increasing needs.

Many thanks for your continued valuable support and I trust I may look forward to hearing from you at your convenience.

With my apologies for the need to make rather frequent contact of late.

Yours, most sincerely

Mrs S..., Disabled veteran (WRAF), Retired healthcare professional

Encl:

 Letter to Maria Miller MP, 27th July 2012; 
 PRIVATE EYE -Disabled Veterans, Issue 1302, 

Copied to: 

 General the Lord Dannatt -Patron of The Forgotten Heroes,
 AVM Ross Paterson -Chief Exec -SPVA 
 Lord Ashcroft KCMG, Michael Mansfield QC,
 Baroness Jane Campbell, Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson,
 Dame Anne Begg MP, Kevin Brennan MP, Michael McMahon MSP 
 Stephen Hall PhD, Professor Malcolm Harrington,
 Professor Peter Beresford, Professor Paul Gregg 
 Dr Christopher Johnstone GP, Dr Margaret McCartney GP 
 John Pring, Sonia Poulton 

References: 

1. Debate in Westminster Hall re Atos Healthcare assessments: 
   http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201213/cmhansrd/
     cm120904/halltext/120904h0001.htm#12090423000002 
2. PANORAMA: Disabled or Faking It?: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01lldrc 
3. DISPATCHES: Britain on the Sick : 
   http://www.channel4.com/programmes/dispatches/episode-guide/
     series-117/episode-1 
4. 32 die per week after failing test for new incapacity benefit: 
   http://blogs.mirror.co.uk/investigations/2012/04/
     32-die-a-week-after-failing-in.html 
5. Welfare Reform -Redress for the disabled: 
     www.whywaitforever.com/dwpatosveterans.html 
6. British people are committing suicide to escape poverty.
   Is this what the State wants? 
   http://poultonblog.dailymail.co.uk/2012/03/
   people-are-choosing-suicide-to-escape-poverty-is-this-
   thestates-final-solution/comments/page/2/#comments 
7. Injured troops 'safe' from benefit cuts: 
   http://bfbs.com/news/uk/injured-troops-safe-benefit-cuts-57390.html 
8. Severely injured troops exempted from extra disability tests under new benefits: 
   http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/jul/18/injured-troops-exempt-disability-tests 

PRESS RELEASE - AYLWARD FOLDS...

The fear and terror faced by the nation's sick and disabled population, who are financially dependent upon disability benefits, is caused due to the government's insistence that virtually everyone is "capable of some work" and this unqualified and dangerous theory was born due to the influence of just one man, Professor Sir Mansel Aylward, when appointed as the Chief Medical Officer for the Department for Work and Pensions(DWP).

Due to his influence, and blinkered support of the dangerously inadequate Bio-Psychosocial(BPS) model of disability, the Work Capability Assessment(WCA) was eventually introduced by the DWP, as conducted by Atos Healthcare at enormous annual cost to the public purse. Everyone, regardless of life threatening diagnosis or profound disability, is required to undergo this highly discredited "medical assessment" by Atos Healthcare in order to retain access to the Employment Support Allowance, that recently replaced Incapacity Benefit. The same ordeal is also threatened for all those in receipt of Disability Living Allowance, soon to be changed to the Personal Independence Payment, as the government spend £multi-millions in their efforts to reduce the welfare bill by 20%.

Activists have protested across the country against this obvious injustice and was the activist whose research exposed the Professor's close links with the highly discredited American corporate giant, Unum Insurance, who use the BPS model of disability to assess insurance claims. Mo, who is herself a retired healthcare professional and disabled veteran of the Women's Royal Air Force, has written detailed research reports as quoted in the House of Lords and, most recently, in the Westminster Hall debate held on September 4th regarding the WCA and Atos Healthcare.

When challenged by protestors outside the recent International Forum on Disability Management conference, Aylward suddenly and unexpectedly confirmed that the BPS model of disability is "unsatisfactory" and believed it "no longer addressed the real needs of disabled people and the exclusion of disabled people from society."

