Jobcentre staff have 'serious reservations' about ESA reassessment roll-out

clock

Jobcentre Plus staff have revealed ‘serious reservations' about a nationwide roll-out the reassessment of incapacity benefit claimants for Employment and Support Allowance (ESA).

The views were echoed by those of Atos Healthcare staff who are also involved in the assessment process. They were aired in a Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) report into the two trials of transferring Incapacity Benefit, Income Support and Severe Disablement Allowance to ESA being undertaken in Aberdeen and Burnley as part of the welfare reforms. The report explained: "Overall Jobcentre Plus staff thought that the decision-making process was working well, but had ‘serious reservations' about whether the process could be scaled up to a national roll out. "In the trial areas b...

To continue reading this article...

Join Professional Adviser for free

  • Unlimited access to real-time news, industry insights and market intelligence
  • Stay ahead of the curve with spotlights on emerging trends and technologies
  • Receive breaking news stories straight to your inbox in the daily newsletters
  • Make smart business decisions with the latest developments in regulation, investing retirement and protection
  • Members-only access to the editor’s weekly Friday commentary
  • Be the first to hear about our events and awards programmes

Join

 

Already a Professional Adviser member?

Login

More on Income Protection

Tom Baigrie: 'Insurers and distributors are failing to market IP'

'We need to pick up the pace'

Tom Baigrie
clock 16 November 2020 • 3 min read

L&G paid out almost £300m for group protection in 2018

Rehabilitation services

Adam Saville
clock 09 May 2019 • 1 min read

'One in five' UK businesses lack expertise to manage absence

Zurich research

Adam Saville
clock 04 February 2019 • 1 min read