Well worth reading, especially if you anticiate having, or do have, dealings with Atos in their role as contracted agents of the DWP for Work Capability Assessments (WACs). Atos (and Capita) have also now been contracted to support the ongoing welfare reforms which will see DLA replaced by PIP: the blog of journalist Kate Belgrave on the issue of mental function champions…
“For several months now, I’ve been trying to get the DWP to explain how it quantifies the performance of mental function champions. Mental function champions are the individuals whom Malcolm Harrington suggested that Atos add to the work capability assessment process to “spread best practice amongst Atos healthcare professionals in mental, intellectual and cognitive disabilities.” The role was created as a concession to the many serious concerns that people have raised about the appalling effects of the Employment and Support Allowance work capability assessment on people with mental health illnesses (I wrote a long article about that, the experiences of people I’ve interviewed and attended WCAs with and concerns about WCA descriptors and outcomes here. There’s a good anlysis of concerns around regulations 29 and 35 here). Mental function champions do not advise or support ESA claimants: they provide advice and coaching to Atos healthcare professionals. Last year, on November 5, Mark Hoban told parliament that “we have introduced a mental health champion in every single assessment centre throughout the country.” Actually, he had not. The DWP told me that 60 of these MFCs were in place and that they largely worked a phone advice line. The DWP didn’t want to go further than that: its officers told me to contact Atos for more on MFCs. Pinning Atos down on the details has been a struggle…”