IAS assessor used false Registration Number-what can I do?

wildlife

Hi@Scope-benefitadvisors As some of you will remember I've been investigating whether my assessor was properly qualified. So far I've been told in writing by HCPC that a Paramedic with the same name as her on their register is the same person who carried out my assessment whilst working for ATOS. They also say she is a qualified Paramedic as she would not be on their register otherwise. In the final letter from ATOS for my complaint made back in February they answered the question of her qualifications by saying I had investigated the wrong person. I have also made a subject access request for all my documentation from DWP. I was about to give up trying to find out about my assessor's qualifications when I found a copy of the form she got me to sign at the end of my assessment. Her signature was on it along with her profession and PRN number. This was completely different to the number HCPC have for her on their register. All their numbers start with PA for Paramedic, this false number under her signature started with SC. I have notified ICE of this but they aren't due to investigate my ongoing complaint till August 2018. I have also emailed my MP with what I've done to date and asking for help as I consider this is now a serious matter. Is there anything else I can do?  

wildlife

Just to add to the above. The assessor would have signed this form and added her profession and registration number later in the day after I'd gone home. She would never have dreamed I'd see the form again as claimants are not given a copy as part of the PIP process. However DWP were sent it along with additional evidence I took with me to the assessment. I have asked ICE to treat this as urgent rather than leaving it till next year.

wildlife

New development, ICE have written to confirm they have received my email about my assessor's use of this false registration number and their advice was to contact IAS even though IAS have finished my complaint investigation. I have emailed IAS asking for an explanation. So now it's a waiting game, for HCPC to say what they are prepared to do about someone on their register not using their correct number on an official document, for my MP to even reply and for IAS to realize they won't get away with spinning me a pack of lies and expect me to go away, because I won't.. 

BenefitsTrainingCo

Hi wildlife,

It sounds to me as though you have done, and will continue to do, as much as you possibly can to get an answer to your investigation. I don't know of anything else you should do, although my expertise specifically entails giving advice on benefit law rather than as an investigator into the qualifications of the assessors. Does anyone else have any ideas? Good luck though!

Lee

wildlife

@Lee Thank-you, I will continue as I think this may be very significant. So much focus is on the outcome of each person's claim that other factors are being overlooked. Is anyone checking whether IAS are complying with all the guidelines for assessor's which are quite rigorous? It must be tempting to take on people who are underqualified when there is a shortage to fill. I'm not saying that's what is happening but if no-one is checking how do we know? My assessor's standard of written English was not what would be expected of a Paramedic. I feel I need to know to protect myself from being treated the same way in 2 years time when I'm due for a review.      

BenefitsTrainingCo

wildlife,

These are all good questions  - I'm sorry that as benefits advisors we don't really know the answers, as this concerns issues such as contract law, and how contracts between a government department and a firm (IAS as part of ATOS) are operated. 

I'm sure that the contract does get reviewed in some way and that ATOS would be audited but I also know that it is very difficult to get hold of this information. For example, the Information Commissioner recently ordered that the DWP must publish a report that shows how well Maximus, and before them ATOS, carried out Work Capability Assessments, but the DWP have refused to publish.

So it seems possible that something similar could happen here, with PIP assessments. I know that you have already contacted your MP and have not heard from them but if that continues, or they do respond but unhelpfully, you could try directly contacting the ministers concerned - as I expect you know, David Gauke MP is Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, and Penny Mordaunt MP is the Minister of State for Disabled People.

You might simply get a response telling you to go back to your own MP, so I would mention that you have already contacted them, if you do write directly. I know that you will be persistent so am just thinking of whether there are any other avenues - of course there is also the option of contacting the media, to see if they, like the Independent in the WCA story, might be helpful in publicising this - it may not help to get to the bottom of it but would help to show what disabled people are up against.

