LIMA Evidence Based Medicine (EBM)

The request was successful.

Dear Department for Work and Pensions,

LIMA uses Evidence Based Medicine (EBM) to help determine a claimants entitlement to benefit and is stated “to use current medical research with professional best practice to underpin the medical assessment process” further it is stated that reports are checked against medical standards and also use medical protocols to underpin its logic.

As a claimant is entitled to know the evidence being used to help determine their award, please could you supply me with the following information ...

1) What is the source of the medical research used in the EBM .. Rather than generalising using terms such as experts etc..I would require the experts names, institutions, reviews etc.. which would help identify the research/information.

2) What medical standards and protocols are used

3) Is the “evidence quality” assessed e.g. by (a) peer review acceptance, (b) statistical validity or if by other means please could you state what this is.

4) As there would be a necessity for strict criteria for the validity of research, with the need to critically appraise the validity of the information, how is this achieved... e.g. by the use of the Cochrane Collection or other institutions ..

Yours faithfully,

B. Adams

Dear Department for Work and Pensions,

In anticipation of your standard response stating that LiMA is subject to continuous updating by a dedicated team of expert medical professionals.

a) Could you state how this team is constructed, who this team consists of (not names) for example, are these people employed by the DWP or Atos Medical Services, what is the status of the experts used, what levels of qualification do these experts have, what qualifies them in this expertise, what expertise is used, whether nurses are involved in deciding on the updating ?

Similarly, as previous FOI responses to other people included the following .. “medical knowledge is updated through evidence based-medicine resources and standard medical texts; these include relevant journals and the resources of professional organisations”.

b) Could you state what professional organisations are used for their resources..

Yours faithfully,

B. Adams

B. Adams left an annotation ()

Evidence Based Medicine is used in something called the biopsychosocial model which is exploited by insurance companies and governments to limit or deny claims. This biopsychosocial model is a combination of biological, psychological, and social factors rather than purely in biological terms and is also used by the DWP in decision making. (LIMA).

Dear Department for Work and Pensions,

Just a reminder that your response is now overdue

Yours faithfully,

B. Adams

DWP freedom-of-information-requests, Department for Work and Pensions

This is an automated confirmation that your request for information has
been accepted by the DWP FoI mailbox.

By the next working day your request will be forwarded to the relevant
information owner within the Department who will respond to you direct. 

If your email is a Freedom of Information request you can normally
expect a response within 20 working days.

Should you have any further queries in connection with this request do
please contact us.

For further information on the Freedom of Information Act within DWP
please click on the link below.

[1]http://www.dwp.gov.uk/freedom-of-informa...

show quoted sections

References

Visible links
1. http://www.dwp.gov.uk/freedom-of-informa...

Dear Department for Work and Pensions,

Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of Information reviews.

I am writing to request an internal review of Department for Work and Pensions's handling of my FOI request 'LIMA Evidence Based Medicine (EBM)'.

You have failed to supply the information I requested in my FOI request dated 5th October.

A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is available on the Internet at this address:
http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/li...

Yours faithfully,

B. Adams

DWP freedom-of-information-requests, Department for Work and Pensions

This is an automated confirmation that your request for information has
been accepted by the DWP FoI mailbox.

By the next working day your request will be forwarded to the relevant
information owner within the Department who will respond to you direct. 

If your email is a Freedom of Information request you can normally
expect a response within 20 working days.

Should you have any further queries in connection with this request do
please contact us.

For further information on the Freedom of Information Act within DWP
please click on the link below.

[1]http://www.dwp.gov.uk/freedom-of-informa...

show quoted sections

References

Visible links
1. http://www.dwp.gov.uk/freedom-of-informa...

DWP DWP Medical Services Correspondence, Department for Work and Pensions

1 Attachment

Dear Mr Adams

Please find enclosed a response to your request for information
under the Freedom of Information Act by the Health and
Disability Assessments (Operations) Correspondence Team Freedom
of Information Officer, who apologises for the delay in
providing you with a response.

