Asked by: Judith Cummins (Labour - Bradford South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what input Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessors have on shaping the PIP assessment to ensure it is fit for purpose.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
Where there is sufficient available evidence, Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessments are carried out via a paper-based review (PBR), without the need for a formal consultation. Health Professionals (HPs) can also seek additional information from claimants, GPs or other supporting health professionals where this might help them complete a PBR, where it is appropriate to do so. Where a consultation is necessary, the PIP Assessment Guide (section 1.6) informs HPs to adapt their approach to the needs of the particular claimant, not take a prescriptive approach and ensure that claimants are able to put across the impact of their health condition or impairment in their own words.
Assessment providers are required to ensure that all HPs carrying out PIP assessments have training and knowledge of the clinical aspects and overall functional effects of a wide range of health conditions and impairments.
Asked by: Julian Sturdy (Conservative - York Outer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has made an assessment of the potential effect of non-medical staff performing assessments of Personal Independence Payment applicants on levels of accurate diagnoses.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
There are no non-medical staff conducting health assessments for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claimants. Health professionals (HPs) who conduct assessments include doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and paramedics, who we believe have the required skills set for this type of assessment.
It should be noted that the PIP assessment is not a medical assessment requiring the HP to diagnose a condition or its severity and recommend treatment options. Instead, it requires the HP to look at the impact of conditions and impairments on an individuals’ daily life and make a detailed functional assessment. This requires a very different skills set from those involved in the treatment of individuals, with less need for specialist knowledge.
After the assessment has been completed, DWP case managers take a holistic view of a claimant’s functional capability and obtain medical advice where necessary, to underpin their findings. Their decision takes into consideration all available evidence such as the claim form, any additional evidence the claimant has provided (e.g. from a carer), any further evidence that the assessment provider has obtained, and the report from the assessment provider.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Independent - Edmonton)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many complaints were (a) made about Personal Independence Payment medical assessments in each month from January 2018 to September 2022, (b) upheld and (c) subsequently escalated to the Ombudsman.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
The number of complaints received by Capita and Independent Assessment Services (IAS) relating to the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessment process, and the amount of those complaints which were upheld, are shown in the tables below.
The number of complaints received by the assessment providers during this period, equates to less than 1% of the total number of assessments undertaken.
2018
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
Rec’d | 840 | 940 | 810 | 790 | 880 | 780 | 810 | 830 | 710 | 810 | 800 | 610 |
Upheld | 160 | 130 | 190 | 140 | 120 | 140 | 150 | 160 | 170 | 120 | 150 | 150 |
2019
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
Rec’d | 880 | 780 | 860 | 710 | 760 | 720 | 870 | 770 | 720 | 900 | 790 | 560 |
Upheld | 130 | 190 | 160 | 200 | 180 | 150 | 190 | 180 | 160 | 160 | 180 | 160 |
2020
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
Rec’d | 610 | 630 | 560 | 360 | 280 | 290 | 280 | 250 | 270 | 320 | 300 | 260 |
Upheld | 140 | 110 | 130 | 90 | 90 | 60 | 60 | 40 | 50 | 60 | 50 | 70 |
2021
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
Rec’d | 300 | 390 | 410 | 390 | 340 | 350 | 320 | 280 | 300 | 270 | 290 | 230 |
Upheld | 80 | 90 | 150 | 120 | 110 | 110 | 90 | 90 | 100 | 100 | 70 | 90 |
2022
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep |
Rec’d | 270 | 270 | 280 | 220 | 260 | 290 | 250 | 290 | 280 |
Upheld | 70 | 80 | 80 | 60 | 90 | 80 | 120 | 90 | 100 |
Please note
All volumes have been rounded to the nearest 10.
All the above data is derived from contractual management information produced by the assessment providers and may have been derived from a different data set than previously published.
We are unable to provide details of how many of these complaints were subsequently escalated to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO). The PHSO usually only accept a complaint for investigation once it has exhausted the assessment providers complaint process, including the Independent Case Examiner (ICE). Although we cannot provide the number of complaints that are escalated to PHSO, I can confirm that they publish final decisions made on all accepted cases here.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Independent - Edmonton)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to her Answer of 21 June to Question 17850 on Personal Independence Payment: Tribunals, how much financial compensation her Department sought from assessment providers each year from 2010 to 2022; and for what reasons that compensation was sought.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
Details of the value of any financial compensation sought from assessment providers is commercially sensitive.
Provider performance is measured across a range of service level agreements, setting out the department's expectations for service delivery. These include quality, performance delivery targets and customer experience. Contractual remedies are in place if the provider fails to deliver against the agreed service standards. Service credits are applied, where appropriate, in order to recover estimated financial loss to the department.
These performance regimes are published within the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessment provider contracts, available on Contracts Finder - GOV.UK.
Asked by: Damien Moore (Conservative - Southport)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that accessibility requirements are fully taken into account when making a decision on the most appropriate Personal Independence Payment assessment method.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
It is important that all our claimants can access our services and that they do not face obstacles in applying and communicating with the department and its providers. The feasibility of a paper-based assessment will always be considered in the first instance for all cases. Where this is not possible the claimant will be invited to a telephone, video or face-to-face assessment. Before an invite to assessment is sent, consideration will be given to claimants who need a specific assessment channel due to their health condition or circumstances. In addition, before attending a face-to-face or telephone consultation, claimants are given the opportunity to alert their assessment provider of any additional requirements they may have, and the providers will meet any such reasonable requests.
Claimants identified as being vulnerable (e.g. having mental health or learning disabilities) can access additional support at any point in the claim or assessment process.
