Stuff that occurs to me

All of my 'how to' posts are tagged here. The most popular posts are about blocking and private accounts on Twitter, also the science communication jobs list. None of the science or medical information I might post to this blog should be taken as medical advice (I'm not medically trained).

Think of this blog as a sort of nursery for my half-baked ideas hence 'stuff that occurs to me'.

Contact: @JoBrodie Email: jo DOT brodie AT gmail DOT com

Science in London: The 2018/19 scientific society talks in London blog post

Friday 31 August 2012

.@mgtmccartney suggested I write to my MP to ask him to attend @tomgreatrexmp's Atos debate - I've done so

A couple of days ago I asked on Twitter what I might do to annoy Atos as I have been concerned by reports of their activities.


I Storified / blogged the suggestions that came in. One of them, from Margaret McCartney, was to write to my MP (Nick Raynsford) and ask him to attend Tom Greatrex's debate which is happening next week - this I've now done, using the fab WriteToThem.com system. Text below.
Dear Nick Raynsford,

I'm writing to ask that you attend the "Atos Healthcare and the work capability assessment" debate organised by MP Tom Greatrex which is taking place in the Commons' Westminster Hall from 11am until 12.30pm on Tuesday 4th September.

Over the last few weeks I have become increasingly concerned to learn that 1/3 of Atos' assessments have had to be overturned and am forming the impression that they are not able to perform these assessments correctly. Their actions appear (admittedly from newspaper reports and anecdotes, where can one get good data?) to be doing more to harm than help people with disabilities and I am frankly amazed that they are sponsoring the Paralympics.

My friend Margaret McCartney (a Glasgow GP who has written in the BMJ and Financial Times) has a blog and I agree entirely with her thoughts in this particular post (http://www.margaretmccartney.com/blog/?p=1530) which I've reproduced below (with her permission).*

The Paralympics and Atos
Posted on August 29, 2012 by margaretmccartney

Yours sincerely
Jo

*I included it in the email but have removed it here because everyone can click easily on it and read it on her blog.

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