Recommendations & Conclusions
10 items
4
Conclusion
Fifth Report - Health assessments for b…
Accepted
We are deeply concerned to hear that nearly five years after our predecessor’s Report, people are still experiencing distress as a result of undergoing health assessments. In particular, our survey respondents spoke of the stress, anxiety and in some cases severe mental health impacts of the assessment process. That we …
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We are deeply concerned to hear that nearly five years after our predecessor’s Report, people are still experiencing distress as a result of undergoing health assessments. In particular, our survey respondents spoke of the stress, anxiety and in some cases severe mental health impacts of the assessment process. That we are still hearing accounts of poor accessibility, factual inaccuracy, delays, and communication problems speaks to a system that is still not adequately supporting often vulnerable people. Accurate data is vital to addressing the serious impacts of assessments on claimants that this inquiry and other research have exposed. Prior to any changes to the health assessment process, including the abolition of the Work Capability Assessment, an external assessment should be undertaken on the potential physical and mental health effects of these changes on affected claimants.
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Government response AI summary
The Department acknowledges its responsibility to support vulnerable claimants and details existing training programs and support roles, as well as unexpected findings processes, to address the potential mental and physical health effects of assessments.
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Department for Work and Pensions
6
Recommendation
Fifth Report - Health assessments for b…
Accepted
We note the Department has made changes to improve training for health professionals around mental health and safeguarding, and process changes, and also improved training for call handlers. Staff and contractors involved in any DWP health assessment process should undertake claimant safeguarding and suicide prevention training.
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We note the Department has made changes to improve training for health professionals around mental health and safeguarding, and process changes, and also improved training for call handlers. Staff and contractors involved in any DWP health assessment process should undertake claimant safeguarding and suicide prevention training.
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Government response AI summary
The government stated that all staff working with claimants undertake comprehensive training to support vulnerable claimants, including those at risk of suicide or self-harm, and that assessment providers deliver suicide awareness and prevention training to all their staff.
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Department for Work and Pensions
9
Recommendation
Fifth Report - Health assessments for b…
Accepted
The application and assessment process can be very stressful for claimants, and unacceptable delays are exacerbating these problems. We recognise that waiting times have begun to fall but are concerned that with increasing demand this could be a recurring problem. We recommend that the new contracts for assessment providers contain …
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The application and assessment process can be very stressful for claimants, and unacceptable delays are exacerbating these problems. We recognise that waiting times have begun to fall but are concerned that with increasing demand this could be a recurring problem. We recommend that the new contracts for assessment providers contain explicit clearance time targets with appropriate sanctions where these are missed.
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Government response AI summary
The new Functional Assessment Service contracts include specific end-to-end clearance targets for PIP, WCA, and Special Rules for End of Life, with financial sanctions for repeated failures.
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Department for Work and Pensions
11
Recommendation
Fifth Report - Health assessments for b…
Accepted
The process of issuing a UC50 form should be automatic, and claimants should not have to remind the Department to send it to them. DWP should investigate the process for issuing UC50 forms urgently and confirm in its response to this Report what steps it is taking to fix any …
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The process of issuing a UC50 form should be automatic, and claimants should not have to remind the Department to send it to them. DWP should investigate the process for issuing UC50 forms urgently and confirm in its response to this Report what steps it is taking to fix any points of failure identified to improve the process while the Work Capability Assessment and UC50 forms remain in use.
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Government response AI summary
The government stated it is already working collaboratively with welfare rights organisations to identify potential points of failure in the process of issuing UC50 forms and has identified some improvements to be delivered by the end of 2023.
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Department for Work and Pensions
15
Conclusion
Fifth Report - Health assessments for b…
Accepted
Just as a one-size-fits-all approach does not work for assessments, the same is true for applications and contact channels. We welcome progress towards better online provision, but digital does not work for everyone and people’s independence should not be compromised by poor accessibility. As the Department moves towards a single …
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Just as a one-size-fits-all approach does not work for assessments, the same is true for applications and contact channels. We welcome progress towards better online provision, but digital does not work for everyone and people’s independence should not be compromised by poor accessibility. As the Department moves towards a single digital platform for health benefits, it must ensure the system is accessible to everyone, and that alternative formats and channels are easily available to those that need them, and maintained and updated in the long-term alongside the digital platform.
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Government response AI summary
The Department is transforming the entire PIP service and will make improvements to existing ways to claim and create a new digital PIP service, giving claimants the option to apply online, while also continuing to offer a telephony service and paper-based forms.
