Health assessments for benefits

Work and Pensions Committee Closed Inquiry
Opened: 27 Sep 2021 Closed: 7 Aug 2023 Parliament page
The Committee investigated the assessment processes for health-related benefits. These include Personal Independence Payment (PIP), Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), Disability Living Allowance (DLA), Attendance Allowance and Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit. The Committee is focusing on how the Department for Work and Pensions can improve the application and assessment processes … Read more
25 Recommendations
4 Conclusions
2 Reports
9 Oral sessions
3 Letters
9 Events
Activity timeline 24 events
12 Jul
2023
Correspondence
26 Jun
2023
Report published
14 Apr
2023
Report published
14 Apr
2023
Report published
7 Sep
2022
Correspondence
7 Sep
2022
Correspondence
20 Jul
2022
Oral evidence
20 Jul
2022
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 8, Palace of Westminster
29 Jun
2022
Oral evidence
29 Jun
2022
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 6, Palace of Westminster
22 Jun
2022
Oral evidence
22 Jun
2022
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 6, Palace of Westminster
Oral evidence sessions 9 sessions
20 Jul 2022
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Work and Pensions Committee
Chloe Smith MP · Cabinet Office Gill Holmes · Department for Work and Pensions Katie Farrington · Department for Work and Pensions
29 Jun 2022
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Work and Pensions Committee
Ben Macpherson MSP · Scottish Government Matthew Duff · Scottish Government Peter Schofield · Department for Work and Pensions Professor Paul Knight OBE · Social Security Scotland Rt Hon Dr Thérèse Coffey · Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
22 Jun 2022
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Work and Pensions Committee
Dr Ben Baumberg Geiger · University of Kent Professor Ben Barr · University of Liverpool
25 May 2022
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Work and Pensions Committee
Antony King · Capita Dr Barrie McKillop · Independent Assessment Services Dr Paul Williams · Maximus Emma-Jane Bannister · Maximus Laura Erskine · Capita Stuart Paterson · Independent Assessment Services Suzie Frew · Maximus
11 May 2022
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Work and Pensions Committee
Aaron Dryden · Carers UK Caroline Selman · Public Law Project Daphne Hall · National Association of Welfare Rights Advisers (NAWRA) Dr Kieran Sharrock · British Medical Association (BMA) Hannah Nicholls-Harrison · Disability Benefits Consortium Mark Jackson · Marie Curie Minesh Patel · Mind
30 Mar 2022
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Work and Pensions Committee
Andy Pike · The Royal British Legion Caroline Cooke · Forces in Mind Trust Philip Martin · University of Salford/Sanctions, Support and Service Leavers
16 Mar 2022
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Work and Pensions Committee
Catherine Hale · Chronic Illness Inclusion Project Jane Hunt · Association of Disabled Professionals Jasmine Wyeth · Rethink Mental Illness Patricia Vespucio · GIPSIL Sarah Rawlings · MS Society Tracey Lazard · Inclusion London
12 Jan 2022
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Work and Pensions Committee
Charles Smith · Citizens Advice Evan John · Sense Hannah Nicholls-Harrison · Mencap Helen Wild · Down’s Syndrome Association Joanne Gordon · Asbestos Victims Support Groups’ Forum UK Louise Rubin · Scope Marc Francis · Zacchaeus 2000 Trust (Z2K) Morgan Vine · Independent Age Sophie Corlett · Mind
1 Dec 2021
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Work and Pensions Committee
Dr Paul Litchfield CBE · Department for Work and Pensions Paul Gray CB · Department for Work and Pensions
Title HC No. Published Items Response
Easy Read - Health assessments for benefits: summary HC 128 14 Apr 2023 0
Fifth Report - Health assessments for benefits HC 128 14 Apr 2023 29 Responded
Recommendations & Conclusions
6 results
Clear
2 Recommendation Acknowledged
Fifth Report - Health assessments …
For most people, disability and health-related benefit assessments go smoothly.
For most people, disability and health-related benefit assessments go smoothly. But in a sizable minority of cases, things continue to go very wrong. This has implications for claimant trust in the systems that extend beyond those directly affected by poor … Read more
Government Response
The Department highlights ongoing initiatives, tests, and the Health Transformation Programme aimed at improving the claimant experience, building trust, and modernizing benefit services, without committing to specific new actions in response to the report's recommendations.
Department for Work and Pensions
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16 Conclusion Acknowledged
Fifth Report - Health assessments …
We welcome efforts to reduce unnecessary reassessments for people whose conditions or needs are unlikely...
We welcome efforts to reduce unnecessary reassessments for people whose conditions or needs are unlikely to change. However, ESA/UC and PIP are different benefits with different purposes, and this must be reflected in any criteria for reassessment. The Department should … Read more
Government Response
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.
Department for Work and Pensions
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17 Recommendation Acknowledged
Fifth Report - Health assessments …
DWP provides assessors with guidance on issues including evidence use, contributions of family members and...
DWP provides assessors with guidance on issues including evidence use, contributions of family members and carers, and informal observations which, if correctly followed, would address many of the concerns raised in this area. The accounts we have heard in this … Read more
Government Response
The government describes Mandatory Reconsideration as a valuable process and is undertaking a number of small-scale internal learning exercises to better understand what it can learn from the disputes stage. This work is still in very early development.
Department for Work and Pensions
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18 Recommendation Acknowledged
Fifth Report - Health assessments …
We welcome the plans outlined in the Government’s Health and Disability White Paper to test...
We welcome the plans outlined in the Government’s Health and Disability White Paper to test specialist assessors and to address the challenges of assessing fluctuating conditions. But we were disappointed that there do not appear to be wider plans to … Read more
Government Response
The Department states that the PIP assessment criteria were developed with independent specialists, focus on needs arising from a comprehensive range of conditions, and consider an individual’s ability over a 12-month period, and they will test the introduction of a new Health Impact Record.
Department for Work and Pensions
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22 Recommendation Acknowledged
Fifth Report - Health assessments …
When recordings are available, in cases where the findings of assessments are overturned on MR...
When recordings are available, in cases where the findings of assessments are overturned on MR or appeal, the recordings of the original assessment should be checked at least on a sampled basis, to establish whether the erroneous assessment outcome should … Read more
Government Response
The Department is committed to ensuring individuals receive high-quality assessments as part of the evidence used to decide benefit entitlement and continually looks to improve the efficacy of the assessment process by working closely with providers.
Department for Work and Pensions
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26 Recommendation Acknowledged
Fifth Report - Health assessments …
We welcome the opportunity the Health Transformation Programme presents to improve data sharing and reduce...
We welcome the opportunity the Health Transformation Programme presents to improve data sharing and reduce the frequency with which claimants have to submit the same information. We recommend that as well as accessing medical information, the single digital platform should … Read more
Government Response
The Department recognises the benefit of reviewing and reusing previous evidence and is currently exploring how reusing previous evidence can provide a potential opportunity to reduce the burden on claimants.
Department for Work and Pensions
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Government Response AI assessment · 29 of 25 classified
Accepted 10
Accepted in Part 1
Acknowledged 6
Deferred 2
Not Addressed 7
Rejected 3
Total 25 recs + 4 conclusions
Correspondence 3 letters
12 Jul 2023 Correspondence with the Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work relating to the Government's Response to the Health assessments for benefits report
Parliament page
7 Sep 2022 Correspondence from the Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work following oral evidence for the health assessments for benefits inquiry
Parliament page
7 Sep 2022 Correspondence from Social Security Scotland in connection with the health assessments for benefits inquiry
Parliament page