That being the case, and the fact that the WCA is entirely based on the dangerously inadequate BPS model of disability, is insisting that the WCA should be cancelled with immediate effect. She has written to her MP, Stephen Barclay, to demand that this recent admission by the BPS renowned "expert" should be brought to the attention of Ministers at the DWP, and that the Prime Minister should go to the country to announce that all WCA assessments will be suspended immediately as the assessment itself is now confirmed by the BPS expert as being fatally flawed.

She said: " Finally, the one man whose influence has caused such fear and terror, and whose opinion generated the highly discredited WCA, has admitted what activists had long ago discovered. The BPS model of disability is an invention of the insurance industry and has never been based in detailed medical research or medical opinion. No longer should the victims of this government tyranny, often suffering with a life threatening diagnosis and time limited prognosis, be intimidated and terrorised by their own government. The WCA is entirely bogus, is extremely dangerous, and this government's callous disregard of medical diagnosis has led to countless thousands of unnecessary deaths."

Mr Stephen Barclay MP
South Fens Business Centre 
Fenton Way 
Chatteris 
Cambs PE16 6TT 

Ref: The totally discredited BPS model of disability -as now confirmed by Aylward

As you know, the highly discredited Work Capability Assessment (WCA) is used by Atos Healthcare(AH), on behalf of the Department for Work & Pensions(DWP), to assess all chronically sick and disabled people in receipt of disability benefits.(1)

The WCA is based on the entirely compromised Bio-psychosocial (BPS) model of disability, as identified by Professor Sir Mansel Aylward when Chief Medical Officer(CMO) for the DWP, who continued in his role as BPS "expert" as the Director of the Centre for Psychosocial and Disability Research in Cardiff. You will recall that the Centre was initially funded by UNUM Insurance, who have a disturbing lengthy history of failing to fund Income Protection Insurance claims in the US, yet they were 'advisers' to successive UK governments and the WCA is alarmingly similar to the highly discredited Unum Insurance 'assessments'.(2)

Unfortunately for the Professor, his previous claims that the BPS model of disability are based on facts are proven to be totally incorrect(3) and now, having been challenged by protesters outside a recent conference, the Professor has suddenly and unexpectedly announced and confirmed that the BPS model of disability is "unsatisfactory" and that it "no longer addresses the real needs of disabled people and the exclusion of disabled people from society."(4)

Given that the Professor has made an entire career on the back of his support for the BPS model of disability, I confess that the Professor's sudden change of opinion was unexpected and must challenge the lecture the Professor had just delivered to the International Forum on Disability Management, and the many worldwide lectures he has given on the same subject.

Nevertheless, as previously advised by myself, the Professor's admission that the BPS model of disability assessment is now "unsatisfactory" confirms that the WCA, as conducted by AH, is also unsatisfactory as the WCA is entirely based on the BPS model of disability as promoted by Professor Aylward, when CMO for the DWP, and as confirmed by Lord Freud as the (unelected) Minister for Welfare Reform.(3)

Now that the former DWP CMO has confirmed that the BPS model of disability is "unsatisfactory", which means that the WCA as conducted by Atos Healthcare is also totally unsatisfactory, as exposed by myself and others over the past two years, I invite you please to now bring this admission by the BPS proclaimed world "expert" to the urgent attention of the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Mr Iain Duncan Smith MP, to Lord Freud, Mark Hoban MP and to Esther McVey MP at the DWP.

Once you have confirmed that all the DWP Ministers have been so informed, I shall be expecting the Prime Minister to make the necessary announcement to the country that all assessments by Atos Healthcare will be stopped, with immediate effect, and that the DWP contract with Atos Healthcare -including the planned re-assessments of everyone in receipt of Disability Living Allowance -will now be cancelled.

There can be no possible justification for the continuance of the WCAs, conducted by AH, against the innocent victims of this government funded medical tyranny now that the "expert", who actively promoted the BPS model to the DWP, has finally admitted that the BPS model of disability is "unsatisfactory". The WCA is a replica of the BPS model of disability, and the Professor's admission confirms what all experts have been advising government for years, which is that the WCA is "totally unfit for purpose".(5)

Given the importance of this recent significant admission by the Professor, I trust I may look forward to hearing from you without delay, and I can confirm that I shall be offering this new evidence to the Shadow Cabinet and to members of the Liberal Party, the Scottish Parliament and the Welsh Assembly. That means that the WCA can be cancelled throughout the United Kingdom without unnecessary delays.

