Debt with Disability News Articles

[5corpio]

Re: Debt with Disability News Articles

[CENTER][B]MPs approve NHS bill as Labour bid fails[/B][/CENTER]

The government's health changes have survived their final parliamentary test and are set to become law.A Labour call for MPs to postpone their final consideration of the NHS overhaul in England until an assessment of the potential risks is published was defeated by 82 votes.The House of Lords approved the bill late on Monday evening.
The government hopes the Health and Social Care Bill will now get Royal Assent and become law by Easter.The bill has had a difficult passage through Parliament with the government conceding substantial changes to the legislation.The government overcame the final major parliamentary obstacle to the bill when it defeated the Labour motion on the issue of potential risks by 328 to votes to 246.Shadow health secretary Andy Burnham said as the bill was debated: "The only hope that I can give to people worried about the future of the NHS today is that this might be the end of the bill but it is just the beginning of our campaign."....[B][URL="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-17447992"]Read more HERE[/URL][/B]

[pompeyfaith]

Re: Debt with Disability News Articles

This is an article from a French Blog it would seem they are well aware of what is going on over here with the French Company ATOS

I have translated it to English.

[B][URL="http://thefullfacts.com/esa/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1337&p=6313&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheFullFacts+%28THE+FULL+FACTS%29#p6282"]"Sacre Blue" say French ATOS workers about ATOS in UK![/URL][/B]


[B]It would seem ATOS are being critiziesed by ATOS (the french ones anyway!)
Im going to be humming La Marseillaise (French anthem) all day[/B]

[B]Atos Healthcare in Britain: a shameful scandal known in France.[/B]

The British government eager for a small economy in crisis uses a variety of techniques. One of the most scandalous is likely that for which Atos won the tender for the Department of Work and Pensions. Indeed, in order to flush out "profiteers" and "valid to work" Atos has developed a system: an electronic form to evaluate the disabled, terminally ill cancer patients, disabled, injured workers. If they do not meet the criteria or if they do not go to the interview: their benefits are deleted.
The design of this form is a scandal because of people with profound disabilities can be considered capable of work and mental illness are not taken into account.
Associations of disabled are outraged to see Atos serve on the Board of Directors of Para Olympic Games and they ask the boycott.
According to the Daily Mail, 103 suicides have occurred since the implementation of this evaluation.

( 1 ) Atos Healthcare is a division of Atos Consulting who officiates in the health sector in the UK where it employs over 3,000 people. Its largest contract is with the Department of Work and Pensions, under which it conducts evaluations of disability for people receiving disability benefits, including the allocation of supported employment, compensation disability ("DLA") and disability benefits and industrial injury.

The capacity assessment work (WCA) is very controversial. It continues to be criticized in the UK, both through parliamentary inquiries by MPs, the judiciary, as well as advocacy groups for the ights of people with disabilities such as Citizens Advice.

( 2 ) These groups have highlighted many examples of terminally ill and severely disabled persons deemed fit for work and ineligible for benefits as a result of an evaluation conducted by computer by Atos Healthcare, which is paid 100 million pounds per year by the government for testing. Charities finally described the system as improper and remain concerned about its reliability, despite the government's commitment to improve it .

( 3 )Atos competence and its employees is challenged by health professionals. Atos has set up an automated medical examinations called "LIMA". Such examinations are widely criticized by those being evaluated.

( 4 )The system is automated with a number of yes / no answers, not allowing to take into account the progressive diseases, mental illness etc.., But also evaluating the functionality of biased criteria.
A particular question is: do you watch "Eastenders" and "Coronation Street"? (Two very popular television series in Britain). If the answer is yes, that means for the software that the person is able to remain seated 30 minutes, even though it noted that it looks at these programs lie.

Multiple errors in the records, some very coarse, were found.
There is also a refusal to accept other medical documents, including specialists.
A score of 55 examination centers Atos have no disabled access, and some are over 5 minutes to 15 minutes from the nearest station.

A significant number of disabled or sick, who were receiving welfare benefits formerly, are considered employable or able to integrate a vocational rehabilitation program. This means when the judgment of the perception of their allocations.
If they do not attend a job interview (but if they are disabled and this is made impossible) their unemployment benefits are then arrested.

