ESA 50 Form for ESA applications: Update on improvements taking place

[charles shepherd]

Updating and improving the ESA 50 Form for ESA applications

As people are probably already aware, the MEA belongs to the DWP fluctuating conditions group (FCG), which advises the DWP and medical assessment organisations on benefit issues - Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) assessments in particular

The DWP has been working with the fluctuating conditions and mental health groups to update and improve the ESA50 form

The new form is now in circulation and can be downloaded from the DWP website here

No ESA50 form has had this level of customer insight devoted to it and the new form contains some significant improvements

Major changes to the form include:

·Colour coding the mental health section so it is clearly separate from the physical conditions section. This will help ESA applicants to only complete the sections that are relevant to their conditions.

·Emphasising that applicants can include information on fluctuating conditions - such as ME/CFS

·Including the Reliably, Repeatedly and Safely disclaimer on every assessment page - something which the FCG has consistently campaigned on

·Providing more information on what medical evidence is helpful, including a reference to Hospital Passports

The FCG recommended that a semi structured interview (SSSI) should be incorporated into the ESA assessment process and this work is now completed

The Semi Structured Interview training and guide has now been approved by DWP

This has gone into production and will be on the desk of every CHDA health care professional to try and ensure that fluctuating conditions, including ME/CFS, are properly assessed

Feedback on both the new ESA50 form and the SSI is welcome

Dr Charles Shepherd

Hon Medical Adviser, MEA
Member of the DWP Fluctuating Conditions Group

 

[charles shepherd]

Useful background information on the ESA50 form provided by CHDA/Maximus:

https://www.chdauk.co.uk/esa50-questionnaire

 

[slysaint]

The problem is not just the form, it's the system.
Although I was assured that both the DWP decision makers and the Health professional who carried out the medical assessment had read the form, if they ignore what you tell them, what's the point?

Most of my answers were 'it varies' and I repeatedly explained what I could do at best, and at worst.
At the medical assessment the guy skipped all the physical questions; made no attempt to understand that the illness fluctuated, and clearly thought ME was a psychiatric problem.

They are supposed to be assessing the person and not the illness, yet how can you understand the problems if you don't properly recognise the illness and how it affects sufferers.

From reading numerous debates in the HOC, I know we are not the only group affected by this lack of understanding.

ETA:
another major problem with it is even when you score enough points on the
Limited Capability for Work
the incredibly narrow selection criteria to pass the
Limited Capability for Work Related Activities
means that the majority of people will be put into the WRAG (Work Related Activity Group).
This second stage test gets very little publicity and yet is the most ridiculous.

 

[charles shepherd]

The problem is not just the form, it's the system.
Although I was assured that both the DWP decision makers and the Health professional who carried out the medical assessment had read the form, if they ignore what you tell them, what's the point?

Most of my answers were 'it varies' and I repeatedly explained what I could do at best, and at worst.
At the medical assessment the guy skipped all the physical questions; made no attempt to understand that the illness fluctuated, and clearly thought ME was a psychiatric problem.

They are supposed to be assessing the person and not the illness, yet how can you understand the problems if you don't properly recognise the illness and how it affects sufferers.

From reading numerous debates in the HOC, I know we are not the only group affected by this lack of understanding.

ETA:
another major problem with it is even when you score enough points on the
Limited Capability for Work
the incredibly narrow selection criteria to pass the
Limited Capability for Work Related Activities
means that the majority of people will be put into the WRAG (Work Related Activity Group).
This second stage test gets very little publicity and yet is the most ridiculous.

As you may already be aware, the DWP Fluctuating Conditions Group spent a great deal of time analysing why the ESA assessment system was failing people with fluctuating medical conditions, including ME/CF, so badlyS

We concluded that there needed to be a radical reform of the tick box point scoring ESA assessment - so that it incorporated a proper history and meaningful assessments of both severity and fluctuation of symptoms and disability

This was our report:

http://www.meassociation.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Fluctuating_conditions_report_FINAL.pdf

The DWP carried out what they decided was an evidence based review of our recommendations and decided that they would not take our advice

We have, however, continued to engage with the DWP and medical assessment organisations to try and improve the situation

And while many people with ME/CFS (and MS etc) are still getting a very unfair deal it's worth noting (from the DWP quarterly stats) that there has been a very significant rise in the number of people being placed in the ESA support group

CS

 

[charles shepherd]

Most recent DWP quarterly stats that I can find right now:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploa...ile/558953/esa-wca-summary-september-2016.pdf

For people who are interested in stats and trends there are three interesting graphs/charts on page 1 of this DWP summary

 

[Molly98]

Thank you @charles shepherd for the time, effort and hard work you have put into this to try and help all of us, it is really appreciated.

But..... the system is deliberately set up to fail us, not just us as ME patients put disabled peoples in general and no amount of tinkering is going to change things when this government is on a relentless campaign to try and force disabled people off benefits and back to work.

