Hi I'm subscribed to a website called Benefits and Work Forum and they sent me an interesting update... ATOS want right to reply on Benefits and Work Forum ATOS is using a leading PR firm Fishburne Hedges to try to get a right to reply on the Benefits and Work Forum. FH say on their website that they 'help leading organisations promote and defend corporate reputations in an uncertain world'. Amongst many other contracts, FH were allocated over half a million pounds of tax payers' money for PR work on the National Programme for IT, the online patient record system now widely seen as a disaster for the NHS. Much of the project has now been abandoned and many millions of pounds that could have gone on patient care has been wasted on private sector contracts. We (Benefits and Work Forum) were intrigued to receive an email request from FH for a 'right to reply' from their clients ATOS and asked for details. The PR company's response was that they had designed a 'forum engagement process' to allow ATOS to engage with customers in a 'safe and comfortable environment' and to 'put their customers at ease'. In reality it seemed more like an opportunity for ATOS to post a lot of links to Frequently Asked Questions on its own website from our forum. The email conversation came to an abrupt end after we asked a question about recording medicals. There are issues even a leading PR firm struggles to gloss over, it would seem. Benefits and Work would be very interested to hear from other benefits groups who have been approached by Fishburn Hedges.