An audit criteria was introduced from 1 July 22 for Personal Independence Payment (PIP), which will ensure claimants are allocated to the most appropriate assessment channel for their needs and circumstances.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Independent - Edmonton)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to her Answer of 21 June to Question 17850 on Personal Independence Payment: Tribunals, what steps her Department has taken to improve the performance of Personal Independence Payment assessments by assessment providers since 2015.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) manages the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) contracts robustly, and has a full set of service level agreements setting out our expectations for service delivery. We ensure a high standard is maintained, having an independent audit function that continually monitors performance, and provides feedback to assessment providers. Quality performance is also regularly reviewed through DWP and provider senior governance meetings at a national level, and in each of the provider areas.
The contracts allow us to recover any financial loss caused by poor performance, and we have the right to terminate the contract if there is sustained underperformance.
We are committed to continuously improving the assessment service and have reiterated this in the Shaping Future Support: The Health and Disability Green Paper. During the Green Paper consultation period, we explored ways in which we could improve the current system of assessments, including by:
We are considering all the responses to the Green Paper proposals as we consider what future policy changes might look like, which we will set out in the White Paper later this year.
The department’s Health Transformation Programme (HTP) will deliver improvements to the health and disability benefits system, including proposals that stem from the Green Paper. Our ambition is to make the assessment process simpler, more user-friendly, easier to navigate and more joined-up for claimants, whilst delivering better value for money for taxpayers.
Providers also work continuously to drive improvements in assessment services. They have introduced new management processes to drive performance across their services, including new or enhanced systems of assessment report quality checks, to improve the quality of advice the department receives. In addition, PIP assessment reports have been redesigned to have clearer justifications which support improved benefit decision making.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Independent - Edmonton)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to her Answer of 21 June to Question 17850 on Personal Independence Payment: Tribunals, how her Department monitors the performance of assessment providers.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) manages the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) contracts robustly, and has a full set of service level agreements setting out our expectations for service delivery. We ensure a high standard is maintained, having an independent audit function that continually monitors performance, and provides feedback to assessment providers. Quality performance is also regularly reviewed through DWP and provider senior governance meetings at a national level, and in each of the provider areas.
The contracts allow us to recover any financial loss caused by poor performance, and we have the right to terminate the contract if there is sustained underperformance.
We are committed to continuously improving the assessment service and have reiterated this in the Shaping Future Support: The Health and Disability Green Paper. During the Green Paper consultation period, we explored ways in which we could improve the current system of assessments, including by:
We are considering all the responses to the Green Paper proposals as we consider what future policy changes might look like, which we will set out in the White Paper later this year.
The department’s Health Transformation Programme (HTP) will deliver improvements to the health and disability benefits system, including proposals that stem from the Green Paper. Our ambition is to make the assessment process simpler, more user-friendly, easier to navigate and more joined-up for claimants, whilst delivering better value for money for taxpayers.
Providers also work continuously to drive improvements in assessment services. They have introduced new management processes to drive performance across their services, including new or enhanced systems of assessment report quality checks, to improve the quality of advice the department receives. In addition, PIP assessment reports have been redesigned to have clearer justifications which support improved benefit decision making.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Independent - Edmonton)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to her Answer of 21 June to Question 17850 on Personal Independence Payment: Tribunals, what contract management processes are in place for assessment providers.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) manages the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) contracts robustly, and has a full set of service level agreements setting out our expectations for service delivery. We ensure a high standard is maintained, having an independent audit function that continually monitors performance, and provides feedback to assessment providers. Quality performance is also regularly reviewed through DWP and provider senior governance meetings at a national level, and in each of the provider areas.
The contracts allow us to recover any financial loss caused by poor performance, and we have the right to terminate the contract if there is sustained underperformance.
We are committed to continuously improving the assessment service and have reiterated this in the Shaping Future Support: The Health and Disability Green Paper. During the Green Paper consultation period, we explored ways in which we could improve the current system of assessments, including by:
We are considering all the responses to the Green Paper proposals as we consider what future policy changes might look like, which we will set out in the White Paper later this year.
The department’s Health Transformation Programme (HTP) will deliver improvements to the health and disability benefits system, including proposals that stem from the Green Paper. Our ambition is to make the assessment process simpler, more user-friendly, easier to navigate and more joined-up for claimants, whilst delivering better value for money for taxpayers.
Providers also work continuously to drive improvements in assessment services. They have introduced new management processes to drive performance across their services, including new or enhanced systems of assessment report quality checks, to improve the quality of advice the department receives. In addition, PIP assessment reports have been redesigned to have clearer justifications which support improved benefit decision making.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Independent - Edmonton)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to her Answer of 21 June to Question 17850 on Personal Independence Payment: Tribunals, under what contractual terms her Department can seek financial compensation from assessment providers.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
Details of the value of any financial compensation sought from assessment providers is commercially sensitive.
Provider performance is measured across a range of service level agreements, setting out the department's expectations for service delivery. These include quality, performance delivery targets and customer experience. Contractual remedies are in place if the provider fails to deliver against the agreed service standards. Service credits are applied, where appropriate, in order to recover estimated financial loss to the department.
These performance regimes are published within the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessment provider contracts, available on Contracts Finder - GOV.UK.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Independent - Edmonton)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to her Answer of 21 June to Question 17850 on Personal Independence Payment: Tribunals, if she will publish the comprehensive performance regime followed by assessment providers.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
Details of the value of any financial compensation sought from assessment providers is commercially sensitive.
Provider performance is measured across a range of service level agreements, setting out the department's expectations for service delivery. These include quality, performance delivery targets and customer experience. Contractual remedies are in place if the provider fails to deliver against the agreed service standards. Service credits are applied, where appropriate, in order to recover estimated financial loss to the department.
These performance regimes are published within the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessment provider contracts, available on Contracts Finder - GOV.UK.