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A guide for

Stakeholders

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Atos Healthcare is
changing its name to
Mostly Independent
Assessment Services
Our new name and look doesnt affect the
PIP process; it will remain the same target
driven, money sucking, corporate shit-storm
it has always been; making more money out
of the contract than saved on reducing any
benefit fraud. However, we understand it
may raise some questions for claimants.
Thats why weve put together this short
guide to help you understand whats
happening, why weve changed and what to
say to those you represent, who might ask
you to help explain the change.
Were fully aware the PIP claim is complex,
if it wasnt we couldnt hope to filter out
such a huge percentage of eligible claimants
by putting them off from even trying, we
hope this guide will help you find new and
innovative ways to meet your quota of
rejections.
What does this mean for claimants
you represent?
Its important to remember that when it comes to PIP, its
very much business as usual nothing is changing. We are
not aiming to improve our service, provide proper advocacy
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or give more time to assessments. Appointments arranged
through Atos Healthcare will still be regularly overbooked,
cancelled at short notice or rushed through so business as
usual! However, its quite normal for those pesky claimants
to have questions during a period of change.
Following an independent review of the PIP assessment in
December 2014, Paul Gray recommended a number of
changes to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)
and Assessment Providers. Well, actually he said things
like 65% of decision were wrong and were overturned at
appeal; that there was a lack of transparency
throughout our organisation and practice; and that the
progress made towards recommendations he had made
to improve things were incomplete or slower than
would be hoped.
But what we heard from this is change your name so
thats what weve done!
We hope this will make people think
we are really independent providers, distinct from DWP
without targets to hit
and that maybe that nasty ATOS company have gone and
new better people are in place!
Sadly, weve needed to keep the ATOS logo but weve made it
really, really small if your disability affects your sight in any
way, you might not notice! Clever, huh? Thats because we
know lots and lots about these disabled types!
Questions claimants may
ask and how to answer
them.
Does this mean PIP is changing too?
No. There are no changes to the PIP process or how the
assessment is carried out, or benefit payments. Remember
DWP will continue to make a decision whether you will or
wont get PIP so its really not our fault. All we do is provide
a report that pretty much fully indicates what decision
should be made but we dont actually make that decision.
So put that banner down and go rage on your Job Centre
Personal Advisor!
PIP is complex enough, isnt this more
confusing?
Well yes! You dont seem to understand that prevention is
better than cure. If we can prevent you from even attempting
to make a claim, or making it hard for you to get here, or trip
you into a missed appointment then its a win! If you
actually got assessed think what could happen! You might
succeed!
My letter is from Atos Healthcare
what should I do?
Whenever these sorts of changes are introduced, it takes
some time for old forms and letters to be used up of course
we are going to spend a huge amount of money on this
rebrand but we are also going to save some of that cash by
reusing old letterheads. We dont need to, but we are a for
profit business after all did you think we were a charity?
Yes? Excellent!
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What about these targets to get
people off of PIP?
Ah yes, well of course there are no targets. Just like
there wasnt when we were raking in money from the
ESA assessment contract. Yep, there are plenty of
reports and even films on Youtube of annoying Doctors
who secretly filmed us back then like
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rQmAfrKEic so
make sure people are not carrying any secret filming
equipment. We dont want that kind of attention! So,
sorry are there targets? Like we said business as usual
Whats happening to Disability Living
Allowance (DLA)?
Please remember DWP are ending DLA for most people,
so if claimants decide not to continue with a PIP claim any
DLA they receive will stop and thats a win!
If someone has a concern about DLA ending, you can refer
them to this helpful DWP factsheet for all the
information they need. But because this is a printed
leaflet, that link isnt too helpful is it! No worries it didnt
work in the electronic one either!
But really, you need to think of DLA like a boat, well three
boats really. Then what we did was bang a big hole in the
bottom of those boats so they would slowly sink. We then
brought in 2 smaller boats and allowed people to move
across. Of course, there isnt room for everyone, and
there is more room in the cheaper boat. Those unable to
get into the new boat willwell, you get the idea.