( 5 )Qualification or competence of examiners is questioned: 17 hours of training for nurses, a few days for doctors, and attractive salaries: £ 32,000 for nurses for a job from September to May hours without penalty, no work on weekends, etc.. ( 6 )

The type of people considered employable includes terminally ill cancer patients, people suffering from Parkinson's disease, chronic and debilitating illnesses for which there is no hope of improvement, but will next year ironing review each year.
The list is endless.
The Guardian newspaper in an article in March 19 (8) quotes Peter, a computer analyst officially registered blind in 2009 which was denied with the allocation and obligation to return to work. ( 11 )

Atos is expected to make recommendations that are reviewed by a panel that makes the decision. What is called in the text JCP decision-makers, which means the decision of JCP. JCP means more Job Centres, a glorified ANPE. It does not appear that there are members of the medical profession in this panel.
The recommendations are accepted at Atos 99.78% at the expense of those of general practitioners and specialists who follow their patients for years. ( 10 )

Many demonstrations of associations and activists have been held since the scandal erupted across the Channel to the point that we are surprised it is known in France. Protesters brandished banners that reads "Atos does not give a lot" and "Atos kills". A reference to the small but growing number of applicants who are killed after finding that benefits were eliminated. ( 12 ) ( 13 ) ( 14 )
If you read this Wikipedia article on Atos, [URL]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atos[/URL] , you will see that the French version is completely expunged from the English version which alludes to the controversy of the withdrawal of benefits Based on reviews conducted by Atos.
The omerta of the French press does not make us doubt the leverage of multinational Atos Mr BRETON. This same person who already has a history rife for at France Telecom, the company famous for numerous suicides.



Atos won the contract with the British government in an economic recession and a cost reduction program in the public sector. With the right-wing government of Mr Cameron, a real witch hunt was triggered against welfare recipients. A highly virulent campaign of the British government has portrayed the disabled as parasites who take advantage of the system, while fraud represents only 0.5%. In this context, the specification of Atos is clearly identified. The result is a reduction in the number of persons entitled to disability benefits because the criteria have changed.

Since the system was tested in late 2009, about 390,000 people have litigated in the courts of appeal against a decision on suitability for employment. The courts have been forced to open on Saturday and to increase their workforce by 30% since January 2010, the cost of these calls should reach 50 million pounds per year by the end of this month. ( 7 )
About 38% of all court appeals in favor of the applicant, and the benefit is subsequently granted. If an applicant is supported in his appeal by a person from an advocacy group, such as Citizens Advice, it is a success rate much higher for these calls, approximately 68%. ( 8 )

This shameful scandal should not stay in the shadows. Our duty as employees of Atos members and trade unionists, is to inform you about these events that affect disabled workers for whom we have special attention on this side of the Channel.
Your duty now is to participate in the outbreak of the scandal by informing your colleagues, friends and families.

This is the French Blog I took it from:

[URL="http://sudatosorigin.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/atos-healthcare-en-grande-bretagne-un.html"]http://sudatosorigin.blogspot.co.uk/201 ... ne-un.html[/URL]

And a French Comment posted to it again translated:

It gives me no pleasure to inform the French nation that England is now run by a fascist regime that sells the NHS to the highest bidder, the privatization of the police and driving disabled and victims of cancer terminally ill to commit suicide. For ATOS Healthcare, the company leaving the disabled poor and suicidal, to be part of the London 2012 Paralympic Games is disgusting and immoral. Please boycott the London Paralympic Games in 2012. You do not want this hypocrisy, I assure you.

Regards

[5corpio]

Re: Debt with Disability News Articles

[SIZE=2]Probe launched into lack of competition in private healthcare and 'rip-off' hospital prices. Private hospitals and clinics are facing a major investigation over fears they are ripping off patients. The Office of Fair Trading said a preliminary inquiry had revealed concerns about a lack of competition between health providers. [/SIZE][SIZE=2]It has now ordered the Competition Commission to carry out a full-scale probe into the £5billion industry.Critics claim the market is riddled with anti-competitive practices, including loyalty deals in which consultants receive incentives to send patients to certain private hospitals. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=2]The OFT says there are ‘considerable grounds for suspecting that there are features of the market that prevent, restrict or distort competition’. [/SIZE][SIZE=2]OFT chief executive John Fingleton said: ‘Private patients and GPs face difficulties selecting private healthcare providers on the basis of quality or value for money, and this may ultimately result in patients paying higher prices or receiving lower quality care....[B][URL="http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/news/article-2125438/Private-healthcare-probe-OFT-asks-Competition-Commission-investigate-rip-prices.html"]Read more here[/URL][/B][/SIZE]