There is now evidence to confirm that, between January to August 2011, 1100 people who were identified as being too sick to work by their doctors actually died after being placed into the 'work-related activity group' following an Atos 'assessment'(6) and the PANORAMA documentary exposed just how dangerous this bogus assessment system actually is.(7) Enough is enough. Clearly, there is now no more need for our chronically sick & disabled people to be terrorised by the entirely bogus WCA, and this will save the country a fortune during these difficult times as there will be no more need for the AH contract to be funded or for the additional costly Appeal Tribunals once the WCA has been cancelled.

Yours, most sincerely

Mrs S..., Disability researcher, Disabled veteran(WRAF), Retired healthcare professional

Copied to:

 Dr Stephen Hall, Dr Christopher Johnstone GP, Dr Margaret McCartney GP,
 John Pring DNS, Liam Byrne MP, Anne McGuire MP, Kevin Brannan MP,
 Dame Anne Begg MP, Tom Greatrex MP, Caroline Lucas MP, Kevin Stewart MSP,
 Michael McMahon MSP, Harriet Harman QC MP, Phil Lockwood, John James McCardle,
 Jane Young, Christine Richardson, Rosemary O'Neil, Debbie Jolly,
 Kaliya Franklin, Baroness Jane Campbell, Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson,
 Baroness Mar, Baroness Wilkins, Liz Kendall MP, Sir Alan Beith MP,
 Dr Vince Cable MP, Lord Ashdown, Lord Carlile QC, Lord Clement-Jones, 
 Jenny Morris, Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Centre for Research in Social 
 Policy -Loughborough University, Prof Peter Beresford, Prof Paul Gregg,
 Prof Malcolm Harrington, Mike Hobday -Macmillan, Sue Royston CAB,
 Neil Bateman -Welfare Rights Adviser, Keith Dryburgh CAS, Debbie Jolly,
 Sonia Poulton, Kate Ansel -BBC, Gill Thorburn, George Potter,
 Pat Onions, Adam Lotun. 

(1) Atos Healthcare or Disability Denial Factories:
    http://www.whywaitforever.com/dwpatosveterans.html 
(2) Welfare Reform -Redress for the Disabled:
    http://www.whywaitforever.com/dwpatosveterans.html 
(3) A Tale of Two Models: 
    http://www.leeds.ac.uk/disability-studies/archiveuk/jolly/
    A%20Tale%20of%20two%20Models%20Leeds1.pdf 
(4) Former DWP medical boss makes WCA pledge to protesters: 
    http://www.disabilitynewsservice.com/index.php/2012/09/
    former-dwp-medical-boss-makes-wca-pledge-to-protesters/ 
(5) The disturbing truth about disability assessments: 
    Margaret McCartney GP: British Medical Journal 
    http://www.bmj.com/content/345/bmj.e5347?ijkey=hCXfT1z84M6BopW&keytype=ref 
(6) 32 die a week after failing test for new incapacity benefit: 
    http://blogs.mirror.co.uk/investigations/2012/04/
    32-die-a-week-after-failing-in.html 
(7) Panorama: Disabled or Faking It? :
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01lldrc/Panorama_Disabled_or_Faking_It/ 

Prof Malcolm Harrington CBE
WCA Independent Review 
6th Floor, Section B 
Caxton House 
Tothill Street 
London SW1H 9NA 

Enclosed, for your personal attention, please find a copy of a letter to my MP, Stephen Barclay.

I believe that the contents are self explanatory and demonstrate the bogus claims by Atos Healthcare to obtain the PIP contract.

Furthermore, now that Prof Sir Mansel Aylward has confirmed that the WCA assessment, using the BPS model of disability assessment, is "unsuccessful" and believes it "no longer addressed the real needs of disabled people and the exclusion of disabled people from society", I am anticipating that the government will now stop this assessment system without further delay.

