Did you mean audit recorded aros assessment?
Chris Grayling: The Medical Services Agreement between Atos Healthcare and the Department for Work and Pensions commenced on 1 September 2005 for a period of seven years, with options to extend for a further three and two years. On 1 November 2010 I awarded a contract extension to 31 August 2015. Professor Harrington considered all aspects of the operation of the WCA, including the Atos assessment and...
Lord Freud: ...described, contained flaws that we as a new Government have looked to put right as quickly as possible. In June we launched the first of the five annual independent reviews of the work capability assessment-the first of the reviews that this House legislated for. It was carried out by Professor Malcolm Harrington, a highly respected occupational physician. He reported last November. He did...
Tom Greatrex: My hon. Friend makes a very important point. It is no good having someone go to an assessment if the fact that they can sit in a chair or pick up a box and move it once from one part of a room to another means that they are considered to be able to carry out a task that they may be asked to do repeatedly or continuously in a potential job. That point has been made by a number of organisations...
Chris Grayling: As part of the Government’s response to the recommendations contained within Professor Harrington's first independent review of the work capability assessment (WCA), a pilot was conducted to test the concept of recording assessments to determine whether such an approach is helpful for claimants and improves the quality of assessments. The evaluation of that pilot showed that less than half...
Chris Grayling: Audio recording of a work capability assessment is currently only available in an Atos assessment centre.
Chris Grayling: As the 1 February 2012, Official Report, columns 291-2WH states, we have not implemented universal recording for claimants going through the work capability assessment. We trialled an approach of offering audio recording to claimants (as recommended by Professor Harrington) but found that less than half of people wanted their sessions recorded and only a tiny number sought a copy of their...
Chris Grayling: As stated on 1 February 2012, Official Report, columns 291-92WH, we have asked Atos Healthcare to try and accommodate requests for audio recording where a claimant makes a request in advance of their assessment. This approach began in late 2011 and we will monitor take up during 2012.
Chris Grayling: As the 1 February 2012, Official Report, columns 291-2WH states, we have not implemented universal recording for claimants going through the Work Capability Assessment. However, claimants can request an audio recording by contacting the Benefit Centre which administers their claim or Atos Healthcare directly. In these circumstances Atos Healthcare will, where possible, endeavour to provide...
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 20 March 2012, Official Report, columns 647-48W, on work capability assessment, what the criteria was for Atos to accept or refuse requests for audio recording of work capability assessments; and what measures are in place to monitor differential rates of acceptance or refusal nationally.
Chris Grayling: In his year one review, Professor Harrington recommended piloting the audio recording of face-to-face assessments. The Department commissioned Atos to run a small pilot which was undertaken in the spring 2011. The findings are in the following report (published on 25 April 2012). http://www.dwp.gov.uk/policy/welfare-reform/employment-and-s upport/wca-independent-review/year-one/
Chris Grayling: Based on the results of a trial during 2011, we have not implemented universal recording for claimants going through the Work Capability Assessment (WCA). We have asked Atos Healthcare to accommodate requests for audio recording, where a claimant makes a request in advance of their assessment. This approach began in late 2011 and we will monitor take up during 2012 before making a decision on...
Chris Grayling: Based on the results of a trial during 2011, we have not implemented universal recording for claimants going through the work capability assessment (WCA). We have asked Atos Healthcare to accommodate requests for audio recording, where a claimant makes a request in advance of their assessment. This approach began in late 2011 and we will monitor take up during 2012 before making a decision on...
Chris Grayling: Based on the results of a trial during 2011, we have not implemented universal recording for claimants going through the work capability assessment (WCA). We have asked Atos Healthcare to accommodate requests for audio recording, where a claimant makes a request in advance of their assessment. This approach began in late 2011 and we will monitor take-up during 2012 before making a decision on...
Chris Grayling: We are currently monitoring uptake of the service and have asked Atos Healthcare to try and accommodate requests for audio recording where a claimant makes a request in advance of their assessment, this is being monitored on a weekly basis. We are also developing criteria as previously indicated so that we may evaluate the success of this approach, which will take into account factors such as...
Stephen Timms: .... Friend the Member for Stirling (Mrs McGuire) is in the Chamber because she and I have had a close interest in this issue for a long time. The previous Government introduced the work capability assessment and employment and support allowance to provide support for people who are out of work for health reasons, but who are able to plan for a return to work. The current Government chose to...
Mark Hoban: Benefit claimants in Birkenhead can request their Work Capability Assessment with Atos Healthcare to be audio recorded or can ask to record it themselves and all requests will be accommodated where possible. However, DWP has the right to impose reasonable conditions on recordings, and does not have any legal obligation to provide recording equipment. While Atos will do all that they can to...
Mark Hoban: In his first independent review, Professor Harrington recommended that DWP ask Atos Healthcare to pilot the audio recording of face-to-face assessments to “determine whether such an approach is helpful for claimants and improves the quality of assessments.” The pilot clearly showed that audio recording of face-to-face assessments would not improve the quality of assessments and there was...
Mark Hoban: We are implementing the Harrington recommendations, so the things that the hon. Lady mentions are happening in assessment centres across the country. For example, audio recordings are available if people request them. Progress is being made, therefore, but the hon. Lady needs to recognise that it was the previous Government who set up the WCA and recruited Atos. We are trying to make the...
Lord Freud: All reports from Atos Healthcare now contain a personalised summary in plain English. We have also tested sharing these reports with claimants but results showed that this was not helpful to individuals. We have therefore agreed a more helpful variation of this with Professor Harrington and now issue the department's decision-maker's reasoning report to explain fit for work decisions. DWP has...
Pamela Nash: ...those claiming ESA ends up eventually winning their appeal, but in North Lanarkshire—the local authority area that I live in—60% of appeals are being won by those lodging them. To return to the recording of assessments, the Minister’s predecessor, the right hon. Member for Epsom and Ewell (Chris Grayling), made it clear in a Westminster Hall debate last September that he felt that...