[5corpio]

Re: Debt with Disability News Articles

[CENTER][B]State to fund ENTIRE old age income of one in six people retiring this year[/B]
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[LEFT][COLOR=#000000]Tens of thousands of pensioners retiring this year will rely on nothing but the state to fund the retirement because they have no private pension to their name, research suggests. One in six people retiring in 2012 will quit work without any form of pension saving. They will instead depend almost entirely on state - which will pay a basic £107.45 a week from this Thursday 6 April - to fund their old age. The revelation comes as the Government makes cuts to the top-ups it gives to the poorest old people. Changes to the Pensions Credit announced in the Budget mean some pensioners will be [URL="http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/pensions/article-2124687/As-million-face-cuts-vital-benefits-pensioners-ask----Why-did-spend-lives-saving.html"]deprived of up to £276 a year in income.[/URL]

[/COLOR]If the fresh research, put together by pension firm Prudential, is accurate, it could mean roughly 50,000 people surviving on as little as £5,587 a year. The poorest pensioners are entitled to claim £142.70 a week - £7,420 a year - via the Basic State Pension and the Pension Credit system. However, a staggering £5.5billion of benefits owed to pensioners, predominantly Pension Credit, went unclaimed last year and a similar story could play out, leaving many below the poverty line....[B]Read more here---: [URL="http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/pensions/article-2125143/State-fund-ENTIRE-old-age-income-people-retiring-year.html"]State to fund ENTIRE old age income of one in six people retiring this year | This is Money[/URL][/B]
[/LEFT]

[5corpio]

Re: Debt with Disability News Articles

A Report on the proposed changes to Disability Living Allowance Diary of a Benefit Scrounger Read report here: [URL]http://www.mind.org.uk/assets/0001/6406/2012-03-01_Responsible_Reform_-_Sue_Marsh_Report.pdf[/URL]

[I](Source: Charity)[/I]

[mrsinvisible]

Re: Debt with Disability News Articles

The depressing truth is that however we attempt to get the government to behave in an honourable and transparent way, and to correwct all the flaws in this proposal, it will make no difference, and they will with arrogance and contempt of us, do exactly what they want.

[pompeyfaith]

Re: Debt with Disability News Articles

A very good blog to follow the NHS and all corruption within Government is The Green Benches.

[url="http://eoin-clarke.blogspot.co.uk/"]The Green Benches[/url]

[5corpio]

Re: Debt with Disability News Articles

[CENTER][B]Closures Warning Over Elderly Care Reforms[/B]
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[CENTER][B]Parks, libraries and leisure centres may be forced to close unless care for the elderly is reformed, council leaders across England and Wales have warned.[/B]
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A letter to the leaders of the three main political parties says various "local discretionary services" could face the axe as resources are diverted to "plug the gap" in care funding.The letter was written by [URL="http://www.rbkc.gov.uk/az/az.asp?OrgId=406"][B]Sir Merrick Cockell[/B][/URL], the chairman of the Local Government Association (LGA), which speaks for almost 400 councils in England and Wales. In it, he warns that a lack of action would exacerbate problems of an "already over-stretched" care system and would have a knock-on effect on other services. "It will increasingly limit the availability of valuable local discretionary services as resources are drawn away to plug the gap in care funding," the letter argues. Local discretionary services include parks, libraries, leisure centres, roads and public toilets. The letter adds that failing to reach an agreement soon on how to pay for care for the elderly could set a long-term solution back years. "For too long we have toyed with adult social care reform and failure to act now may be the failure that tips the system over," it says.

