Asked by: Vicky Foxcroft (Labour - Lewisham, Deptford)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Written Statement of 9 July 2020 on Health Transformation Programme update, what assessment her Department has made of their experience of delivering services during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Chloe Smith
In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Department made a number of changes to health and disability benefits to safeguard the health of claimants and staff and to prioritise new claims and continuity of awards. These changes included:
The electronic and online PIP2 service, introduced at small scale during the pandemic, is being rolled out in a way that ensures that the system operates as smoothly as possible and we provide a positive claimant experience.
We are currently assessing these remote assessment channels. Findings from a survey of PIP and ESA/UC claimants who received a telephone assessment were published alongside the Green Paper. The Green Paper consultation has offered an opportunity to hear views on how we can improve assessments, including how we might provide a multi-channel health assessment service.
Asked by: Vicky Foxcroft (Labour - Lewisham, Deptford)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she plans to take to ensure that disabled people participate in decisions on the award of contracts under the Health Transformation Programme.
Answered by Chloe Smith
A key objective of the Health Transformation Programme is to improve trust and transparency in the assessment process and we are continuing to work closely with external stakeholders to ensure their insights and experiences are incorporated into the development and design of the new health assessment service. We have undertaken significant engagement with disabled people and disabled people’s stakeholder groups and continue to engage through regular workshops and in-depth discussions. We are also undertaking a programme of user research to capture qualitative feedback from the claimants using the service.
While the views and experiences of disabled people are integral to the design of our service, it is essential that the process of procuring external contracts remains independent, to guarantee a fair and open competition.
This year (2021), the Cabinet Office will create a Disability Commissioning Taskforce of disabled people's user-led organisations to improve disability organisations’ access to government contracts.
Cabinet Office will also appoint a Disability Crown Representative to help unlock the innovation and economic benefits of disability inclusion through the government’s commercial activities by March 2022.
By December 2021, the Disability Unit will review the way the UK government engages with disabled people, in discussion with disabled people, disabled people’s organisations and charities.
Asked by: Vicky Foxcroft (Labour - Lewisham, Deptford)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she has taken to ensure that disabled people have been able to co-produce the Health Transformation Programme.
Answered by Chloe Smith
A key objective of the Health Transformation Programme is to improve trust and transparency in the assessment process and we are continuing to work closely with external stakeholders to ensure their insights and experiences are incorporated into the development and design of the new health assessment service. We have undertaken significant engagement with disabled people and disabled people’s stakeholder groups and continue to engage through regular workshops and in-depth discussions. We are also undertaking a programme of user research to capture qualitative feedback from the claimants using the service.
While the views and experiences of disabled people are integral to the design of our service, it is essential that the process of procuring external contracts remains independent, to guarantee a fair and open competition.
This year (2021), the Cabinet Office will create a Disability Commissioning Taskforce of disabled people's user-led organisations to improve disability organisations’ access to government contracts.
Cabinet Office will also appoint a Disability Crown Representative to help unlock the innovation and economic benefits of disability inclusion through the government’s commercial activities by March 2022.
By December 2021, the Disability Unit will review the way the UK government engages with disabled people, in discussion with disabled people, disabled people’s organisations and charities.
Asked by: Vicky Foxcroft (Labour - Lewisham, Deptford)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will publish the results of the Health Transformation Programme pilot, including information provided by disabled people on whether that system has improved their experience.
Answered by Chloe Smith
The Health Transformation Programme has begun developing a new Health Assessment Service in a small area known as the Health Transformation Area (HTA). The HTA is not a pilot, but a controlled safe environment where we can develop the new service at small scale, exploring ideas from claimants, stakeholders and DWP staff. Our first site opened in April 2021 and have begun expanding the HTA gradually from this starting point. Early qualitative research continues to be undertaken in the HTA to explore initial outcomes, but it would be premature to consider publication.
Asked by: Emma Lewell-Buck (Labour - South Shields)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much her Department has spent on defending initial decisions made at benefit or health assessments which were then overruled at a tribunal, in the most recent year for which data are available.
Answered by Chloe Smith
The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Vicky Foxcroft (Labour - Lewisham, Deptford)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Written Statement of 9 July 2020 on Health Transformation Programme update (HCWS353), who is currently undertaking benefit eligibility assessments for disabled and seriously people conducted as part of the Health Transformation Programme; whether there is a longer-term contract for that work; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Chloe Smith
The DWP Health Transformation Programme has begun work to procure assessment services for the period 2023-28, having extended the current contracts to ensure continuity of service in response to the impact of Covid-19. The Invitation to Tender is set to be issued later this month. New contracts will bring together current Health and Disability Assessment Services and Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessments under single geographic contracts. These will form a building block for our new Health Assessment Service.
Separately, the Programme is integrating the services that deliver PIP and Work Capability Assessments into the new Health Assessment Service. This is being developed in a small, safe and controlled environment known as the Health Transformation Area (HTA), previously the Departmental Transformation Area. Currently, the Healthcare Professionals working in the HTA are employed by Advanced Personnel Management Group (UK) Limited, under a contract with DWP. These resources are managed by DWP. As part of our future strategy for the HTA, we intend to recruit Healthcare Professionals and for them to be employed by DWP.