Will

wildlife

@Will thank-you for your reply. I have now heard from ICE regarding this matter after sending them the evidence and my MP has also replied. They are both waiting now, as I am, for HCPC to get back to me to confirm my assessor's identity. My MP wants me to give it to the end of September and if I haven't heard he will make "representation on my behalf". I was surprised though that he said he didn't see the significance of there being different registration numbers. I replied that all assessors have to be registered with their appropriate professional body (in case he didn't know) and that they only have one registration number. I rang the HCPC case worker I've been emailing and he was awful. He patronised me and accused me of doing this to get more benefit. His attitude was dreadful. He also seemed to think that the Tribunals are set up to investigate these things and not just to review a benefit decision. We discussed a Fitness to Practice case and I said that would come later once her identity had been confirmed. I know that professional bodies are rejecting any FTP applications about benefit assessors but they should still investigate them when an HP is working outside their profession provided the job is still medically related. I'm sailing in unchartered waters now where possibly no claimant has been before. I haven't got any definite proof of anything yet to go to the press other than the lies on my assessment report and would be happy just to get my assessor to face up to what she did and for IAS and DWP to accept her report is not fit to use again..

wildlife

A quick update, The Information Commissioner's Office now have a case open in my name and have asked me to forward all the emails from HCPC and any other information I have. They were willing to look into the false registration number so I have sent them the evidence. I now have myself plus 3 lots of other people all waiting for HCPC to confirm my assessor's identity. I've also sent the false registration number info. to IAS asking for an explanation because although they'd finished with my complaint this is a new issue and they will have to respond otherwise they'll have ICO,ICE, my MP and myself (Possibly the scariest of them all Lol) on their backs. 

BenefitsTrainingCo

excellent! sounds like progress!

Mary

wildlife

@Mary, Yes except that it's being held up by IAS and HCPC. Both appear to be on the same side refusing to accept anything is wrong. However knowing there are now other organizations waiting to take over from me should they continue to refuse to answer my questions is a nice position to be in. 

wildlife

BenefitsTrainingCo

Thanks for updating us wildlife,

I expect you have heard about a similar case involving a paramedic, although in this case the HP was caught on camera saying untruthful things about claimants. It concerns Capita rather than ATOS but the principle is similar. I don't know if it helps at all (possibly not, as my understanding is that the HP in that case didn't face disciplinary action about an untruthful report).

http://blacktrianglecampaign.org/2017/02/10/pip-investigation-regulator-refuses-to-act-over-capita-assessment-report-lies/

Frustrating isn't even the word for it. I agree however that there must surely be some action from ICO because the issue concerns inaccurate personal data about you, and I am glad that your MP has promised to help. 

Will

wildlife

@Will thank-you for your reply. Yes I have heard of the other case and it made me realize that I don't have anyone to help like the TV did in that case or any strong evidence on camera. However I have now forwarded the reply from HCPC to my MP which clearly shows their lack of interest almost as if they're hiding something and I still have not heard from ATOS so have asked his help with both of these organizations to make them more forthcoming with the truth of who my assessor was, whether or not she is qualified and why she had to record a false PRN number. I have explained that the reason I cannot let this drop is not feeling able to go though a review of my PIP in only 2/3 years time unless I know I will be treated fairly and within the rules governing PIP which, if they were adhered to properly, would result in people being awarded what they are entitled to and not cheated and made to feel inferior. I have mentioned the timescale of 3 years for a 66 year old who's conditions will only get worse and when I had DLA for life.  .  

wildlife

@Will Now I do have the help I need. My MP is going to deal with the MP contact at IAS to check my assessor's qualifications and he will also mention the false PRN number on an official document. I replied to thank him and in order to keep him onside I said that even if she is qualified IAS still have questions to answer regarding the assessor's dishonesty and her standard of practice. He also knows that HCPC are refusing to accept any responsibility for my assessor's actions despite confirming that she is on their register. He said it would be a couple of weeks before I get an answer but he will do this.  

BenefitsTrainingCo

Hello wildlife

It's great to hear that your MP is now taking action. Please keep us posted.

