Response by Papworth Trust to Dr Litchfield’s 5th Review of the
Work Capability Assessment (WCA)
Introduction
Papworth Trust is a disability charity and registered social landlord that offers
essential support and care to disabled and older people, their families and
carers. We help people of all ages to live independently in their own homes,
to learn new skills, and to find and keep jobs that are right for them.
We have over 90 years of experience in delivering employment programmes
and in the last year we helped nearly 6,000 people find work through the
Work Programme. Our employment service focuses on delivering
programmes and opportunities for disabled and disadvantaged people to
obtain and retain employment.
Papworth Trust welcomes the opportunity to submit evidence to the final
independent review of the Work Capability Assessment (WCA). In preparing
our submission we spoke to our experts – the Employment Advisers on the
frontline who are tasked with helping people back into work after they are
found fit for work or suitable for work related activity. We also asked our
customers to contribute their experiences, good or bad, of the WCA.
Recommendations
1. Claimants should continue to receive ESA during the mandatory
reconsideration phase as it is causing significant difficulties for
claimants.
2. People with issues such as alcohol or drug addiction, or unmanaged
mental ill health, should receive support before they are referred to the
Work Programme.
3. There should be a clear process for Employment Advisers to refer those
people who they feel have been wrongly found fit for work or capable
of work related activity, back to the Jobcentre Plus from the Work
Programme.
4. The Government should outline its future plans to monitor and review
the WCA, with the involvement of disabled people and relevant
organisations.
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Mandatory reconsiderations
In our experience mandatory reconsiderations are causing additional
difficulties for people going through the WCA because of the inability to
claim ESA during the reconsideration phase and are left without income.
Claimants who have been through the process are relying on friends and
family for financial support while they are awaiting a decision. One customer
who was living independently was forced to move back in with her family
while awaiting a reconsideration decision, as she could no longer afford to
live in the community.
Our staff have seen other customers go into debt and rent arrears, and an
increasing reliance on food banks. One customer said he had lived on beans
on toast for 3 weeks as he was without income during the reconsideration
process.
There also seems to be variations in how long it takes to receive a
reconsideration decision, from a few weeks to months. This is especially
difficult as there is considerable confusion around whether claimants
awaiting a reconsideration decision can claim Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
during this period. There appears to be a postcode lottery developing, with
customers in some areas being told they cannot claim JSA by Jobcentre Plus
as they are too sick to fulfil the conditions, whilst customers in other areas
have been able to claim JSA as a temporary measure but without the
conditions attached.
We recommend that, on the basis of the extreme difficulties claimants are
facing during the mandatory reconsideration stage, they should continue to
receive the assessment phase rate of ESA until they receive the
reconsideration decision provided they have applied for that reconsideration
within a set period of time.
The WRAG and Support Group
Our Employment Advisors generally did not believe that the WCA works well
in differentiating between those claimants who should in the Support Group
or Work Related Activity Group (WRAG). More widely they believe the WCA is
not particularly good at sorting between those fit for work and those unable
to work.
We have found that some people referred to the Work Programme in the
WRAG are transferred into the Support Group within a matter of weeks. We
continue to receive customers who are not ready to begin their journey back
to work, because they are trying to overcome issues in their lives such as drug
and alcohol addictions, severe mental health conditions, terminal cancer,
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severe brain injury or a life-limiting heart condition – who have all been
placed in the WRAG.
In our experience, people with such conditions referred to the Work
Programme are only further demoralised and less likely to begin their journey
to work until they are able to overcome these barriers.
Mental Health and Learning Difficulties
The WCA continues to present problems in identifying between people with
mild, moderate and severe mental ill health and learning disabilities. These
groups in particular need professional support to successfully navigate the
WCA and receive the right decision.
However, in Papworth Trust’s experience people with mental ill health placed
in the WRAG are able to access the support they need through the Work
Programme, such as access to therapies. This is very beneficial in helping
them work towards recovery and motivate them, but does not necessarily
move them into work.
Other considerations
The length of wait for an assessment is creating problems for individuals and
Work Programme providers. One former ESA claimant (now in work) said that
he was very discouraged from trying to find work , as although he did want to
work, it had taken so long for him to receive the right ESA decision and gain
stability in his income, that the idea of coming off benefits and entering work
scared him.
Papworth Trust has found that many ESA customers are very keen to engage
with the Work Programme. This is because it offers them social interaction and
support, as customers can struggle with loneliness and isolation.
As this is the fifth and final review of the WCA, Papworth Trust recommends
that the Government outlines its future plans to monitor and review the WCA,
ensuring the views of disabled people and relevant organisations are able to
contribute to checking the process in future.
For further information, please contact:
Nina Zamo, Policy and Campaigns Officer, Papworth Trust
nina.zamo@papworthtrust.org.uk
01480 357255
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