Disability New Service: Isle of Man set to scrap its ‘fitness for work’ test

https://www.disabilitynewsservice.com/isle-of-man-set-to-scrap-its-fitness-for-work-test/

 

Article in IOM today from end of March:

"He said there would be extra staffing for the new system, which would include a GP supported by an occupational health psychologist and a physiotherapist. Mr Cannan said the existing doctor’s sick note would be changed - with appropriate training for GPs - to encourage patients to ’focus on the pathway back to work’."

http://www.iomtoday.co.im/article.c...to+be+scrapped&sectionIs=news&searchyear=2018

 

That can be read two ways and still be true. How do they know that the claimants who stopped claiming weren't the most ill who had to stop claiming due to Atos Healthcare's abuse of the system?

That still sounds sinister, and patronizing. Why do they assume that patients need encouragement to focus on the pathway back to work? Maybe the patient is already desperately wishing they could get better and back to work and doesn't need any further encouragement on that score?

The appropriate training for GPs would be to just concentrate on patients' health and write honest health assessments free of political interference. If, after that, politicians want to say "well we just don't want to pay for that many sick people so some of them are going to have to die" then they should stand alone when they say that, not try to pass the buck to GPs with "appropriate training". Hopefully some GPs who see these patients every day will feel able to call the "appropriate training" out for what it is.

 

Sounds like enforced treatment. So, presumably, if treatment is not helping or making you worse, but you aren't believed then that's too bad.

Where's the redress for patients who are harmed by inappropriate treatments?

 

the same political sound bites but no real changes in attitude. Victorian values of who the deserving sick/poor are still abound so the name of the abuse will change and the abused will be to poor to get honest legal redress.a couple of years ago in England a parliamentary review found atos and the all work capacity test unfit for purpose has there been any real improvements in my experience no.