Starting on a small scale, we are iterating our processes based on experience and building an evidence base to support roll out decisions on a greater scale, and ultimately nationally. The service has begun operating in a small defined part of the country and all claimants of PIP, Employment Support Allowance (ESA)/Universal Credit living within the small number of selected postcodes are included in the HTA; no additional selection criteria apply.
As part of this new service, we are developing and refining our data collection methods, so that we can accurately capture, analyse, and report the most useful metrics. In the North London (Tresco House) Transformation Area we have 71 ESA claimants, 810 Universal Credit claimants and 1422 PIP claimants currently being supported by our services.
Asked by: Vicky Foxcroft (Labour - Lewisham, Deptford)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Written Statement of 9 July 2020 on Health Transformation Programme update (HCWS353), what criteria is used for selecting someone to take part in the Health Transformation Programme in addition to an eligible postcode.
Answered by Chloe Smith
The DWP Health Transformation Programme has begun work to procure assessment services for the period 2023-28, having extended the current contracts to ensure continuity of service in response to the impact of Covid-19. The Invitation to Tender is set to be issued later this month. New contracts will bring together current Health and Disability Assessment Services and Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessments under single geographic contracts. These will form a building block for our new Health Assessment Service.
Separately, the Programme is integrating the services that deliver PIP and Work Capability Assessments into the new Health Assessment Service. This is being developed in a small, safe and controlled environment known as the Health Transformation Area (HTA), previously the Departmental Transformation Area. Currently, the Healthcare Professionals working in the HTA are employed by Advanced Personnel Management Group (UK) Limited, under a contract with DWP. These resources are managed by DWP. As part of our future strategy for the HTA, we intend to recruit Healthcare Professionals and for them to be employed by DWP.
Starting on a small scale, we are iterating our processes based on experience and building an evidence base to support roll out decisions on a greater scale, and ultimately nationally. The service has begun operating in a small defined part of the country and all claimants of PIP, Employment Support Allowance (ESA)/Universal Credit living within the small number of selected postcodes are included in the HTA; no additional selection criteria apply.
As part of this new service, we are developing and refining our data collection methods, so that we can accurately capture, analyse, and report the most useful metrics. In the North London (Tresco House) Transformation Area we have 71 ESA claimants, 810 Universal Credit claimants and 1422 PIP claimants currently being supported by our services.
Asked by: Vicky Foxcroft (Labour - Lewisham, Deptford)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Written Statement of 9 July 2020 on Health Transformation Programme update (HCWS353), how many people have been selected to take part in the north London Health Transformation Programme since that programme was introduced in April 2021.
Answered by Chloe Smith
The DWP Health Transformation Programme has begun work to procure assessment services for the period 2023-28, having extended the current contracts to ensure continuity of service in response to the impact of Covid-19. The Invitation to Tender is set to be issued later this month. New contracts will bring together current Health and Disability Assessment Services and Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessments under single geographic contracts. These will form a building block for our new Health Assessment Service.
Separately, the Programme is integrating the services that deliver PIP and Work Capability Assessments into the new Health Assessment Service. This is being developed in a small, safe and controlled environment known as the Health Transformation Area (HTA), previously the Departmental Transformation Area. Currently, the Healthcare Professionals working in the HTA are employed by Advanced Personnel Management Group (UK) Limited, under a contract with DWP. These resources are managed by DWP. As part of our future strategy for the HTA, we intend to recruit Healthcare Professionals and for them to be employed by DWP.
Starting on a small scale, we are iterating our processes based on experience and building an evidence base to support roll out decisions on a greater scale, and ultimately nationally. The service has begun operating in a small defined part of the country and all claimants of PIP, Employment Support Allowance (ESA)/Universal Credit living within the small number of selected postcodes are included in the HTA; no additional selection criteria apply.
As part of this new service, we are developing and refining our data collection methods, so that we can accurately capture, analyse, and report the most useful metrics. In the North London (Tresco House) Transformation Area we have 71 ESA claimants, 810 Universal Credit claimants and 1422 PIP claimants currently being supported by our services.
Asked by: Vicky Foxcroft (Labour - Lewisham, Deptford)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Shaping future support: the health and disability green paper, published on 20 July 2021, if she will take steps to introduce audio recording of disability benefit assessments by default with an option for applicants to opt out.
Answered by Chloe Smith
Currently claimants can request an audio recording in advance of their benefit assessment.
The consultation period for the Shaping Future Support: The Health and Disability Green Paper ended on 11 October 2021. We are currently considering responses, including in relation to the audio recording of assessments. We intend to publish a White Paper in mid-2022.
Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make it her policy to support an urgent independent inquiry into (a) the impact of the benefits assessment process on claimants' mental health and (b) preventing future deaths of those wrongly declared fit for work.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department’s key obligation is to ensure that claimants receive the benefits that they are entitled to, in a timely manner. We continually review our processes to ensure that benefits assessment processes are accessible and supportive to all customers, including those with mental health conditions. We recently put in place a number of improvements to disability benefits assessments, to ensure that vulnerable customers are identified and all evidence relevant to the claim is taken into account. These include enhancing Additional Support Markers on digital case files to indicate vulnerable claimants.
The Department is committed to learning from cases where there is suggestion or allegation that the Department’s actions or omissions may have negatively contributed to the customer’s circumstances. We conduct internal retrospective investigations (known as Internal Process Reviews) to capture these lessons, and take them forward to inform future policy and service.