"Nobody - whether from central or local government, providers, the third sector or the public - wants that to happen so it is incumbent upon us all to bring about real change. "This absolutely must include funding and we urge the government to be courageous." The letter backed the recommendation of an official commission chaired by the economist Andrew Dilnot, which said the state should pick up the cost of care beyond £35,000, at an estimated cost to the public purse of less than £2bn.....[B]Read more here--: [URL="http://news.sky.com/home/politics/article/16217269"]Elderly Care Reforms: Councils In Local Government Association Warn Of Services Closing[/URL][/B]

[5corpio]

Re: Debt with Disability News Articles

[CENTER][B]Care costs could close libraries, say councils[/B]
[/CENTER]

A crisis in funding care for the elderly could lead to the closure of parks, libraries and public toilets, according to council leaders in England and Wales. The Local Government Association has warned that funds will have to be diverted to "plug the gap in care funding". It said an agreement was needed on how to pay for elderly care. The LGA said it was "absolutely united" on the issue. In 2011, [URL="http://www.dilnotcommission.dh.gov.uk/our-report/"]an independent review[/URL] recommended a cap of £35,000 on the amount people would have to pay for social care.Council-funded home help and care home places are currently offered only to those with less than £23,250 of assets. The review said that threshold should rise to £100,000. The report by Andrew Dilnot said those changes would cost at least an extra £1.7bn a year and would rise as more people retired. The LGA, which represents around 400 councils, sent a letter to David Cameron, Nick Clegg and Ed Miliband.....[B]Read more here---: [URL="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-17868598"]Care costs could close libraries, say councils[/URL][/B]

[5corpio]

Re: Debt with Disability News Articles

[CENTER][B][SIZE=3]Guy Hands' Terra Firma buys Four Seasons for £825m[/SIZE][/B][/CENTER]

[SIZE=2]Guy Hands' Terra Firma, the buyout firm blighted by the £1.75bn loss on its investment in EMI, has signalled its return to the front–line with a deal to buy Britain's Four Seasons care homes for £825m. The acquisition of Britain's largest chain of care homes is the private equity firm's biggest since the EMI deal and will be financed through a mix of equity and new debt, with the debt being arranged by Goldman Sachs and Barclays. Mr Hands, the founder, chairman and chief investment officer at Terra Firma, said in a statement on Monday: "Our number one priority is to ensure that Four Seasons delivers consistent high-quality care and peace of mind for residents, service users and their families." Four Seasons cares for more than 20,000 people and has over 30,000 staff. The group operates 445 care homes, with 22,364 beds, and 61 specialist care centres, with 1,601 beds. It is being sold by a group of banks headed by Royal Bank of Scotland and a number of hedge funds which rescued the business four years ago after writing off half its debt. [B].....[/B][URL="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/banksandfinance/privateequity/9235762/Guy-Hands-Terra-Firma-buys-Four-Seasons-for-825m.html"][B]Read more here[/B][/URL][/SIZE]

[5corpio]

Re: Debt with Disability News Articles

[CENTER][B]Barclays accused in mis-selling report[/B][/CENTER]

[SIZE=2]Barclays has been accused of acting with "reckless disregard" when it sold a set of complex derivatives to a care home operator that is suing the bank for £36m. The claims against Barclays are in an independent report prepared for Guardian Care Homes [GCH], which operates...[B][URL="http://forums.all-about-debt.co.uk/blog.php?b=1238"]Read more on our Blog pages here[/URL][/B] [/SIZE]

[5corpio]

Re: Debt with Disability News Articles

[CENTER][B][SIZE=3]Just how ill do you have to be to qualify for long-term care fees?[/SIZE][/B]
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[CENTER] [B] [SIZE=2]More and more of the long-term sick are being denied free medical care. [/SIZE][/B]
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Shirley Yeoman requires round-the-clock care. The grandmother of five is unable to move unaided, has problems swallowing and cannot survive without the care of nurses. Over the past 20 years she has had a brain tumour, a stroke, an aneurysm and now has fortnightly epileptic fits. Yet according to her local primary care trust, Mrs Yeoman is not ill enough to qualify for free continuing NHS care. Rather than a "primary health need" – which would result in free continuing, or long-term care – she is categorised as having a "social need", and her family has to pay the lion's share of her care bills.Mrs Yeoman's husband Geoff fails to see why his wife does not qualify for free long-term care, as she has been in receipt of it in the past. In 2008 after a period in intensive care, Mrs Yeoman was discharged and granted free nursing care in her own home – under the terms of continuing health care. Continuing care patients are regularly reassessed, and during one of these assessments, despite no improvements to her case, Mrs Yeoman was deemed no longer eligible. Mr Yeoman was given just 24 hours to find alternative arrangements. Then, after three years of caring for his wife himself at home, constantly battling for continuing care funding, Mr Yeoman himself was diagnosed with a brain tumour......[B]Read more here---: [URL="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/insurance/longtermcare/9237729/Just-how-ill-do-you-have-to-be-to-qualify-for-long-term-care-fees.html"]Just how ill do you have to be to qualify for long-term care fees?
[/URL][/B]

