New proposals for improving DWP health assessments includes recording all consultations with option to opt-out

A new report by the Work and Pensions Committee has found that the health assessments system used by people who cannot work or face extra costs due to disability or ill-health to access vital benefits “continues to let down those who rely on it”.

However, the committee of cross-party MPs, led by chair Sir Stephen Timms MP, proposes several “quick and easy wins” to help restore confidence in the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and “drive down the high rate of decisions reversed on appeal”.

The Committee is keen to see all assessments recorded by default, with claimants having the option to opt-out. It said that footage could then be used to review cases more accurately without having to go to appeal, and help assessors learn from past mistakes.It added that some of the suggestions could drive down the high rate of decisions reversed on appeal, which still stands at 69 per cent for Personal Independence Payment (PIP).Work Capability Assessments used for Universal Credit and Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) are set to be abolished as part of new DWP measures, but will remain in place until at least 2026. MPs on the Committee also recommended: Commenting on the report, Committee Chair Sir Stephen Timms MP, said: “We surveyed eight and a half thousand people as part of our inquiry and found a profound lack of trust in the system as a consistent theme.“Many will welcome the abolition of the Work Capability Assessment.

The Government’s process improvements, and recognition that the system causes undue stress and hardship, are steps in the right direction.“However, waiting years for changes won’t cut it when quicker wins are available: flexibility of choice on assessment by phone or face-to-face; recording