Recommendations & Conclusions
9 items
3
Recommendation
Third Report - Revising health assessme…
Rejected
The Department’s approach to monitoring the Programme’s progress and performance has so far focused on process and not on the transformation of the service for benefit claimants. The Department has not yet completed the work needed to define how it will track progress with its test-and-learn activity. The Department published …
Government response. The government disagreed with the recommendation to publish outcome indicators in the new business case and annual reports, stating the program is too early-stage and they will refine their approach as it matures.
HM Treasury
6
Conclusion
Third Report - Revising health assessme…
Rejected
The Department has not worked out how it will manage the inevitable differences between claims made and processed in its new test areas and in areas using the current service. A key objective of the Programme is to help the Department make the benefit decision ‘right the first time more …
Government response. The government disagreed with the recommendation to monitor and publish specific data points for transformation areas, stating they already publish HTP MI and PIP Official Statistics. They will consider including equivalent measures in future HTP publications once the service is …
HM Treasury
11
Recommendation
Third Report - Revising health assessme…
Rejected
The Department has started to process applications from claimants living in specific postcodes in London and Birmingham through the health transformation. The Department acknowledged that the two health transformation areas alone will not provide it with a representative sample of claimants and that it will need a wider range of …
Government response. The government explicitly disagrees with the committee's recommendation regarding the need for a wider range of claimants in testing. It notes it publishes HTP management information quarterly and will look to include overturn rates in future publications.
HM Treasury
13
Recommendation
Third Report - Revising health assessme…
Rejected
In May 2023, the Department published the evaluation strategy for the Programme.24 The evaluation strategy includes nine key performance indicators, which focus more on the performance of the service the Department is building rather than the outcomes for claimants. The NAO found that the Department was still working out what …
Government response. The government disagrees with the recommendation, stating the program is in early stages and they will refine their performance measurement approach as it matures, including defining outcome indicators. They are already publishing quarterly management information and will evolve it to …
HM Treasury
14
Recommendation
Third Report - Revising health assessme…
Rejected
We also asked the Department how it would ensure that the performance indicators and metrics it used encapsulated the outcomes intended from the Programme, and linked outputs to these outcomes. The Department acknowledged that there was more that it can do to “link some of these input/output metrics with outcomes”. …
Government response. The government explicitly disagrees with the recommendation. It acknowledges the need for transparency and states it will refine its performance measurement approach as the programme matures, including defining and tracking outcome indicators, and will continue to publish management information quarterly.
HM Treasury
16
Conclusion
Third Report - Revising health assessme…
Rejected
We asked the Department about how it measured the quality of benefit decisions, why it did not publish more information on the performance of contractors given the potential impact of their decisions on the lives of claimants, and about difference in satisfaction levels between the Department and Social Security Scotland. …
Government response. The government explicitly disagrees with the committee's implied recommendation regarding publication of information on contractor performance. It states it has published the first of a new series of HTP MI, which will continue quarterly, and will keep under review what …
HM Treasury
24
Conclusion
Third Report - Revising health assessme…
Rejected
As part of the Programme, the Department wants to ensure that the new service provides “getting the decision right the first time more of the time”. It recognised this may mean it needs to spend “more time up front to get the decision right the first time”.47 When claimants are …
Government response. The government explicitly disagrees with the committee's implied recommendation regarding 'right first time' decisions and overturn rates. It states it has started publishing new HTP MI quarterly and already publishes overturn rates in PIP Official Statistics, and will look to …
HM Treasury
25
Conclusion
Third Report - Revising health assessme…
Rejected
We therefore asked the Department whether it was concerned that so many decisions were being overturned. The Department stressed that there was a degree of judgement involved in the health assessment process it used to determine eligibility for disability benefits, compared to, say, a mathematical formula, which could be used …
Government response. The government explicitly disagrees with the committee's implied recommendation regarding overturned decisions. It states it has started publishing new HTP MI quarterly and already publishes overturn rates in PIP Official Statistics, and will look to include equivalent measures in future …
HM Treasury
27
Conclusion
Third Report - Revising health assessme…
Rejected
The Department is running two distinct health assessment services, one processing most claims using its current approach and one which is testing how it might change its approach in the future. We asked the Department how it was ensuring that any issues with the pilot service were being picked up …
Government response. The government explicitly disagrees with the committee's implied recommendation, stating it has started publishing new HTP MI quarterly and will keep under review what data can be published. It does not address how it ensures consistency between distinct health assessment …
HM Treasury