Source · Select Committees · Work and Pensions Committee
Recommendation 23
23
Not Addressed
Paragraph: 104
We heard that PIP assessments can be particularly challenging for young people.
Recommendation
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 given light-touch, paper-based assessments until they are 18. DWP should also ensure that in the development of an equivalent of severe conditions criteria for PIP, consideration is given to those moving from DLA, to ensure that young people whose conditions are unlikely to improve do not have to undergo repeated assessments when they move to PIP.
Government Response Summary
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 assessments for under 18s and DWP ensuring consideration is given to those moving from DLA, to ensure that young people whose conditions are unlikely to improve do not have to undergo repeated assessments when they move to PIP.
Paragraph Reference:
104
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government
Not Addressed
Health assessments for benefits 17 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) Thorough evaluation through tests and trials is vital in ensuring that any improvements the Department makes—including proposals set out in the White Paper—are rolled out based on robust evidence of what works. For instance, as outlined in the response to recommendation 7, evidence from the Health Assessment Channel Trial will inform how the Department’s multi-channelled service capability can be optimised, including whether claimants will be able to choose their preferred assessment channel. In the response to recommendation 15, the Department also outlines its progress on plans to test the Severe Disability Group, working with specialist health professionals to draw up a set of draft criteria which were shared with several charities, whose feedback was used to further develop the criteria. Other recent/ongoing developments outlined in other recommendation responses include the publication, on 8 June, of the first set of UC WCA statistics; and the Department’s commitment to review guidance and training for health professionals on the use of evidence from carers and family members, which will be accompanied by work with the assessment providers to address any compliance issues. The Department has begun to test the feasibility of sharing assessment reports with people by default rather than on request. As outlined in its response to recommendation 20, it is also exploring the recording of assessments as part of its work to develop a new Health Assessment Service, including looking at how audio recording can also be offered for video assessments. The Department will be seeking ways to improve the whole process, including helping claimants to better understand that the opt-in option for audio recording is already available.