Minister of State for Disabled People, Health and Work (): I would like to update the House on the progress
of a number of tests and trials set out in Transforming
Support: The Health and Disability White Paper, published in
March this year.
Our ambitious White Paper plans are part of our next generation
of welfare reforms and will transform the health and disability
benefits system. This includes supporting more disabled people
and people with health conditions to start, stay and succeed in
work and making improvements to the benefits system, so people
have a better overall experience when applying for, and
receiving, health and disability benefits.
Among the White Paper initiatives underway, six test new and
innovative ways to deliver our goals, responding to views we
heard through the Green Paper consultation.
First, the Employment and Health Discussion (EHD). This is a
voluntary service available to claimants with a disability and/or
long-term health condition and is a discussion with a claimant
about their health situation, any barriers it presents in moving
towards work, and how to overcome them. The EHD is not part of
the assessment process and takes place before the Work Capability
Assessment. It began as a small-scale test in Leeds Health Model
Office in 2022 with Employment and Health Practitioners seconded
to the DWP from Maximus, which operates the Centre for Health and
Disability Assessments.
I am pleased to update the House that from October this year,
after a positive initial evaluation, we have expanded the test to
13 sites across England and Wales. With the support of Maximus,
we have further grown our team of Employment and Health
Practitioners.
Secondly, the White Paper also set out our plans to test a Severe
Disability Group (SDG) for claimants who have conditions that are
severely disabling, lifelong, and with no realistic prospect of
recovery. SDG will provide these claimants with a simpler gateway
to access benefits, identifying them at the start of the
assessment process and removing the need to complete a detailed
form or undertake a face-to-face, telephone, or video assessment.
Our testing plans are progressing, following positive engagement
with Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. We will
test SDG and its criteria in several specialist clinical areas in
secondary care at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals. The British
Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine has also agreed
to work in partnership to test the SDG. We expect to start
generating referrals in the coming months.
Thirdly, we have started a small-scale test matching PIP, UC and
ESA claimants' primary health conditions to an existing assessor
with professional experience of supporting people with that
condition. This is taking place in Health Transformation Area
sites in London and Birmingham.
We want to understand whether claimants view this different
approach positively and if it improves their trust in the
assessment process. This test is scheduled to run until January
2024, at which point we will review our learning from the test
and consider possible next steps.
Fourth, the Enhanced Support Service provides bespoke
personalised support for people who find it hardest to use the
benefits system. It provides practical support to these
claimants, for example, by helping them to fill in forms, submit
medical evidence, attend health assessments, as well as
signposting to appropriate wider support. Testing is ongoing in
East Anglia, Kent, Blackpool, and Birmingham.
Through our fifth test, we are exploring options to introduce a
new way of gathering evidence of fluctuation in a person's
condition before their assessment.
Some stakeholders have advised that current assessments do not
always fully capture the impact of fluctuating conditions and
that it can be difficult for some people with fluctuating
conditions to answer questions about how their condition impacts
them for the majority of the time.
We are in the early stages of testing a Health Impact Record as a
structured way to present evidence that demonstrates the changing
impact of applicants’ health conditions.
Finally, the Health Assessment Channels Trial is nearing
completion. Following the introduction of phone and video
assessments we have been analysing whether there is a difference
in award outcomes for assessments completed remotely, compared to
face-to-face. We have also been conducting research to gain an
understanding of claimant experience by different channels.
Evaluation is taking place across all tests and trials to develop
our evidence base, inform wider implementation, assess value for
money and to determine next steps.
We will continue to discuss progress with the devolved
administrations.
We are also committed to continue listening and working with
disabled people and people with health conditions, organisations,
charities, business, and other experts, as we develop our plans
and continue the tests and trials that I have set out today.
We have made good progress since the publication of the White
Paper. These improvements will ensure that disabled people, and
people with health conditions, can access the right support, at
the right time, and lead independent and fulfilling lives.
