Roger has added his voice to those calling for a suspension of Atos assessments following the death of Mr McArdle who, having suffered a blood clot on his brain, was left paralysed on one side, unable to speak properly and blind in one eye and yet was summoned to an Atos work capacity assessment, was eventually informed he was to lose his disability benefits.
Speaking from Westminster Roger said: “This wasn’t an accident waiting to happen, it was inevitable. I have never had any faith in the objectivity of the Atos medical procedure, it’s just a benefits grab.”
Mr McArdle’s 13 year old son Kieran wrote to Atos to tell the company that their assessments `are killing genuine people like my dad’.
Roger has signed Early Day Motion 687 and has joined other campaigners calling for 3rd December to be a day of remembrance for all Atos victims.
He has also acted as primary sponsor for EDM 714 which calls for an immediate cessation and reassessment of Atos work capability assessments and for the Department for Work and Pensions to publish Atos statistics that includes data relating to how many people appealed their fit for work decision and how many of these appeals have been successful – which to date it has refused to do.
http://www.parliament.uk/edm/2012-13/714 http://www.parliament.uk/edm/2012-13/687
    •    More than 40 doctors and nurses working for Atos have been reported to medical regulators for professional misconduct.
    •    One in five recommendations to find someone fully “fit for work” made by Atos is inaccurate according to new DWP statistics.
    •    Employment and support allowance (ESA) appeals were up by 40% on the same quarter of last year, according to new Ministry of Justice statistics.
Source: Disability Rights UK Updates Oct 2012


How to appeal the decision of an Atos medical in Birmingham:-

http://bit.ly/RdsEqy
To complain about the way your Atos medical was conducted:-
Write to or email:
Atos Healthcare, Customer Relations, Wing G, Government Buildings, Lawnswood, Leeds LS16 5PU or email [email protected]  quoting your name, NI number and date of your medical examination.

This article appeared in the December edition of Roger's newsletter 'Postcard from Parliament'