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Department for Work and Pensions
19
Recommendation
Fifth Report - Health assessments for b…
Accepted
DWP has introduced changes to the Mandatory Reconsideration process that it says make it a more effective check on decision-making. A worryingly high number and proportion of appeals still result in the Department’s decision being overturned, with implications for wider trust in the system beyond those directly affected. The Department …
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DWP has introduced changes to the Mandatory Reconsideration process that it says make it a more effective check on decision-making. A worryingly high number and proportion of appeals still result in the Department’s decision being overturned, with implications for wider trust in the system beyond those directly affected. The Department does not provide any data on Mandatory Reconsideration decisions for UC WCAs. Without this, we cannot know whether Mandatory Reconsideration is functioning effectively for one of the largest groups of claimants that rely on it. We recognise the Government has announced it intends to scrap WCAs, but they will remain in use for several years. When the Government begins to publish data on UC WCAs from June 2023, it must also include data on Mandatory Reconsiderations. DWP should also work with HM Courts and Tribunal Service to ensure it has an accurate understanding of the scale of disability-related UC Tribunals as part of the wider Tribunal Service caseload.
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Government response AI summary
The Department will publish the first set of UC WCA statistics, covering April 2019 to March 2023, on 8 June 2023, with future releases including data on Mandatory Reconsiderations.
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Department for Work and Pensions
24
Recommendation
Fifth Report - Health assessments for b…
Accepted
We are reassured to hear that the process for claiming Attendance Allowance seems to broadly be working well. However, we were concerned about the challenges around take-up, which reflect those around Pension Credit. We recommend DWP develop targeted interventions to improve awareness of Attendance Allowance, working closely with organisations that …
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We are reassured to hear that the process for claiming Attendance Allowance seems to broadly be working well. However, we were concerned about the challenges around take-up, which reflect those around Pension Credit. We recommend DWP develop targeted interventions to improve awareness of Attendance Allowance, working closely with organisations that could reach people who may be eligible. The Department’s work on support and advocacy as part of the Health Transformation Programme should also specifically consider tailored support for Attendance Allowance applicants.
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Government response AI summary
The Department states information on Attendance Allowance is already widely available, and they are introducing a digital claim journey as part of wider Service Modernisation plans.
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Department for Work and Pensions
27
Recommendation
Fifth Report - Health assessments for b…
Accepted
We recommend that the Government evaluate the performance of the Health Transformation Programme within the current Health Transformation Areas, and publish its findings, before further rollout, akin to the Scottish Government’s evaluation of the Adult Disability Payment. (Paragraph 116) Health assessments for benefits 93
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We recommend that the Government evaluate the performance of the Health Transformation Programme within the current Health Transformation Areas, and publish its findings, before further rollout, akin to the Scottish Government’s evaluation of the Adult Disability Payment. (Paragraph 116) Health assessments for benefits 93
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Government response AI summary
The Department has published an evaluation strategy for the Health Transformation Programme on the 25 May 2023, and commits to publishing information about the programme’s performance and evaluation at points when the service is suitably developed and robust.
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Department for Work and Pensions
28
Recommendation
Fifth Report - Health assessments for b…
Accepted
The Scottish Government is attempting to take a different approach to disability assessment. Its Adult Disability Payment (ADP) is likely to prove a good test of whether problems with Personal Independence Payment are in its policy framework, or its implementation. We are encouraged by its plans to evaluate fully the …
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The Scottish Government is attempting to take a different approach to disability assessment. Its Adult Disability Payment (ADP) is likely to prove a good test of whether problems with Personal Independence Payment are in its policy framework, or its implementation. We are encouraged by its plans to evaluate fully the ADP pilot, and in particular plans to engage with disabled people as part of the evaluation. We recommend DWP take a similar approach in evaluating its Health Transformation Programme measures. Furthermore, when the Scottish Government publishes its planned evaluation, DWP should learn from the results and consider what changes, if any, it should make to its benefit assessments.
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Government response AI summary
The Department agrees and has published an evaluation strategy for the Health Transformation Programme which will use a combination of impact and process evaluation to assess current and future performance, with metrics used to monitor progress and inform decision-making.
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Department for Work and Pensions
29
Recommendation
Fifth Report - Health assessments for b…
Accepted
The Department has made, and continues to make, reforms to improve PIP assessment and WCA processes. But the pace of change has been extremely slow. The plans to scrap WCAs are significant and will require further scrutiny in the months and years to come. In the meantime, too many people …
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The Department has made, and continues to make, reforms to improve PIP assessment and WCA processes. But the pace of change has been extremely slow. The plans to scrap WCAs are significant and will require further scrutiny in the months and years to come. In the meantime, too many people claiming disability and health-related benefits, even those not directly affected by poor decision- making, continue to view the processes with great trepidation, and for a minority the experience of assessment can be devastating. The continuing high overturn rates at appeal suggest fundamental flaws in the assessment system. We recommend that while it develops its long-term plans to remove WCAs, DWP accelerates improvements to health assessments in the short-term. We have suggested some areas for change in this Report to start that process—recording of assessments and sharing reports to increase transparency are key, and these should be implemented without delay. (Paragraph 125) 94 Health assessments for benefits
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Government response AI summary
The Department has made progress with its plans to test the Severe Disability Group, so that the relevant claimants can benefit from a simplified process.
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Department for Work and Pensions