It was long ago confirmed that the WCA is a replica of the BPS 'assessment' as used by Unum Insurance -a notorious US corporate insurance giant -identified as recently as 2009 by the American Association of Justice as "a rogue company".

Perhaps you may wish to offer your thoughts on this revelation by the BPS 'expert', who has been involved with Unum Insurance for most of his career, and the company's influence with the British government as recently exposed by George Potter at the Liberal Democrat conference:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qb-wzBJDV34&feature=youtube_gdata

I understand that your latest report has just been published and that you have concluded that the WCA assessment system is working well. It may be Professor, but the costs in human suffering are far too high a price to pay, as evidenced in the Westminster Hall debate of September 4th as referenced in my letter to my MP.

I understand that you are now standing down from your role and I wish you well.

Yours sincerely

Mrs S..., Disability researcher, disabled veteran (WRAF), retired healthcare professional

Encl:

 Letter to Stephen Barclay MP -18th Nov 2012 

Copied to:

 Dr Stephen Hall, Prof Graham Watt, John Pring 

The Paul Foot Award, Private Eye 
6 Carlisle Street, London W1D 3BN 

Re: The Paul Foot Award 2012

Thank you for this unexpected opportunity to offer a selection of my published work regarding the ongoing welfare reforms in the United Kingdom(UK), and the campaign to expose the sinister realities behind them, as influenced by the highly discredited American corporate insurance giant now known as Unum Insurance.

Over the last three years my research has exposed the unacceptable influence of Unum Insurance within successive UK governments and, as one of the world's most discredited corporate insurance giants, surely someone should challenge why the UK government continue to consult with them?(1)

I should advise that I initially became interested in welfare reform following a disturbing personal experience when visited at home, in 2008, by a doctor in the employ of Atos Healthcare who was expected to conduct a medical assessment for my War Pension as my physical limitations continue to increase over time. In reality, this young man attempted to intimidate a lone, disabled female veteran in my own home. He refused to provide any identity document, refused eye contact, failed to conduct any medical examination and produced an entirely bogus medical report claiming to have conducted a detailed medical examination.

As a former healthcare professional I was outraged by this experience, its implications for other disabled veterans, and by a doctor who willingly breached the Hippocratic Oath. I decided to begin my own very detailed research whilst challenging the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency who administer my War Pension. My complaint was eventually upheld and my War Pension was belatedly increased, and backdated, just three weeks before the planned Appeal Tribunal that was subsequently cancelled. According to my RAFA adviser, this result was "very, very rare" to have an Appeal Tribunal cancelled so close to the appeal date. However, by that time, I had accessed online disability support groups and concluded that my disturbing personal experience was not at all unique.

After my initial research exposed the involvement of Unum Insurance I contacted The Guardian newspaper, in 2010, who willingly accepted a feature article exposing the relationship between the Atos Healthcare assessments, the Department for Work & Pensions (DWP) and Unum (Provident) Insurance. The Guardian had my feature article set on their front page, and ready for the print run, when it was pulled by their legal team. A very apologetic sub-editor then rang me to explain that the legal team had prevented publication of my article as they "...didn't dare to risk" any possible litigation with Unum Insurance who were a corporate giant and "...could keep us tied up in litigation for years."

This information has been demonstrated to be correct as no national press will agree to expose in their printed papers the very close relationship between Unum Insurance and the UK government, regardless of confirmed evidence and despite the fact that Unum Insurance has regularly featured in Private Eye since 1994 and, more

(1) WELFARE REFORMS -REDRESS FOR THE DISABLED http://atosvictimsgroup.co.uk/2012/07/11/welfare-reform-redress-for-the-disabled-an-independent-report-by-mo-stewart/

recently, have been highlighted by John Pring of the Disability News Service.(2)(3) John has regularly invited a quote from me when writing about Unum Insurance and Unum have not felt the need to threaten litigation.(2)(3)

Hence, justice is unlikely ever to be achieved if the able bodied British public are prevented from access to detailed and disturbing information by a national press who will not risk exposure of a powerful US corporate giant, despite overwhelming and confirmed evidence of their wrong doing(4) and that, as recently as 2009, Unum Insurance were identified as a "bogus company" by the American judicial system. (1)(4)

Initially, my research reports and feature articles were exclusively published on my website that my webmaster advised was monitored 50 times per day, every day, by both Atos Healthcare and Unum Insurance. For my own protection I then decided to offer my research to others and, since my evidence is now published on a variety of disability support websites, my own website has been monitored less frequently.