Maria

wildlife

Thanks @Maria, Yes will keep you posted. Just as an update I should be getting a case worker assigned to my case for the incorrect data on my assessment report within the next few weeks. ICE keep writing to me every time I send an email with more information for their investigation of my ATOS complaint which is great however it will be next year before they get around to my case. HCPC have sent a final reply closing the case about my assessor's status, they've tried to close it 3 times but I've contacted them again. They don't want to know about assessors and make every excuse not to answer questions about them or  investigate their conduct. So we'll see what my MP can find out and take it from there.. 

rhinos

hang in there HCPC do capitulate--in order to raise revenue they said they would prosecute me if  i say I am a qualified====== unless i paid HCPC membership monies. i told them I am retired and not a member It took 2 years for them to apologies- they paid my fare to london to issue an apology in full. They are a trumped up organisation with egotistical boffins-  get  your  MP  to bring them to heel-and  just deal with the CEO only the  FIT to practice staff  are bonkers
,
ps they also told me  not to put my qualifications after my name as it  gives the impression I am in pratice! So in order to please them  I should now lie about who I am.  They are a bit  of a quango organisation

wildlife

Hi rhinos, Thank-you for your post. After my assessment went so horribly wrong I looked for my assessor on various websites. I couldn't 100% identify her as I was so stressed and have memory problems but my Husband looked at her photo on FB and said yes that's her. She is also on Linkedin with her complete education and job history. The only gap was a few months during which time I was assessed. Anyhow I have always wanted to prove that she lied and make her face up to what she put me through. But first had to make sure she was qualified and that I had investigated the right person. I emailed HCPC numerous times sending them the info I had. They kept trying to close the case not wanting to answer my questions but I persevered. The best I've got is that the job history i sent WAS used along with the photo to confirm that a person on their register IS the same person who assessed me. Part way through my dealings with them I rang the case worker I'd been emailing and he was awful. He treated me like a benefit scrounger accusing me of doing this because I wanted more money. I told him I'd already accepted an offer I was happy with and that was no thanks to a lying cheating assessor who broke their standard of practice in a big way. My MP is only contacting IAS for now to check my assessor's qualifications and why she used a false PRN number. I made a Subject Access Request along the way otherwise I would never have seen the form I signed at the end of my assessment with the false number on it. She no doubt signed and added this on later in the day after I had gone home. I also have a case open with ICO for the incorrect data to be deleted or changed. I am waiting for a case worker to be allocated to this. I have a complaint with ICE after going through the ATOS complaint's procedure with no acceptance of any wrong doing. They are snowed under with complaints and it will be August next year before they get to mine. If I find out from my MP that my assessor wasn't qualified I don't know what I'll do but sparks will fly. I will not give up even if she was a Paramedic as her written report contained an outright lie about something she said I did as well as false MSE results. ALL were incorrect. 

rhinos

wildlife

I would let  your  MP be armed with the right questions for HCPC-  ( no  wriggle  room)    ( write them down for  your  MP) as a gov  quango they are obliged to answer them; the greatest infringements for HCPC professionals are  ambulance personnel  and physiotherapist-or has been in the past

I hope you are not getting the leeds taxi trick of endless licensed drivers all using one  name?

hence all clients  now have to take two forms of  id with them to PIPS assessments

rhinos

who are ICE and 

MSE result?

and  ICO

 you  mention above?

wildlife

ICE stands for Independant Complaints Examiner, they work alongside DWP but are independant of them as the name implies. They take on complaints about any benefit problems but you have to have gone through either ATOS or DWP complaints first. For me that alone took 5 months. MSE and MSO results confused me as my assessor referred to these on her report but even she was getting them confused. They are the cognition tests and physical tests carried out at assessment. This is where the assessor makes ridiculous judgments about your physical strength and flexibility. Mine contradicted 2 Osteopathic reports with results which probably weren't even understood. ICO stands for Information Commissioner's Office. They regulate the Data Protection Act and Freedom of Information Act. So I used the FOI Act to make a Subject Access Request for ALL my personal data from ATOS and DWP which includes documents, screen shots and things you don't normally get to see. This led to me going through my report and using the Data Protection Act to supply ICO with all the information from my report that was incorrect. They have not rejected this but have accepted it and when my turn comes around a case worker will investigate and decide whether ATOS (IAS)/DWP have to delete or change any data they collected about me. I just hope I don't have to provide lots of evidence to prove it's wrong as some of it is the word of myself and my husband who was with me throughout my assessment and my assessor who has so far been believed by both IAS and DWP. It's been a long hard road but now my MP is helping hopefully I'll get some answers.