Unpleasant WCA

Hi

I had my WCA yesterday. I requested a recorded WCA and checked several times by telephone to see if it was going ahead. I got to the centre by taxi, with a relative for physical and moral support. I was told the wait would be 90 minutes. I was left for over 2 hours before I was eventually called, the excuse being a nurse cold not deal with me and I would have to be seen by a doctor. We had by then been left alone in the waiting area until the afternoon session commenced. I was in agony. I had my legs elevated on another chair and was crying in pain.

The doctor had some trouble with the tape recorder and called on 2 lots of people to try and get it to work. It appeared to be the only one they had and the connection was faulty. There were mutterings about getting the machine from Birmingham and re-booking etc..Eventually all was deemed to be OK and the assessment continued. The tape was turned off at the conclusion of the assessment and the tape duly passed over to me. On getting home, I discovered only one minute of the appointment had been recorded and the rest was just the sound of static. As you can imagine, I am fuming and upset.

I just wondered what the best plan of attack is? A complaint to ATOS, DWP and my MP?

All rather draining and on top of that it looks like it will be 17 months until I get the appeal hearing from my 2011 IB to ESA claim.

Thanks guys...everyone who reads the site (the good guys) and the fab moderators and site founders.

Cheers

TCP

I am sorry to hear that you had such a bad experience, finding that the interview had not been recorded must have been the last straw!

You would need to complain to ATOS about this and I think many people in this position would also involve their MP

Complaining to ATOS Healthcare

Contacting your MP

Thank you, MHB

I shall do this. I am in so much pain, but I am a fighter and I will do all I can.

Best wishes

TCP

I have written to Atos, the DWP and my MP and my MP is following this up for me. I have now found out that this is not a one-off, as I have had some dialogue with others who have also been handed blank or compromised tapes. This has put a completely different slant on things and bears some looking into.

TCP

TCP wrote: I have written to Atos, the DWP and my MP and my MP is following this up for me. I have now found out that this is not a one-off, as I have had some dialogue with others who have also been handed blank or compromised tapes. This has put a completely different slant on things and bears some looking into.

TCP

It does indeed!

I have now been placed in the Support Group after my WCA. I put in a complaint about the waiting time before I had the assessment and the mess up with the tape and my MP has received an apology letter, not me! It did explain fairly well what happened on the day and it said that I had severe functional disability.

I am STILL awaiting the appeal for the decision of October 2011, which put me in WRAG. It could still take a few months longer.

Thanks for everyone's help.

TCP


PS My advice is to keep fighting!