Indeed, my research has been welcomed by frontline national charities, healthcare and welfare professionals and academics and are reproduced on disability support group websites both within the UK and in the US.(5) One of my reports, namely Welfare Reform -Redress for the Disabled(1), was quoted during the lengthy welfare reform debates in the House of Lords but its original publication date is outside the dates considered for this award. However, it can be viewed on my website, and many others, if the contents are of interest.(1)

More and more MPs are being alerted to the influence of a highly discredited US corporate insurance giant within successive UK governments, advising on welfare reform for almost 20 years, and I believe their unlimited influence to be sinister; especially as it is being restricted by the national press who continue to resist exposing detailed and confirmed evidence. Therefore, all concerned activists can do is to pursue this via the Internet. However, recently in a Westminster Hall debate, the MP Kevin Brennan quoted from my research and so, once again, Unum have been identified in Hansard, in records and online but never in the national press:

"Is my Honorable Friend as concerned as I am that the Chief Medical Officer of ATOS is now Professor Michael O'Donnell? He was previously employed as Chief Medical Officer by the American insurance company, Unum, which was described by the Insurance Commissioner for California, John Garamendi, as an 'outlaw company' that has operated in an unlawful fashion for many years, running claims denials factories. Is that the kind of person that the Government should allow to be in charge of a work capability assessment?" (6)

I have always admired the investigative journalism of John Pilger and John encouraged me to conduct my research and to expose this atrocity, as the UK move ever closer to the American style of healthcare, to be eventually funded by private insurance, as the national press continue to keep the British public in the dark.

Yours, most sincerely

Mrs S..., Disabled veteran (WRAF) Retired healthcare professional

(1) WELFARE REFORMS -REDRESS FOR THE DISABLED 
    http://atosvictimsgroup.co.uk/2012/07/11/welfare-reform-redress-for
     -the-disabled-an-independent-report-by-mo-stewart/ 
(2) POLITICIANS AND DWP COMBINE TO BLOCK ANSWERS ON UNUM LINKS 
    http://www.candocango.com/politicians-and-dwp-combine-to
     -block-answers-on-unum-links/ 
(3) NEW EVIDENCE OF CORPORATE GIANT'S INFLUENCE ON WELFARE REFORM 
    http://www.thefedonline.org.uk/federation-news/item/1451-new-evidence
    -of-corporate-giant%E2%80%99s-influence-on-welfare-reform.html 
(4) THE TEN WORST INSURANCE COMPANIES : THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR JUSTICE 
    www.Denied-disability-claim.com/media/2009/02/tenworstinsurancecompanies.pdf 
(5) WELFARE REFORM TYRANNY DIRECT FROM THE USA 
    http://lindanee.wordpress.com/2012/07/18/welfare-reform-tyranny-direct
    -from-the-usa-by-mo-stewart/ 
(6) WESTMINSTER HALL DEBATE -4th SEPT 2012: ATOS HEALTHCARE 
    http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201213/cmhansrd/cm120904/
    halltext/120904h0001.htm#12090423000002 

             "Never underestimate the power of persistence." 
                            Nelson Mandela 

          "Never believe anything until it's officially denied." 
                              John Pilger 

Stephen Barclay MP
South Fens Business Centre 
Fenton Way 
Chatteris 
Cambs PE16 6TT 

Dear Mr Barclay

Re: Confirmed bogus tender by Atos Healthcare for financial gain and expert's confirmation of the "unsatisfactory" WCA assessments

Enclosed for your most urgent and personal attention, please find a copy of a blog from Linda Burnip, the co-founder of the Disabled People Against Cuts(DPAC) support group, confirming that Atos Healthcare knowingly made totally false claims, regarding dialogue with various Claimant Representative Groups, to support the company's tender to conduct the future Personal Independence Payment(PIP) assessments on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions(DWP).

http://www.dpac.uk.net/2012/11/dpac-complaint-and-request-for-further-investigation-to-the-public-accounts-committee-onatos- pip-tender/ refers.

