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
7 results
Clear
1 Conclusion Not Addressed
Fifth Report - Health assessments …
We welcome the changes to the process for accessing benefits via the special rules for...
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
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5 Recommendation Not Addressed
Fifth Report - Health assessments …
In response to this Report, we ask the Government to outline the methodology used to...
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 … Read more
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 on mental health from other confounding factors.
Department for Work and Pensions
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7 Recommendation Not Addressed
Fifth Report - Health assessments …
Following our predecessor’s 2018 Report, the Government commissioned research into the impacts of health assessment...
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 … Read more
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 health impacts of its end-to-end process of health assessments or ensuring external researchers have access to good quality, anonymised data.
Department for Work and Pensions
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12 Recommendation Not Addressed
Fifth Report - Health assessments …
Giving people sufficient time to gather relevant evidence for their claim could reduce the stress...
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 … Read more
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
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14 Recommendation Not Addressed
Fifth Report - Health assessments …
We welcome that DWP has made some improvements so that the assessments process is more...
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 … Read more
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
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20 Recommendation Not Addressed
Fifth Report - Health assessments …
DWP has not conducted any research on reasons for its losses at Tribunal since 2012—before...
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 … Read more
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
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23 Recommendation Not Addressed
Fifth Report - Health assessments …
We heard that PIP assessments can be particularly challenging for young people.
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. … Read more
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 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.
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