DWP to blame for fitness-to-work tests fiasco, MPs say

ebsay

Naturally the Government don't care :mad:

Mark Hoban, the employment minister, dismissed the report as incomplete and failing to take into account the mess that was inherited from the last government.

"This report completely fails to recognise the considerable improvements we have made to the Work Capability Assessment since coming to power in 2010, having inherited a system from the last government that was not fit for purpose," he said.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2013/feb/08/dwp-fitness-to-work-fiasco

The government should accept much of the blame for distressing and expensive fitness-to-work tests that have caused "misery and hardship" to thousands of benefit claimants, according to a report by MPs released on Friday.

The public accounts committee said there had been much criticism of Atos, the firm contracted to conduct so-called work capability assessments (WCA), but it warned that most of the problems lay with the Department for Work and Pensions.

"The department's decisions were overturned in 38% of appeals, casting doubt on the accuracy of its decision-making.

"Poor decision-making causes claimants considerable distress, and the position appears to be getting worse, with Citizens Advice reporting an 83% increase in the number of people asking for support on appeals in the last year alone.

"We found the department to be unduly complacent about the number of decisions upheld by the tribunal and believe that the department should ensure that its processes are delivering accurate decision-making and minimising distress to claimants," the report said.

JS477

No surprise there and there's poor old Hoban trying to excuse the inexcusable (typical tory!).

This of course is of no consequence to Atos who are laughing all the way to the bank because they pay no penalty for the massive number of sub-standard WCAs they produce the huge cost is borne by the taxpayers!

god help those when Atos start assessing sick and disabled people for PIP!!!!!

cockaleekee

The report makes an excellent point - yes, ATOS do make far too many mistakes, but the DWP should be picking these up and not failing claimants until these mistakes have been remedied/ clarified. If a woman with mental health problems is referred to as a man with a bad back this should flag up a query, not lead to nil points!

As for Hoban, I expected no better. The system was a mess under Labour, but he/ the DWP have had more than enough time to remedy those problems. Instead, it has gone further downhill. Sadly the default answer when things go wrong is one of "blame Labour".

schrodie

You can read the damning report of Atos and the DWP Here

rogerblack

JS477 wrote: »

no penalty for the massive number of sub-standard WCAs they produce the huge cost is borne by the taxpayers!

This is not true.
There is a penalty, if the number of sub-standard WCAs exceeds a given number.

However.
As I understand it, this is a complaint driven process.
If, for example, someone gets a medical report - gets denied benefit - gets a copy of the medical report and puts in an appeal - which is subsequently won on the basis of inadequate report.
This DOES NOT count as a flawed report.
Unless either the DWP, the tribunals service (never happens), or the claimant make an official complaint.
If your medical report is substandard, MAKE A FORMAL COMPLAINT IN WRITING TO ATOS.
If it is below any reasonable standard, consider reporting the matter to the health-care-professionals professional body.

Richie-from-the-Boro

Send a copy [duplicate] of that complaint to an independent body - the Independent Case Examiner's office here

If 100% of those that whine here complain, the stat posted just a few days ago by the ATOS rep of only 2% registered complaints would quickly rise off the graph. Who they complain to, or what they complain about is not important to me. What is important is they formally complain to an independent as well as a dependant venue.

Once a complaint, any complaint for example to ATOS, was written up the hard work is done, apart from a different covering letter they could send it to 4 different venues for two quid, the price of 4 stamps.

I myself believe that complaining to their own physio / nurse / doctor / regulating body is akin to complaining to their own worker protection union. Turkey's have been complaining to Bernard Matthews for years, a pointless exercise in injudicious futility, they still end up sliced, diced and 'gobbled' up by his design process.

schrodie

I very much doubt the £​42.2 million for 176,567 ESA appeals for 2010-11 will be borne by Atos!