Following this news breaking, I suggest that the planned complaint to the Public Accounts Committee by DPAC isn't nearly enough, may well take far too long and MPs should be protesting, loudly, in the House of Commons as this corporate giant continues to feel free to break the rules, and is seen to be rewarded for doing so. Was not the mother company, Atos Origin, awarded the very lucrative contract to provide IT facilities for the recent Olympic Games and have not the DWP confirmed, in writing, that the DWP have never audited the Atos medical services contract?(1)

Indeed, you should be alerted to the growing outrage, anger and despair of disabled people throughout the UK -and their carers -as the DWP continue to protect the totally unacceptable activities of Atos Healthcare when using an identified seriously flawed assessment system. The DWP continue to use totally unqualified staff as 'Decision Makers'(1) and they disguise the confirmed and totally unacceptable influence of Unum Insurance -one of the most discredited corporate insurance giants in the world -who were actually banned from 15 States and 6 countries worldwide until 2008(1) -so one wonders as to why this notorious US company were ever considered acceptable as advisers to the UK Government?(1)(2)(3)

This growing problem with the Atos Healthcare assessments was again debated in Westminster Hall on September 4th, where your failure to attend suggests a lack of interest in this growing medical tyranny, imported from America, as imposed by the DWP on British chronically sick and disabled people. The full debate may be seen at the following link and Tom Greatrex MP is to be commended for securing yet another debate on this very important subject that adversely impacts on the lives of millions of people:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/democracylive/hi/house_of_commons/newsid_9747000/9747759.stm

As you know the Disability Living Allowance (DLA), as the most secure of all DWP benefits with a reported benefit freud of only 0.5%, is to be needlessly replaced with the PIP next year. There is to be an enforced 20% reduction in funding of the budget and, regardless of permanent and profound illness or disability, prognosis or diagnosis, all disabled people now in receipt of DLA are to be regularly re

assessed. This is administratively incompetent, will cause yet more needless distress to millions of our most vulnerable people and will cost this nation £hundreds of millions that could be much better spent elsewhere. Clearly, an identified permanent and profound disability does not require any further reassessment as it is permanent, is something the Minister for Welfare Reform has yet to comprehend, and is why recipients of DLA were awarded DLA 'for life' in the past.

Indeed, the Minister's revelation that disabled people will lose all benefit, once found fit for work by an unqualified DWP Decision Maker following an Atos Healthcare seriously flawed 'assessment', with a predicted 12 month delay between assessment and appeal, is tantamount to confirmation of government tyranny against those least able to protest. The many disabled victims of this government tyranny will lose their Motability car as well as their disability benefits, as soon as the DWP have reacted to the discredited Atos assessment when using unqualified staff who are basic grade administrators with, by their own admission, no comprehension of medical terminology as found in detailed medical reports.(1) Once the claimant's appeal is successful, the claimant will be refunded benefits, that are back-dated, yet there is no additional compensation for the needless distress caused, and no appreciation of the identified deterioration in health invariably caused by the added distress and loss of income, as well as the instant removal of the Motability car causing yet more unnecessary hardship.

Many MPs consistently fail to comprehend the full impact of this American imported DWP nightmare. What happens to those who feel unable to cope with the appeals system remains unknown, and is surely cause for very serious concern when using an identified totally discredited assessment system as now employed by the DWP, as influenced by a highly discredited corporate US insurance giant.(1)(2)(3)

Given the identified catastrophic failure of Atos Healthcare to conduct accurate Work Capability Assessments(WCA), as dramatically confirmed in the recent Westminster Hall debate, I trust you will comprehend that ignoring this company's deceitful tender is intolerable and, as my MP, I invite you to now please make strong and urgent representation to this fact. This company cannot be trusted to undertake the future enforced PIP assessments, and the DWP can't be allowed to continue to ignore their many failures that adversely impact on the welfare of our most sick and disabled people.

