Atos 'quacks' homophobic rant at lesbian
pirate | 01.06.2011 14:54 | Health | Public sector cuts | Repression | World
A Lesbian, with mental health problems, attending one of the Atos medicals claims the so-called doctor indulged in a homophobic rant during the assessment.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2011/06/01/lesbian-woman-subjected-to-homophobic-rant-from-doctor-at-atos-medical-assessment/ Lesbian woman subjected to homophobic rant from doctor at Atos medical assessment
by Christopher Brocklebank for PinkNews.co.uk
1 June 2011, 11:31am
A patient with mental health problems was subjected to a homophobic outburst by her doctor (Photo: B Hernandez) A gay woman who was instructed to attend an Atos Healthcare assessment in order to assess her benefit entitlement claims she was subjected to a homophobic outburst by the doctor who examined her.
Writing in today’s Guardian, Clare Allan said that a close friend of hers who suffers from a number of mental health problems, was already in state of anxiety when she arrived for her assessment. Her friend, said Ms Allan, was unable to work and was concerned she might lose her incapacity benefit, which is soon to be replaced with employment allowance and a work capability test.
The patient claimed she was ignored by her doctor for five minutes while he worked at his computer screen. He then asked her about her current health and after disclosing she had been suffering from haemorrhoids, she was apparently “forced to sit and listen as the doctor described in graphic detail the physical damage men did to each other by having anal sex. ‘They’re everywhere!’ the doctor said. ‘They’re running the government.’ He would not allow his grandchildren to be brought up in a country run by homosexuals and paedophiles.”
Ms Allan said that her friend kept quiet about her own sexuality at this point, being stunned by the outburst. The patient was then told by her doctor that a lesbian couple had complained about him, saying that he had rejected their claim because he was homophobic: “‘I had to go to tribunal,’ he said. ‘I could have lost my job. But they found against them and they lost their benefits.’ The doctor then left the room without any explanation. Some minutes later he returned with a nurse and proceeded [with the examination].”
Atos offices across the UK were picketed by disabled people last month, and their ethics have also been questioned in the British Medical Journal.
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History of discrimination by benefit testing contractors
03.06.2011 14:14
ATOS essentially took over many of SEMA's operations and staff, afaik, so maybe surprising more allegations like this haven't surfaced yet
(From House of Lords 24th May)
“Lord Ashley of Stoke
My Lords, I am grateful for that reply. Is my noble friend aware that the Select Committee was scathing about the private medical agency, the SEMA Group, which is used by the Benefits Agency to examine sick and disabled people who claim benefit? The Select Committee accused that group of imposing on sick and disabled people unacceptable delays, painful examinations, rude treatment and racial discrimination? Is my noble friend aware that, although the recommendations of the Select Committee are welcome, in my view they are wholly inadequate and the Government need to reconsider the use of these private medical agencies and certainly should get rid of the SEMA Group which is responsible for so much distress to many sick and disabled people?
Baroness Hollis of Heigham
My Lords, the Government will publish their response to the report of the Select Committee at the end of June. My colleagues in the other place and officials are working on that response. I do not for a moment dissociate myself from some of the comments made in the report. The Government accept the criticism that some of the 3,000 part-time and sessional doctors, not so much the 250 full-time doctors who were with the original Benefits Agency Medical Service (BAMS) when it transferred over, have exhibited the behaviour described by my noble friend. It is quite clear that some doctors have been somewhat crass in their response to patients' needs. I believe that the right response to that is that advocated by the Select Committee, which is significantly to increase the training available to doctors, particularly part-time ones. After all, those doctors provide advice on about £25 billion of benefit. As a result, it is crucial that we get the most highly qualified and best trained doctors to deal with a very sensitive area of medicine. That is why the proposals made by the Select Committee in terms of improving the training of doctors, the auditing of their reports and so on are being taken seriously by government. “
Solomon Hughes
e-mail:
solomon.hughes@btinternet.com