Painkillers – NICE announcement

The request was partially successful.

Dear Department for Work and Pensions,

In view of the recent announcements by NICE regarding the counter-productive effect of painkillers, (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/955312...) I would like to understand DWP’s attitude to pain within the scope of the WCA. Specifically,

1) What instructions are given to a) HCPs and b) DWP Decision Makers

2) How are a) HCPs and b) claimants instructed to validate such claims and make an accurate assessment?

3) What thresholds are a) HCPs and b) DWP Decision Makers instructed to apply in relation to FFW or not FFW?

4) What instructions are given to a) HCPs and b) DWP Decision Makers in terms of how to interpret the amount of pain killing medication taken by a claimant?

5) Is there any difference in interpretation between prescribed and non-prescribed medication? i.e. is one regarded as more significant than the other?

6) Would a) HCPs and b) DMs assume that low amounts of pain killing medication means little or no pain regardless of what the claimant describes?

7) When will these instructions be reviewed in the light of the NICE announcement?

Please note that I am looking for recorded information to evidence any statements you make in your response. If you reference existing guides/manuals, please be specific as to which paragraphs/pages you are relying upon.

Yours faithfully,

J Newman

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

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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 'Painkillers – NICE announcement'.

20 days and no feedback whatsoever.

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

Yours faithfully,

J Newman

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

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been accepted by the DWP FoI mailbox.

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information owner within the Department who will respond to you direct. 

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

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please click on the link below.

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DWP DWP Medical Services Correspondence, Department for Work and Pensions

1 Attachment

Dear Mr Newman

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.

<<Mr Newman 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

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DWP DWP Medical Services Correspondence, Department for Work and Pensions

1 Attachment

Dear Mr Newman

Please see your FOI response attached

Kind regards

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

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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 'Painkillers – NICE announcement'.

In Q5 & Q6 I have NOT asked to create or interpret anything, just to confirm what information does or does not exist, so your comments here are inappropriate. Appropriate responses might be for example:

Q5: “There is no documentation that makes a distinction between prescribed and non-prescribed medication.”

Q6: “HCPs are not instructed to make any assumptions regarding painkilling medication and the levels of pain described. Instead HCP are expected to draw their conclusions based on the balance of probabilities if necessary, but in so doing they must explain precisely the logic and evidence they have considered and how they have evaluated it”.

I have read the WCA Handbook and neither of these issues is mentioned, but this does not mean they are not covered elsewhere, perhaps in documentation that has not been formally published. Note that FoI does not apply only to formally published information. I am expecting you to confirm whether or not this is the case.

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

Yours faithfully,

J Newman

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...

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J Newman left an annotation ()

This request was prompted by a DWP DM who told me that they DO assume a correlation between medication & the levels of pain described, so few/no painkillers means little/no pain. The fact that they might be inappropriate or ineffective is not considered.

The fact that there is no interest within DWP in ensuring that the WCA reflects up to date medical evidence and opinion is a just another example of its real intentions and lack of concern for claimants’ well-being.

Pain and its management is a complex subject and only becomes more complicated when considering the side effects of each drug, the additional medication that may be needed to compensate and the combined effect of several different prescriptions, which is clearly beyond the understanding of Decision Makers as well as most nurses, physios and many doctors.

Worth noting that if there are contradictions or inconsistencies, the Atos HCP is given the opportunity to amend their report, but no similar opportunity is afforded to the claimant.

DWP DWP Medical Services Correspondence, Department for Work and Pensions

1 Attachment

Dear Mr Newman

Please see your FOI response attached

Kind regards

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

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