Mostly Independent
Assessment Services
role in PIP
We conduct PIP assessments for DWP.
Our job is to help DWP understand how
someones health condition or disability
affects their daily life.
As independent assessors, its important to
distinguish what we do from what DWP does:
We want you to feel we are completely
independent and not working to any
targets.
So please, try to ignore the fact we get over
200 Million a year for doing this job for DWP.
Its not the money thats important its
ensuring we tackle those benefit fraudsters.
They make up a massive almost-half-a-
percent of claimants.
Think of the children. Think of the puppies.
Think of anything else other than this is a real
win for us financially.
5 But probably not including talking
DWP first register the claim from the
1 claimant
We then rake in cash by being
contracted to carry out assessments.
Being paid to do this helps us to be
1 completely independent and unbiased.
1
DWP
DWPthen
passpass the claim
the claim information
information on toon
toususand
andwe
weopen
openaacase
case(of
(ofwhisky!)
whiskey!)
In each case we carry out an initial
evaluation. Its good to try to weed out
those who have support workers or
1
CAB advisors they make things tricky
for us.
We carry out our generally demeaning
assessment
65% of those we assess as ineligible, and
who then appeal actually turn out to
be eligible after all! How on earth does
that happen, huh?
Then its time to look at those figures
if you go over your quota of eligible
claimants - we might just have to
Our review a decision or two (or ten)!
We write our clearly unbiased, utterly
independent assessment report and
pass it to DWP who equally have no
agenda about the result.
We pass the case back to the DWP did
you hear that the DWP! Its not us that
makes the decision. Its them, yeah sure
we are taking their money to tell them
what they want to hear but hey thats
just business!
DWP make THEIR decision, looking at the
claim and its supporting evidence
Our assessment is only one part of this
supporting evidence (read: its them not
us) but really just one part. Other
considerations are did you turn up, are
you likely to appeal, etc.
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actual doctor.
 In response to Paul Grays
Changes to our website recommendations, our new website aims to
actually be accessible for Disabled People
As part of the name change, we have currently many of our assessment centres
designed and created a brand-new website arent but at least our website could be!
www.assessment-mias.co.uk. We want We also have ploughed money into Search
you to link the idea of independent Engine Optimisation so that when you
assessment with our name, so when you search PIP Assessment, we pop up first
think Independent Assessment; Think MIAS! before you get to all those thousands of
news stories about how we are failing
Thats right; Independent Assessment? disabled people.
MIAS.
Accessibility There is also the ability to analyse how visitors are using the
It is crucial that our new website meets the relevant web site, meaning we can pinpoint exactly how it can be
accessibility standards, with respect to best practice improved on an ongoing basis. Can you track your claim on
required by Government, standing legislation and, most the site, well no. Can you appeal on the site, um. No. Can you
importantly, its users. You know because thats the law. It talk to an advisor on the site. Er, well no.
would also be nice not to force disabled people to have to
crawl upstairs to our assessment centres but thats how we New features
roll lets hope it makes them late enough for us to say As well as having better accessibility, our new website is also
they failed to attend! more functional. Here are some of the main new features:

We have google maps linked in. Thats pretty, um new

The new Mostly Independent Assessment Services website
and innovative. So you can see where you have to
now has special Mobile website feature that will detect what
attempt to get to and you can pop in your postcode and
device you are using, assess its market value and judge you
also see that info. Also we have, um, well thats pretty
on if you should have that phone if you are on benefits.
much it..

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How to get in touch
This map shows the areas Mostly
Independent Assessment Services cover
across the UK. Should you need to get in
touch with someone in your area, contact
details are provided below.

0-my-god-look-at-that-butt

by post:
Mostly Independent Assessement
Services , PO Box 101,
Big Valley, Mars, M1 B1N

by email:
pip@assess-me-unhappy.net

online:
www.assessment-mias.co.uk

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Stakeholder Toolkit