I attended a Maximus work capability assessment with someone this week and was intrigued to note that there was no Maximus branding that I could see outside the building, or in it. Maybe all the branding was lost, or still on the printer (there wasn’t any branding on the callup letter the person I went with to the assessment received either, now that I look at it). Outside the building, there was just a line on the listings boards which said Assessment Centre (I’ll put a photo up shortly when I can get it off my phone). Inside the building, there were a few notices with references to the Centre for Health and Disability Assessments, which I think is the official euphemism for “Place Where Maximus Carries Out Loathed ESA Work Capability Assessments.” Intruiging, as I say. Made me wonder if Maximus is trying to distance itself brandwise from this extremely unpopular aspect of its offering and/or to make its assessment centres hard to spot. Who can really say.
Anyway – have started to attend these Maximus face-to-face work capability assessments now. I’ll be publishing in detail on them after the election, when I know which MPs to pressure with the evidence I have.
Suffice to say for now that I remain amazed by the utter pointlessness of the whole WCA process and of the face-to-face assessments in particular (pointless for the person going through the assessment, that is. There’s plenty of point to it for Maximus – between £590m and £650m over three years and a presence in the UK, as the Guardian reported earlier this year). The people on the receiving end of it don’t do so well. The person I went with this week has very serious mental health problems – so serious that he really has hardly left his house this year. For this week’s face-to-face assessment, he had to drag himself miles across town to the assessment centre (a family member set aside the afternoon to do the driving) to attend an appointment where he was asked to talk about his mental health for a time and then told to briefly lift his arms and legs. Regarding the possibility of a home visit for assessment – I’ll get into the topic of home visits another time, I think. I’d make the general observation now that home visits can present people with a whole new set of concerns. A number of people have raised this point with me over the years. Not everyone wants government or government-funded officials poking around at their place. I sure as hell don’t.
And anyway – the key point here is that this guy’s GP and usual medical consultants could easily have carried out this assessment. Maximus at home or at an assessment centre is entirely unnecessary. The WCA is outsourcing for the hell of it, like privatisation usually is. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again – this outsourcing of disability benefit assessments to private companies like Maximus is for the benefit of private companies like Maximus and for governments that are desperate to show they’re tough on benefit claimants. Millions of pounds are being pissed away to those ends. Whoever gets into government will be made to answer to that. In a big way.
The “Centre for Health and Disability Assessments” is a subsidiary company set up my Maximus, presumably to get the toxic work they are doing done without smearing their name. Although given the number of scandals Maximus has already created in the USA, Canada and Australia around rigged disability assessments, fraud, etc, I wonder why they bothered.
Interesting isn’t it. “We’ll take the money but not the brand annihilation.” These people are the ultimate chancers. I’ll be using their name everywhere, me.
me too
Centre for Health and Disability Assessments is a wholly owned subsidiary company of Maximus. See also: https://johnnyvoid.wordpress.com/2015/01/19/the-company-that-dare-not-show-its-face-how-maximus-plan-to-hide-their-involvement-in-the-work-capability-assessment/ …
Disabled people and allies can do assessments of political parties at General Election time. http://kilburnunemployed.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/disability-testing-and-general-election.html.
I have been going to various medical assessments over the years the last I attended I even had a taped interview seems like that time of year has time again as I have received a new capability for work questionnaire,nothing has changed in my life since two years ago while 1 1/2 years is there any way that I can send the disk in,isn’t there some way people who are genuinely ill can stop this sort of stuff to them I have a brother who has anxiety mental and drug problems the last thing he needs is to be questioned by some stranger,and why do these government places always have stupid nine is like atos or Maximus
I was assessed & was ill on day & more severely ill after, was advised that did not count, no more than extensive emergency required treatment in A & E after, an extensive wait, original appt 2.15pm, did not go in till gone 5pm. Have been more ill since, they have not responded to my complaints, in any aspects.
I am mentally ill my diagnostic report is I am Bi Polar, Borderline Personality Disorder, Depression, Anxiety. I hear voices informing me to self harm and others at times and this is the simple reason why I do not leave my home I have a psychiatrist but she hasn’t got the resources to supply me with a CPN/SUPPORT WORKER.