[5corpio]

Re: Debt with Disability News Articles

[CENTER][B]Severe dementia care: Homes try new approach[/B]
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It is estimated that one-in-three people over 65 will die with dementia. Researchers say there is a lack of evidence on how to provide the best care for patients with advanced dementia who are terminally ill. This week a group of leading health charities wrote to the prime minister urging him to make this a priority as part of his "dementia challenge". I have been to see a new approach to looking after people with severe dementia that's on trial in several care homes in south London. The programme is called Namaste, in this case meaning "to honour the spirit within". It has been developed for care home residents with severe dementia who can no longer speak up for themselves. They may be immobile, and prone to infections. They often have difficulty swallowing, and may suffer from pain. At many homes they may be confined to their rooms or placed for hours in front of the TV. At Park Avenue care home in Bromley in Kent staff introduced the Namaste programme last summer.

[B]Sooth the senses[/B]
This approach - developed in the United States - soothes the senses, using sound, touch, smell and taste. These are all familiar techniques, but here they are brought together every day in a dedicated communal space. The residents with advanced dementia are gathered in a Namaste room, where they are greeted and groomed, massaged and stroked. Staff offer sweet treats to help keep their mouths moist, or discuss favourite old photos, against a gentle soundtrack of birdsong from a CD.....[B]Read more here: [URL="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-17912276"]BBC News - Severe dementia care: Homes try new approach [/URL]
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[5corpio]

Re: Debt with Disability News Articles

[CENTER][B]Carers 'Suffer Health And Career Problems'[/B]
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[B]Thousands of unpaid carers are suffering health and work problems as they struggle to look after sick or disabled relatives without support, a charity says.[/B]

Nearly 60% of those polled by the [B]Carers Trust[/B] said the strain of looking after a loved one had affected their mental health while the same amount said it had harmed their working career. Anne Roberts, chief executive of the charity, which works to improve services and support for unpaid carers, said: "As this survey shows, many unpaid carers have never accessed any [B]support services[/B] to help them in their caring role....[B]Read more here[/B] [B][URL="http://news.sky.com/home/uk-news/article/16223848"]Carers Suffer Health And Work Problems As They Look After Sick, Disabled[/URL]

[/B][CENTER][B]Social care reform: No half-measures, campaigners urge[/B]
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There must be no half-measures on the reform of social care, campaigners and council chiefs are warning, amid signs ministers are getting cold feet. Eighty-five groups, including the Local Government Association and leading charities, have made the plea in a letter to David Cameron. It says that without radical change the elderly and disabled will be left living in "misery and fear". The letter comes at a critical time in the reform process in England. A White Paper setting out new plans, including how to fund care in the future, was expected to be published by Easter. Ministers are now promising it will be released by the summer. But fears are growing that even if the plans are set out in the coming weeks, they will fall short of the radical reform originally promised.

Behind the scenes officials are already talking about not addressing the trickiest question - paying for care - until the next parliament.....[B]Read more here---: [URL="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-17955556"]Social care reform: No half-measures, campaigners urge[/URL][/B]

[5corpio]

Re: Debt with Disability News Articles

[B]Middle class pensioners should not expect help with care home bills, says think tank[/B]

[LEFT][COLOR=#000000][SIZE=2]The middle classes should not expect help with care home bills, two right-leaning pressure groups said yesterday. [/SIZE][SIZE=2]The poor and vulnerable should come at the front of the queue for state assistance, according to the Centre for Social Justice. The think tank, which was set up by former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith, said: ‘The Government must get its priorities right.’[/SIZE][SIZE=2]Its report said the care system ‘treated very many very badly: the quality of care provided is of too low a standard’.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=2]The think tank insisted that ministers should pause before adopting a report by economist Andrew Dilnot that would spare thousands of older people from the need to sell their homes to pay care home bills. He said the means test threshold should be raised to £100,000 from £23,000. There would also be cap on individual payments.....[B]Read more here--: [URL="http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/news/article-2141690/Middle-class-pensioners-expect-help-care-home-bills-says-think-tank.html"]Middle class pensioners should not expect help with care home bills, says think tank [/URL][/B][/SIZE]
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