Assessors allegedly working for Capita have given a string of 1 star reviews for the company on the Indeed website, slamming long hours and unpredictable audits. Some warned of a lack of care or compassion for claimants, but one former assessor calls claimants “aggressive liars” and “supposed invalids” whilst another claimed that they had been “physical and verbally abused” and had a claimant “stork” them.
The reviews all appear on the Indeed website and we have no way of knowing whether they are all from genuine current or former employees of Capita. But they go all the way from the present back to 2014 and it would be very surprising if Capita had not taken action long ago if they believed they were bogus.
Dissatisfaction with Capita clearly goes back years and it seems that a switch to telephone interviews since the pandemic began has done nothing to improve matters.
A former assessor from Belfast gave 1 star out of 5 in August 2020 and said:
“They are desperate! Can't keep staff. Micromanaged! Daily time sheets breaking down what you did every half hour of your working day to justify every minute. . . If not meeting their targets in 6 months...sacked. I stuck it a year . . . Treated like school kids not health professionals.”
A current assessor from Leicester also gave 1 star out of 5 in July 2020 and said:
“Be prepared for 16 hour days, training is good but after support could improve a lot. You are thrown in after.”
Yet another 1 star review came from a former assessor from West Midlands in May 2020 who said:
“14 hour days but only paid for 7.5.
None clinical managers who have no idea what the job entails .
Do not leave your current nursing job .”
There was the occasional positive review, such as this 5 star one in March from a current employee in Birmingham:
“Competitive pay and great philosophy they take car [sic]of their staff and listen to our needs and concerns
Their values are well known throughout the business and regular training is provided”
But also in March, another former employee warned in a 1 star review:
“Please do not leave a NHS post to join Capita as a Disability Assessor - it’s a job that will completely take over your life. All cases are audited and virtually impossible to pass. There’s a very silly rule about getting five grade A reports in a row to get approved. This is a very difficult thing to achieve as audit will tell you amend cases for things such as not typing a word correctly.”
Another former employee from Derry, said in a 1 star review in February:
“The pay is inviting and even the training..although tough is doable. However the job is horrendous. All your work is put through a rigorous audit..and each auditor has different opinions on your work..so you do something one way one time and it's right.. next time you do it you're told you're wrong.”
A current assessor in Wales gave a more generous two stars, but was as damning as their colleagues:
“Most DAs work in excess of 50 hours per week in the first six months. All work is audited and this can be frustrating when assessments are returned and amendments that you don't agree with are made in your name. Very high staff turnover and nothing like the interview promises. Pressured and fast pace with 12hours work for every 8 hour shift.”
A lack of compassion and empathy for claimants was raised by some reviewers.
For example, a former employee from Cardiff gave Capita 2 stars in October 2019 and claimed:
“This is a great job for a single person with no life! The working hours are unreasonably long, the management are not supportive in the least and as for the care and compassion you have as a nurse - forget it! The whole job is productivity led with little thought or respect for claimants or those assessing.”
In a 1 star review from August 2019 a former assessor from the East Midlands wrote:
“Had to work extra hour's on day's off to keep up with the amount of work they gave you. They had no empathy for people who had a disability, they push more and more onto you. Very very stressful”
And In January 2019, a former assessor from Wales gave 1 star and warned:
“I cannot stress enough to anyone even contemplating this role DONT DO IT!!!! It is the most soul destroying, repetitive, depressing and miserable existence. . . There is so much pressure to get a report done, you and it are just a number and any care for yourself or the claimant will be overlooked as your forced to send off reports you disagree with but your name will be on it!”
Most of those posting reviews reserved their criticism for the company, but there were those who attacked claimants as well. A former assessor from Wrexham gave 1 star and said in October 2019:
“If you don’t mind being physically & verbally abused or have the claimants stork [sic] you, then apply.
No work life balance. Contracted 3 days a week but work 60+ hours with no extra pay. Management have no managerial skills. They couldn’t careless about your safety as long as they hit their targets.”
A (thankfully) former assessor from Ballymena gave Capita 3 stars in May 2019 but clearly hated claimants with a passion:
“. . . nearly everyone lies though their teeth to you and is clearly obvious . . . 90% will be blatant, ill-informed liars who attempt to emotionally blackmail you - as a AHP, this is so, so obvious - not least when you meet these supposed 'invalids' playing tennis at a local club or out for a days' shopping . . . you have to tolerate an hour of a person's lying and aggression . . . Clients are >90% verifiable, clinically and medically inconsistent, aggressive liars who will ensure you are complained against for telling the truth, so they get an extra £10 a week.”
There are very few reviews by Atos assessors on Indeed and whilst the role is called “Awful”, “Dull” and a “chain gang”, the level of pay is stressed by the majority of posters:
“Excellent pay”, “Wages good”, “Money is really good & that's often the only reason people stay”, “This is very well paid job for what it is.” are the kind of comments that appear in the reviews.
Which perhaps explains why so few Atos assessors complain about their job, at least on Indeed.
You can read the Atos reviews, and many more Capita reviews on the Indeed website.