The disturbing and totally unacceptable influence of Unum Insurance, identified as being the "second worst insurance company in America" as recently as 2009, continues unabated as the WCA is a replica of the 'assessment' used by Unum Insurance that have adopted the Bio-psychosocial(BPS) model of disability assessment.(4) The national press remain intimidated by a foreign corporate giant, the British public remain in the dark due to the failure of the nationals to expose this unacceptable influence, and the BBC News report from 2007 condemning Unum (Provident) Insurance is available across the Internet but was suddenly removed from the BBC News website.(1)(3)

Given my recent letter of 1st October, advising that Professor Sir Mansel Aylward had finally confirmed that the highly discredited BPS model of disability was now "unsatisfactory" and that its use "no longer addresses the real needs of disabled people and the exclusion of disabled people from society",I confess I am somewhat disturbed not to have received any reaction from you given the significance of this admission by the renowned BPS disability "expert".(4) This confirms that the WCA, as conducted by Atos Healthcare on all sick and disabled victims of this government imposed medical tyranny, is not appropriate -it never has been -and should be stopped at once to arrest any further preventable harm to the sick and disabled community.

Mr Barclay, there is no possible justification for ignoring the Professor's admission that the BPS model is, and always has been, totally "unsatisfactory" although, I confess, I would use a much stronger description for this bogus assessment, that is the creation of the insurance industry, and is motivated entirely by profit and not by identified need.(4)(5)

I should advise that, in my working life, I was a cardiac care specialist technician. It is a well known medical fact that stress and anxiety are killers, yet we have adopted a disability assessment system within

the UK that is guaranteed to increase stress levels on people who are already ill and/or disabled. This will guarantee a diminished quality of life for claimants when it is already restricted by their condition.

Furthermore, it is of growing concern to find that we are now half way through November but, to date, I have yet to receive any acknowledgement or reply to my letters of September 7th and September 20th, regarding the needs of disabled War Pensioners, or to my letter of 1st October that exposed the latest revelations by Professor Sir Mansel Aylward, confirming that the WCA assessments were "unsatisfactory". My letters are enclosed again for your urgent attention.

I do fully comprehend that you must represent all your constituents and that I am guilty of making demands on your time. However, I think you will find that my evidence impacts on the welfare of all chronically sick and disabled residents and is, therefore, very important to many people in your constituency.

Given the content of this letter, it is copied to many who have expressed concern, and includes the majority of MPs who took part in the Westminster Hall debate, as many have no idea of the influence of Unum Insurance with the UK welfare reforms. I have assumed that this meets with your approval.

I trust I may anticipate an early reply.

Yours, most sincerely

Mrs S..., Disability researcher, Disabled veteran (WRAF), Retired healthcare professional

(1) Atos, Unum & the DWP -the planned destruction of the welfare
    state -research by : www.whywaitforever.com/dwpatosveterans.html#documents 
(2) New Labour, the market state, and the end of welfare 
    http://www.lwbooks.co.uk/register.php?r=journals/articles/rutherford07.html 
(3) WhyWaitForever:
    http://www.whywaitforever.com/dwpatosbusinessunum.html 
(4) A Tale of Two Models -Debbie Jolly: 
    http://www.leeds.ac.uk/disability-studies/archiveuk/
    jolly/A%20Tale%20of%20two%20Models%20Leeds1.pdf 
(5) Illness as 'Deviance', Work as Glittering Salvation and the 'Psyching-up'
    of the Medical Model: Strategies for Getting the Sick 'Back to Work'. 
    http://www.internationalgreensocialist.org/wordpress/?p=1716 

Encl: 

