My hiStory

[Jack101]

Hello,

 

My first post of heaven knows how many as we enter the Atos phase . .

 

Please bear with me while I do a shortish recap . . .

 

Long ago, age 21 I was in the passenger seat of a car when we stopped from 73mph in 9 inches! One of the cops who worked with the Police accident Investigation Unit (where the data comes from) came to see me in hospital to see how I was, and said by rights we should have been dead - deceleration alone is enought to kill you, and he said he'd never seen anyone get out of a car so badly mangled.

 

Car was bent almost u-shaped and I was trapped by the leg for an hour and a half sitting in a pool of oil and petrol as the lamppost we hit continually showered us in sparks as the fire brigade did their stuff.

 

Sustained compound fractures tib and fib and closed (ish) fracture of medial mallelous (ankle bone shaved off by the tearing metal etc), and severed all major arteries and tendons into the bargain.

 

Ankle pinned with 10 pins, lost 1.75 inched from the leg. 13 months off work.

 

Amazingly, it seemed at the time, I got back to work, and was fine for many a long year until the fatal day when I was crossing a road, misjudged where the kerbstone was and struck my heel down hard.

 

Little by little that started the ball rolling on the deterioration of my health, and is why I eventually ended up here.

 

Now, many years down the line from that time, I have been through many full medicals to attain my Long Term Incap, and Higher Rate DLA.

 

My spine has deteriorated as may be expected. Discs are misplaced (pressing on the nerves) and degenerating at L2 and L3 and also C6 and C7.

The middle of the back had recently chimed in, sending me increasingly into spasm which lasts for hours on and means I can't do anything at all - except writhe in agony, and even whe it subsides there's still the permanent pain that no amount of medication can shift - being allergic to morphine-based meds doesn't help either.

I can now walk for 30 metres tops before I'm finished. I also suffer chronic pain in my left leg (at the fracture sites), both knees , from ME, and my GP has me down as suffering from Hypertensive disease, amongst other things, like Anxiety, Arthritis in my hands, IBS, needing to pee twenty five times a day due to my internal organs having shifted over time so that they now press on the bladder, etc

 

Enter Atos and their bloody questionairre.

 

I duly filled in every section with as much detail as I could muster told them I could not walk more than 30 metres, and would not be able to attend an assessment at their offices due to this (and lack of access) and listed my upcoming appointments.

 

I totted up my points from the desciptors and came to more than 90.

 

Atos appointment came through for 21st of the month at one of their local offices (actually DWP premises where I went some time back when I was more mobile) , which doesn't have disabled parking, and means a walk of about 150 yards.

 

Rang them to say I couldn't attend so they said 'your GP will have to fax us to say you can't attend, and in the meantime I will put your appointment back a bit'

 

The back a bit appeared on the doormat next day, and turned out to be 31st of this month, when I had already told them in the questionairre I had another appointment (their appointment was within an hour of my other already arranged one one).

 

Rang them to say I had already told them I had an appointment on that day and wasn't able to attend anyway.

 

Well your GP will have to fax us to say, etc.

 

GP did fax them to say I had another appointment and could not attend etc.

 

Nothing happened. Rang them 24th Dec. Told they had received Doctor's communique, and no action had been taken. My apoint ment was still for 31st at their offices. Gave me another number to ring and 'ask them'.

 

Laid up in bed 25, 26, 27th - thanks Santa! and so couldn't ring until Fri 28th. Woman there was playing hard/soft by turns.

 

There's a taxi arranged for you, but nobody send you confirmation.

 

That's no good I can't walk from wherever he parks. It's too far.

 

Did you accept the 31st appointment?

 

No! I told them I had another appointment that day and couldn't attend as I can't walk that far.

 

Well, how are you getting to your other appointment?

 

By car with my Mum.

 

Well then.

 

They have disabled parking right outside and it's a very small building, so I can just go inside and sit down easily.

 

There's a car park right next door to the centre.

 

And it's a walk of about 150 yards from there to get to your offices. I can't do it.

 

Well when I go into town I park there and its easy.

 

I CAN'T DO IT! I CAN ONLY MANAGE 30 METRES!

 

Well I'm not supposed to, but I'll put your apointment back and you'll have to see your GP again to send up confirmation that you're housebound.

 

I'm not housebound. I can manage 30 metres. It gets me to the car, etc.

 

Then you can go to the assessment.

 

It's a helluva lot more than 30 metres and I CAN'T DO IT!!

 

Oh, okay, well you'll have to see your GP and I'll put it back for you.

 

Today letter arrived dated 28th to say a home visit has not been authorized. However a taxi has been authorized and wil arrive approximately 45 minutes before the appointment time.

 

It finished by saying if you have any problems saturday/sunday ( don't they realize we have problems EVERY DAY!!!)please ring this number. If you wish to send in more evidence from your GP to prove that you are housebound we can look at this and reconsider the decision. However without this evidence your apointment at the centre will still stand. (last sentence in bold print, underlined) .

 

All I can say is I hope they all burn in everlasting hell!

 

Going to get someone to ring for me tomorrow and deliver a few home truths about their responsibilities etc. Can't do it myself as the stress of all this is killing me.

 

Don't they realize what they're doing to us, or do they ?

Edited December 29, 2012 by Jack101

[kAPPS]

Hi Jack

 

Just wanted to know if everything went okay with your Atos appointment, i can imagine how it all went.

 

Had my assessment last month and my communication with Atos went pretty much like yours,

they are so irresponsible its no joke after my request for a home visit was denied by Atos, i was just furious with their unprofessional attitude so i made a complaint about them?