I have been instructed to go to ATOS for a face to face assessment. My Ex Partner contacted both ATOS and the DWP and informed them that I do not go out as I am mentally ill and explained to them that I hear voices to self harm and others and requested either a home visit or paper based assessment on my behalf.
They were very unsympathetic and just advised me to get a taxi and go to the assessment. My ex partner asked the person on the other end of the phone if they were happy to put the poor taxi driver at risk along with all the staff in the assessment center at risk? She could not believe the reply was YES. So say I go to the face to face assessment I Kill the taxi driver and anyone else who sadly gets in my way. What happens then? besides me being charged for attempted murder or even murder depending how bad I get I go to prison for life and in the mean time I have left poor third party family members lost of their loved ones? Now not forgetting my Psychiatrist has already sent the DWP and ATOS a letter explaining my illness and stating that I do not go out unaccompanied which is mostly never because I have no one to accompany me should I ever wish to go out. My psychiatrist also explained in the letter that I hear voices and get very anxious in social places and asked if it would be possible for a home visit as this would make me feel a lot safer and secure. They still said NO FFS. They simply are not trained correctly if at all in the call centers where ever they are based. They have no heart or feelings for anyone. I’m sure if I was to harm one of their family members then it would be a totally different story. My Ex Partner has now written to my MP who is contacting the DWP so watch this space for my update as soon as I hear I shall gladly let you know in fact I am even seriously considering going on Television to tell my story. I am totally sorry if my story has caused anyone reading this any distress what so ever. My heart goes out to anyone who has being called to the slaughterhouse to have your heart and mind butchered by the infedel. We all need to stand together and fight as hard as you are possibly able against the barbarians called the GOVERNMENT and it’s ALLIES DWP, PIP, ATOS and MAXIMUS. Before I close please what ever you do choose carefully for who you vote for the TORIES are the worst.
When is people going to realise that this country ONLY cares about its beloved parasitic royals, whom are the real spongers, upper class toffs and the very wealthy tax evaiders
What is wrong with you people. The assessment process is there for a reason and to support people to work and make sure people who can do and not just claim benefits all there life. People with genuine problems do not have anything to worry about
That is not true, as the staff at maximus tell bare faced lies … as one of many examples, as I have multiple damage to multiple bones and joints in my foot, the movement is limited but the amazing maximus doctor claimed that the movement in my foot was Perfect … oh what it is to be a medical miracle ..
@ Anon
“People with genuine problems do not have anything to worry about”
Nonsense. Thousands of people with genuine health problems have to Appeal against wrong decisions that incorrectly passes them as being fit for work when they are not, even their own doctors have said they are not fit, at which point their sickness Benefits are stopped. The Appeals process can take a year,during which time peoples’ health frequently deteriorates as well as accruing debts and arrears.
Yes they do,they still get zero points & persecuted,you have issues do you ?,ever had a mental breakdown caused by assessments,jobseekers commitments,when you said you can’t do them but threatened by nazi style ideal of starvation by taking your money away,you’re sick in the head & you should not be allowed to work because you have more of a screw up than I do!!!!!
What is wrong with you Anon! Do you seriously believe anyone with the ability to work wants to be on benefits and face the assessments they have to go through? I worked all my adult life until two years ago, I have suffered from anxiety and depression nearly all my adult life. Unfortunately i experienced bullying and discrimination at the hands of my last employer (i had worked for them 8 years. The outcome of this was my mental health was ruined and I have still not recovered. The judge at my employment tribunal ruled that although my employer behaved dreadfully they had not broken the law and so they got away with it. Interestingly one of the panel members at my tribunal agreed that not only had i been discriminated against but my employer was guilty of discrimination on an industrial scale, the other panel member was an employment expert and he agreed with the judge, I now believe that most employers know how to keep the bullying and discrimination within the law so it will always go on with people like me being the casuaties, I would love to be able to work again and earn a good wage but my mental health has been so damaged that I have no trust and no confidence, I was a confident person despite my long term illness but not now, I can’t go out i just can’t cope with life, it’s criminal and then we have a……s like you who like to think everyone on benefits is a scrounger
Like I said genuine people do not have problems with the assessment but unfortunately not everyone is honest and then it makes it harder for other people. The assessment process has to be done
And it has been shown by medical professionals that work is good for mental health even in a limited capacity
maximus kill people