Benefits testing firm Atos wants to quit £500 million government contract EARLY

'Not working': Atos wants out of its £500 million government benefits testing contract

Benefits firm Atos wants to end its hated testing regime for the ConDem government - because it says the system "isn't working".

A nationwide campaign against the French firm's benefit tests have forced the company to seek an early exit from a £500m government contract.

Atos faced 144 separate protests outside its offices across the UK earlier this week in a day of action against the firm.

Large crowds waving anti-Atos placards flocked to protest against the company, whose assessments have controversially sent thousands of sick people back to work, axing their vital benefit payments.

In Southend, Atos workers themselves walked out in sympathy and joined the rally outside their own office.

Many Atos staff have received death threats both in person and over the internet as well as bullying at the firm’s centres.

Atos said 163 incidents of the public assaulting or abusing staff were recorded each month last year.

Now the firm has revealed it wants out of the government contract to test people for disability benefits.

The medical testing company has been in discussions with the Department for Work and Pensions with a view to exiting the deal since October last year, because it views the tests as "outdated".

An Atos spokesman said last night: "In its current form it is not working for claimants, for DWP or for Atos Healthcare.

"For several months now we have been endeavouring to agree an early exit from the contract, which is due to expire in August 2015."

Atos has become a lightning rod for discontent over the coalition's welfare reforms, which aim to shift more people off social security benefits and into work.

For the past three years, the company has been under fire for its handling of work capability tests, which assess whether people are well enough to apply for jobs.

A third of its decisions were overturned on appeal, amid allegations that people with terminal cancer or other serious illnesses had been denied benefits as a result of its assessments.

Last July, the DWP told Atos to improve the quality of written reports provided to the department.

The protests were organised by Tom Smith who was subjected to his own fitness to work test in Leeds, but escaped with his benefits intact.

He decided to launch the nationwide move after over 30,000 supported his call on Facebook to demonstrate against the reviled checks.

Atos has been the sole provider of work capability tests since 1998, when the then Labour government first handed the job to the private sector.

It won a competition under the last Labour administration to continue providing the assessments for five years from 2005, which was then extended until August 2014. The company earns revenues of £110m a year from the contract.

The DWP said it would not comment on specifics of commercially sensitive issues.

"We announced [last] summer we will be bringing in additional provision to deliver Work Capability Assessments with the aim of increasing delivery capacity and reducing waiting times," it added.

Atos was awarded a fresh deal last year to carry out tests for the new personal independence payment (Pip) for disabled people, with the aim of reducing the projected cost of the benefit by 20 per cent by 2015-16.

It replaces the disability living allowance and determines whether people are entitled to extra money to help cope with disability – such as cars, equipment or nursing.

Atos's £400m Pip contracts over five years cover the southeast and north of the UK, accounting for about 75 per cent of disability living allowance claimants.

Capita, a rival outsourcing company, has the remainder.

Private providers likely to be in the frame for the next work capability contract include G4S, Serco, A4E and Capita.

According to an NAO report on the government's four biggest suppliers, Atos earned £700m in revenues from the public sector in the UK in 2012, of £7.2bn sales worldwide.


http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/benefits-uk-testing-firm-atos-3168142#ixzz2tzF1Qqsu
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So now even ATOS itself is admitting it's a load of shit,.
What a fucking mess.

Shouldn't the people making death threats and assaulting staff be arrested? They can't be that disabled if they can do that.

Oh I don't know, even in a wheelchair you can whack someone with your handbag, and if you are blind you can shout and if you are deaf you can outstare.

Comes to something when ATOS say it's total shit.

Oh dear. I hope this doesn't end up like the last time a private company wanted to hand back a contract that they didn't want.

Can't remember what it was for but we actually paid them tho let them hand it back and it wasn't peanuts either.

Was a Lister Hospital, they made £54 Million out of it and the NHS had to take it back because they killed off people!

Sassy wrote:Was a Lister Hospital, they made £54 Million out of it and the NHS had to take it back because they killed off people!

I'm sure the government actually paid them millions as well to take it back from them because they didn't want it any more.

It's like the opposite of the Midas Touch!

Musn't get the spongers back to work is that your point?

Isn't it strange how 500,000 have gone back to work? Why do you defend benefit fraud?

56kevins wrote:Musn't get the spongers back to work is that your point?

Isn't it strange how 500,000 have gone back to work? Why do you defend benefit fraud?

You need to read the article, you thick far right ----, and where have i defended benefit fraud you tosser.

WUSS. Girls Blouse perhaps might be better.
What a real man swearingh like that.

56kevins wrote:WUSS. Girls Blouse perhaps might be better.
What a real man swearingh like that.

Far right scum wanker.
The filth polluting these boards.

Have you been through ATos yet Phil?

Did you sqeem and sqeem and sqeem when you did?

Big Girls blouse it is difficult to take you seriously.

Catman wrote:

56kevins wrote:Musn't get the spongers back to work is that your point?

Isn't it strange how 500,000 have gone back to work? Why do you defend benefit fraud?

You need to read the article, you thick far right ----, and where have i defended benefit fraud you tosser.

Please stop using that word, Catman. For Christ's sake, it's not about dancing around the letter of the rules.

Ben_Reilly wrote:

Catman wrote:

You need to read the article, you thick far right ----, and where have i defended benefit fraud you tosser.

Please stop using that word, Catman. For Christ's sake, it's not about dancing around the letter of the rules.

I won't use that word again Ben, didn't know that you are not allowed to use the word, without the spaces, some RW have been doing it on here though.

56kevins wrote:Have you been through ATos yet Phil?

Did you sqeem and sqeem and sqeem when you did?

Big Girls blouse it is difficult to take you seriously.

We have been through that.

I have family to help me out, and a nice cash injection today!

Catman wrote:

56kevins wrote:Have you been through ATos yet Phil?

Did you sqeem and sqeem and sqeem when you did?

Big Girls blouse it is difficult to take you seriously.

We have been through that.

I have family to help me out, and a nice cash injection today!

Good then start contributing instead of taking.