<<3972-3958 Response.pdf>>
Kind regards

Health & Disability Assessment (Operations) Team, Department
for Work and Pensions, Room 306, Block 3, Norcross, Norcross
Lane, Blackpool, FY5 3TA

Please consider the environment before printing

show quoted sections

Dear DWP DWP Medical Services Correspondence,

The copies of the Evidence Based Protocols for the Disability Analyst which you have enclosed, have not been received.

Yours sincerely,

B. Adams

DWP DWP Medical Services Correspondence, Department for Work and Pensions

1 Attachment

Dear Mr Adams

Please see your FOI response attached

<<IR835 Adams response.pdf>>

Kind regards

Health & Disability Assessments (Operations)/Department for Work and
Pensions/Room 306/Block 31/Norcross/Norcross Lane/Blackpool/FY5 3TA

show quoted sections

Dear DWP DWP Medical Services Correspondence,

It still hasn't arrived...

Yours sincerely,

B. Adams

DWP DWP Medical Services Correspondence, Department for Work and Pensions

45 Attachments

Dear Mr Adams

Please see your FOI response attached - please accept our apologies for
the missing attachments.

<<IR835 Adams response.pdf>> <<Arrhythmias(a).pdf>> <<Asthma Version(c) 4
Final.pdf>> <<Asbestos Related Lung Disease Version 2 Final.pdf>>
<<Bronchiectasis and Cystic Fibrosis(d).pdf>> <<Chest Pain(e).pdf>>
<<COPD(f) Version 2 Final.pdf>> <<Heart Failure(g) Version 2 Final.pdf>>
<<Hypertension(h) Version 2 Final.pdf>> <<Interstitial Lung
Disease(n).pdf>> <<Ischaemic Heart disease Version 2 Final.pdf>>
<<Peripheral Vascular Disease(j).pdf>> <<Stroke(m) Version 1 Final.pdf>>
<<TB Sarcoid Version (k) 1 Final.pdf>> <<Valvular Heart Disease(l).pdf>>
<<Adjustment Disorders and PTSD.pdf>> <<Alcohol Related Disorders.pdf>>
<<Anxiety.pdf>> <<Bipolar Disorders Version 2 Final.pdf>>
<<Depression.pdf>> <<Eating Disorders.pdf>> <<Learning Disabilities.pdf>>
<<OCD.pdf>> <<Organic Disorders.pdf>> <<Personality Disorders.pdf>>
<<Schizophrenia 2 Final.pdf>> <<Substance Use Disorders.pdf>> <<Ankylosing
Spondylosis.pdf>> <<Low Back Pain Version 2 Final.pdf>> <<Neck Pain 2
Final.pdf>> <<Osteoarthritis General Version 2 Final.pdf>>
<<Osteoarthritis Knee Version 2 Final.pdf>> <<Osteoarthritis
Shoulder.pdf>> <<Osteoarthrtis Hip Version 2 Final.pdf>> <<Osteoporosis V2
Final.pdf>> <<Rheumatoid Arthritis Version 2 Final.pdf>> <<Shoulder Pain
Version 2 Final.pdf>> <<Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Version 2 Final.pdf>>
<<CFS_ME- Version 1 Final.pdf>> <<Epilepsy Version 1 Final.pdf>>
<<Fibromyalgia.pdf>> <<HIV and AIDS(c) Version 1 Final.pdf>> <<Medically
Unexplained Symptoms.pdf>> <<MultipleSclerosis(a) Version 1 Final.pdf>>
<<Parkinson's(b) Version 1 Final.pdf>>

Kind regards

Health & Disability Assessments (Operations)/Department for Work and
Pensions/Room 306/Block 31/Norcross/Norcross Lane/Blackpool/FY5 3TA

show quoted sections

DWP DWP Medical Services Correspondence, Department for Work and Pensions

1 Attachment

Please see attached reply to your Freedom of Information request

Many Thanks

Business Management Team | Department for Work and Pensions | Contracted Customer Services Directorate | DWP Operations | Room 306, Block 3, Norcross, Norcross Lane, Blackpool FY5 3TA | www.dwp.gov.uk | Please consider the environment before printing

show quoted sections