1.  Evidence from DPAC re Atos bogus tender for PIP:
    http://www.dpac.uk.net/2012/11/dpac-complaint-andrequest-
    for-further-investigation-to-the-public-accounts-committee-on-atos-pip-tender/ 
2.  Letter to Stephen Barclay -7th Sept re needs of disabled War Pensioners 
3.  Letter to Stephen Barclay -20th Sept re unnecessary and unjustifiable
    annual reassessments of DLA/PIP for War Pensioners with a profound,
    permanent disability & unemployment supplement 
4.  Letter to Stephen Barclay -1st October -demanding an announcement by
    the PM to end the entirely bogus WCA, as conducted by Atos Healthcare,
    following confirmation by the renowned "expert" that the BPS model of
    assessment -as used by Atos Healthcare -is "unsatisfactory" (ie BOGUS) 

Copied to: 

  Baroness Jane Campbell, Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, Baroness Mar,
  Baroness Wilkins, Lord Ashdown, Lord Carlile QC, Lord Clement-Jones,
  Baroness Prof Ruth Lister, Social Security Advisory Committee,
  The Joint Committee for Human Rights, Centre for Social Justice,
  Public Accounts Committee, The National Audit Office,
  Chris Grayling -Sec of State for Justice, Steve Webb MP -Minister for 
  Work & Pensions, Esther McVey -Minister for Disabled People,
  Anne McGuire MP, Sadiq Khan MP, Liam Byrne MP, Stephen Timms MP,
  Liz Kendall MP, Sir Alan Beith MP, Dr Vince Cable MP, Stephen Lloyd MP,
  Dame Anne Begg MP, Tom Greatrex MP, Julie Hilling MP, John McDonnell MP,
  Jim Shannon MP, Nick de Bois MP, Jonathan Reynolds MP, , Helen Goodman MP,
  David Wayne MP, Jack Dromey MP, Richard Burden MP, Duncan Hames MP,
  Mark Lazarowicz MP, Kate Clark MP, Jim Shannon MP, Anne Marie Morris MP,
  Yvonne Fovargue MP, Julie Hilling MP, Ann McKechin MP, Helen Goodman MP,
  Paul Burstow MP, Jack Dromey MP, Wayne David MP, Mark Lazarowicz MP,
  Alison Seabeck MP, Hywel Francis MP, Bill Esterson MP, Dr Stephen Hall,
  the British Medical Association, the Royal College of Nurses, John Pring DNS,
  George Potter, Dr Christopher Johnstone, Dr Margaret McCartney,
  Phil Lockwood -Social Warriors, John James McCardle -Black Triangle,
  Jane Young, Christine Richardson, Rosemary O'Neil The Broken of Britain,
  Linda Burnip -DPAC, Debbie Jolly -DPAC, Kaliya Franklin -Spartacus,
  Frances Kelly -Carer Watch, DWP Examination Org, Atos Victims Group,
  Dr Jenny Morris, Julia Unwin -Chief Exec Joseph Rowntree Foundation,
  Donald Hirsch -Director, Centre for Research in Social Policy -Loughborough
  University, Prof Peter Beresford, Prof Paul Gregg, Prof Malcolm Harrington,
  Prof Nick Watson, Prof Graham Watts, Prof John Ditch, Prof Jonathan Rutherford,
  Michael Mansfield QC, Mike Hobday -Macmillan, Sue Royston CAB,
  Neil Bateman -Welfare Rights Adviser, Keith Dryburgh CAS,
  Liz Sayce -Disability Rights UK, Adam Lotun -Disability Risk Management,
  Tracey Lazard -Inclusion London, Jon Robins -The Justice Gap,
  Kim Evans -The Justice Gap, Paul Farmer -MIND, Richard Hawkes -SCOPE,
  Neil Coyle -Disability Rights UK, Angela Kennedy, Sonia Poulton,
  Gill Thorburn, Pat Onions, Linda Nee, Kelly-Marie Blundell,
  Merry Cross, Bernadette Meaden, Adrian Berill-Cox FSA, Owen Jones,
  Merry Cross, Duncan Stewart, Vicky Allan, Peter Spencer, Mark Goldring