In an urgent memo obtained by Benefits and Work,
the DWP have told staff that due to a growing backlog at Atos all
current employment and support allowance (ESA) claimants will be left on
the benefit, without further medical checks, until another company can
be found to do repeat work capability assessments (WCAs). The memo,
dated 20 January, goes on to say that this will reduce the number of
claimants moving off ESA, but that there are no plans to inform
claimants or MPs about the change.
Benefits
and Work obtained the memo from the DWP via a Freedom of Information
request. It is headed: ‘FOR URGENT CASCADE. Control of the Referral of
Repeat work Capability Assessments’.
The memo explains that back in July a ministerial statement announced that:
“in
the drive to continually improve the Work Capability Assessment process
and bring down waiting times for claimants, DWP had decided to seek
additional capacity to deliver Work Capability Assessments.
“We are working towards having new provision in place – it will of course take some time for that to become fully operational.”
However, the memo goes on to explain that:
“The
number of cases currently with Atos Healthcare has grown. A decision
has therefore been taken to control the referral of repeat work
capability assessments. Therefore, with effect from 20 January 2014,
further routine repeat assessments referrals to Atos will be deferred
until further notice.
“Controlling
the volume of repeat Work Capability Assessments should help us to
reduce delays for new claimants and those that have already been
referred.”
The
memo goes on to say that staff must still refer claimants for
reassessment where there has been a reported change in condition, giving
the example of a claimant placed in the Work Related Activity Group
whose condition worsens and who might be expected to move into the
Support Group.
Aside
from this, however, reassessment of existing claimants is to end until
further notice, with no new cases being referred to Atos from 20th January.
The
memo is keen to point out that the decision to stop repeat assessments
by Atos is not ‘linked to the quality issues outlined in July 2013’
which the DWP ‘has been working closely with Atos to resolve’. It also
reassures readers that the change will have no impact on Atos’ ability
to carry out personal independence payment assessments.
It
does, however, admit that the result of the change is that the number
of people coming off ESA each month will reduce because:
“the
Work Capability Assessment is the main trigger for off-flows from the
Employment and Support Allowance load. We will continue to assess the
potential for alternative interventions on those whose repeat Work
Capability Assessments are deferred to seek to manage this consequence.”
No details of what those ‘alternative interventions’ might be is given.
It
is clear, however, that the DWP is not keen for people to be aware of
the ever more disastrous state of medical assessments for benefits by
Atos. The memo explains that claimants who enquire about when their next
WCA will be, should only be told that:
“Although
the Department will periodically review a person’s Limited Capability
for Work, there is no set date for this to happen.
“The
timing of this review is at the discretion of the Decision Maker acting
on behalf of the Secretary of State and is influenced by the evidence
available to them, which can mean on occasion longer periods between
face to face assessments. “
In
addition, the memo explains that as this is simply an ‘operational
decision’ and not a ‘policy change’ there are no plans to notify
‘external stakeholders such as claimants, claimant representative
groups, Members of Parliament, etc.’
It
is hard to imagine that IDS and his fellow DWP ministers believed that
they could keep this further Atos-related failure secret for long: you
can’t stop reassessing thousands of claimants a week without anyone
noticing. If, however, they could have kept it secret at least until
they found a new company to take on the repeat assessments, it would
have been easier to explain away and not added to the ever mounting
pressure for a complete overhaul of the WCA.
“Yes, there was briefly a problem” IDS could have said “But we now have a new provider and it is no longer an issue.”
As
it is, this news is simply further proof that the WCA is not fit for
purpose, because as soon as the DWP attempts to impose proper quality
controls a massive backlog results. It is, we hope, another nail in the
coffin of a completely discredited system.
And,
for all those claimants with static or degenerative conditions who
continue to be forced to undergo repeat assessments, often followed by
repeat appeals, on an annual basis, the news will come as a welcome
respite.
Source: Benefits and Work