In my opinion, the pretty major problem here is that assessors up and down the country are blatantly lying about assessments in order to achieve the results the DWP wants.

I am yet to come across and a person who says that their assessor's report was not full of lies, deliberate misinformation, and a complete disregard of evidence. No matter how many times forms etc are changed, our brutal experiences of the DWP assessment are not going to change under this government that is so hostile to the disabled and has a very meditated preset agenda. It won't be happy until we all rot, to them we are not people but a burden to the working tax payer.

 

[charles shepherd]

Thank you @charles shepherd for the time, effort and hard work you have put into this to try and help all of us, it is really appreciated.

But..... the system is deliberately set up to fail us, not just us as ME patients put disabled peoples in general and no amount of tinkering is going to change things when this government is on a relentless campaign to try and force disabled people off benefits and back to work.

In my opinion, the pretty major problem here is that assessors up and down the country are blatantly lying about assessments in order to achieve the results the DWP wants.

I am yet to come across and a person who says that their assessor's report was not full of lies, deliberate misinformation, and a complete disregard of evidence. No matter how many times forms etc are changed, our brutal experiences of the DWP assessment are not going to change under this government that is so hostile to the disabled and has a very meditated preset agenda. It won't be happy until we all rot, to them we are not people but a burden to the working tax payer.

Thanks

Are you aware of the campaigning work that is being done by the DNS at the moment in relation to inaccurate and falsified medical assessment evidence:

http://www.disabilitynewsservice.co...ell-mps-of-systemic-malpractice-by-assessors/

 

[slysaint]

Most recent DWP quarterly stats that I can find right now:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploa...ile/558953/esa-wca-summary-september-2016.pdf

For people who are interested in stats and trends there are three interesting graphs/charts on page 1 of this DWP summary

(from the DWP quarterly stats) that there has been a very significant rise in the number of people being placed in the ESA support group

The previous quarter the increase was in the WRAG figures.
ESA figures show ‘very disturbing’ drop in number placed in support group
"The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) statistics, released this week, show the proportion of disabled people applying for employment and support allowance (ESA) who were placed in the support group – for those with the highest barriers to work – plunged by 42 per cent in just three months."

http://www.disabledgo.com/blog/2016...-number-placed-in-support-group/#.WMwmMLg8jCN

Plus it might not make a difference anyway;
Ministers set to force work-related activity on everyone in ESA support group
http://www.disabledgo.com/blog/2016...n-everyone-in-esa-support-group/#.WMwfZbg8jCM

 

[Molly98]

Thanks

Are you aware of the campaigning work that is being done by the DNS at the moment in relation to inaccurate and falsified medical assessment evidence:

http://www.disabilitynewsservice.co...ell-mps-of-systemic-malpractice-by-assessors/

Yes, I have read their findings etc and it corresponds exactly with my own experiences and those of virtually every other disabled person I have come across. It's a very sad state of affairs.

I also watched I Daniel Blake and it struck me as such a true and accurate portrayal of what it is like for people trying to claim ESA and PIP, the hoops you have to go through, the stress of it all, it really is deliberately designed to put us all in an early grave.

 

[Sasha]

Major changes to the form include: [...] Including the Reliably, Repeatedly and Safely disclaimer on every assessment page - something which the FCG has consistently campaigned on

Very pleased to see this - it's crucial, and will make all the difference to many, many PWME.

 

[slysaint]

·Including the Reliably, Repeatedly and Safely disclaimer on every assessment page

The form now says on the top of each page:

"Only answer Yes to the following questions, if you can do the activity safely, to an acceptable standard, as often as you need to and in a reasonable length of time"

Does this mean that if you cannot do it "safely, to an acceptable standard, as often as you need to and in a reasonable length of time" that you can now answer "No".

Although you still have to explain, previously I would have said it varies, but the 'as often as you need to' makes it a bit more ambiguous as does the 'reasonable length of time'.

 

[Diddles1971]

TheFCG recommended that a semi structured interview (SSSI) should be incorporated into the ESA assessment process and this work is now completed

The Semi Structured Interview training and guide has now been approved by DWP

This has gone into production and will be on the desk of every CHDA health care professional to try and ensure that fluctuating conditions, including ME/CFS, are properly assessed

Hi I'm quite new here. I have my ESA face to face in a week. Im in the support group ATM. My PIP assessment was hell- however I was awarded high rate for both components on M.R.
Can I ask if the guidelines for the SSI are available? I'm really not sure what to expect. I sleep twenty hours a day and feel ill the rest of the time, but with my PIP they didn't seem to acknowledge the sleeping part. I'm awaiting a brain scan and also have severe depression which has worsened since this assessment began.
The ESA50 I completed was not the new, revised one, although I sent support letters from my consultants plus lots of evidence and my GP fully supported me. I'm really worried- everything I've explained or provided thus far is not enough.
Thank you Dr Shepherd, for fighting our corner