Report:
PIP, ESA trust deficit fails claimants and the public purse.
The Work and Pensions Committee publishes their report which says public contract failures have led to a loss of trust that risks undermining the operation of major disability benefits.
- Read the report summary
- Read the conclusions and recommendations
- Read the full report: PIP and ESA assessments
The Committee recommends DWP:
- Immediately institute recording of face to face assessment and provide a record and a copy of the assessors report to claimants.
- Take measures to improve understanding amongst health and social care professionals, and claimants, of what constitutes good evidence for PIP and ESA claims, and to ensure this evidence is used effectively by contractors;
- Set out how it will measure, monitor and report on the supply of evidence into PIP and ESA assessments.
- Improve accessibility of the process at every stage: from the format and style of the application form, to information about home visits, to information about accessing reconsideration and appeal.
- Improve its use of contract “levers” to improve contractor performance - and quality control via feedback through the claim process, including feedback from the appeal stage.
"… the report warned ‘a pervasive lack of trust’ is undermining PIP and ESA processes.
‘The current contracts have not made the system fairer, have not made it more transparent and have not made it more efficient,’ said Frank Field, chair of the Committee.
'They are up for review, and market interest appears limp. The existing contractors have consistently failed to meet basic performance standards but other companies are hardly scrambling over each other to take over. The Government should be prepared to take assessments in house.’