Recommendations & Conclusions
7 items
1
Conclusion
Fifth Report - Health assessments for b…
Not Addressed
We welcome the changes to the process for accessing benefits via the special rules for terminal illness, specifically replacing the six month rule with 12 months.
Government response. The government's response discusses Internal Process Reviews (IPRs), when they are conducted, and how feedback is supplied to providers following the outcomes of IPRs.
Department for Work and Pensions
5
Recommendation
Fifth Report - Health assessments for b…
Not Addressed
In response to this Report, we ask the Government to outline the methodology used to determine when Internal Process Reviews are carried out, and how it has improved its collection of data on deaths and serious harms since the NAO report on Information held by the Department for Work & …
Government response. The government responds by stating that the Department's assessments are not comparable to clinical assessments and that it routinely carries out evaluations of policy changes. It claims it would be extremely difficult to objectively separate the impact of the process …
Department for Work and Pensions
7
Recommendation
Fifth Report - Health assessments for b…
Not Addressed
Following our predecessor’s 2018 Report, the Government commissioned research into the impacts of health assessment questionnaires and is now feeding that learning into its policy development. We have also heard important insight from academics on the mental health impacts of assessments, but studies have been sporadic and rely on the …
Government response. The government's response focuses on the balance between providing sufficient time for claimants to return evidence and ensuring timely awards, particularly regarding the ESA50, UC50, and PIP2 forms; however, it does not commit to undertaking regular reviews of the mental …
Department for Work and Pensions
12
Recommendation
Fifth Report - Health assessments for b…
Not Addressed
Giving people sufficient time to gather relevant evidence for their claim could reduce the stress involved for claimants and improve the quality of information available to the assessment provider. In turn this could lead to better initial decisions and reduce the number of Mandatory Reconsiderations due to either unreturned forms, …
Government response. The response discusses draft criteria focusing on claimants with severely disabling, lifelong conditions, reviews of guidance, covert surveillance, and informal observations, but does not address the recommendation to extend the deadline for returning forms.
Department for Work and Pensions
14
Recommendation
Fifth Report - Health assessments for b…
Not Addressed
We welcome that DWP has made some improvements so that the assessments process is more accessible. However, we heard that these changes “are quite ad hoc and reactive”. In response to this Report, the Government should set out how many legal challenges it has faced relating to failure to make …
Government response. The Department states that the requested information is not stored in a way that would allow them to provide accurate figures on legal challenges relating to failure to make reasonable adjustments for health assessments.
Department for Work and Pensions
20
Recommendation
Fifth Report - Health assessments for b…
Not Addressed
DWP has not conducted any research on reasons for its losses at Tribunal since 2012—before either PIP or Mandatory Reconsideration were introduced. We recommend DWP commission and publish research focusing on the costs and effectiveness of Mandatory Reconsideration, as well as practical recommendations for learning from Tribunal, and options for …
Government response. The government's response discusses the differences between DLA and PIP assessments and plans for the Severe Disability Group, but does not address the recommendation to commission and publish research on the costs and effectiveness of Mandatory Reconsideration.
Department for Work and Pensions
23
Recommendation
Fifth Report - Health assessments for b…
Not Addressed
We heard that PIP assessments can be particularly challenging for young people. We recommend that young people in receipt of Disability Living Allowance should not be required to claim PIP until they are 18, as is the case in Scotland. Where under 18s decide to claim PIP, they should be …
Government response. The government response focuses on testing plans for the Severe Disability Group, feedback used to develop criteria, publishing UC WCA statistics, reviewing guidance for health professionals, testing sharing assessment reports, and exploring recording assessments; it does not address light-touch, paper-based …
Department for Work and Pensions