Standard Format Form used by Medical Professionals to report their findings in respect of an ESA assessment.

Response to this request is long overdue. By law, under all circumstances, Department for Work and Pensions should have responded by now (details). You can complain by requesting an internal review.

Keith Alexander Mallen

Dear Department for Work and Pensions,

Please provide a copy of the 'template form', or similar, provided to 'Medical Professionals' that they are required to use in order to report their findings during an Assessment for ESA.

Yours faithfully,

Keith Alexander Mallen

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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References

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

Martyn Dewar left an annotation ()

This is probably an older version (as it was disclosed in 2012 and refers to Atos Healthcare), but, you might find it of interest while you wait on the DWP sending an updated copy… http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentary...

Keith Alexander Mallen

Dear DWP freedom-of-information-requests,

In respect of my previous request I have since discovered and otherwise been notified of a number of 'standard forms' dated from 2012 designated as being ESA85.

Reading elsewhere it would appear that the 'Medical Professional' is required to fill out and submit the ESA85 at the end of the assessment.

I wish to modify my FOI request.

Please, in respect of but not restricted to ATOS, provide a copy of the 'raw template' as presented for on screen for editing to the 'Medical Professional' that they are required to fill out at the end of the assessment.

'For the Avoidance of Doubt'... it is my presumption that the 'raw template' is provided with pre-filled entries. It is my concern that the 'Medical Professional' may leave these in place without modification having failed to do the appropriate tests.

Yours sincerely,

Keith Alexander Mallen

DWP Health Services Correspondence, Department for Work and Pensions

1 Attachment

Dear K Mallen,
 
Please see our response to your recent Freedom of Information request.
 
Yours sincerely
 
DWP Health Services Correspondence Team
 
 

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Keith Alexander Mallen

Dear DWP Health Services Correspondence,

Thank you for your prompt reply and the linked information.

I note that you state,

"Employment and Support Allowance assessment reports are mainly completed electronically by
Healthcare Professionals (HCPs). The questions built into the Logic Integrated Medical
Assessment (LiMA) programme are the same as those in the clerical form ESA 85 Employment
and Support Allowance Medical Report Form."

Please assume that I, as a John DOA, attend an ESA assessment as implemented by ATOS whereby the 'Medical Professional' hits the 'submit' button without modifying the 'electronic copy' of the 'form' they are expected to fill out and provide a copy of the results.

Once again, for the avoidance of doubt, my concern is that the 'electronic copy' is provided with pre-filled 'pass' fields which are, or may be, left in place without modification by the 'Medical Professional', the appropriate test was not performed, and, as a result, incorrect conclusions will be drawn by the DWP assessor.

I might also assume that there are enough copies of completed ESA85 as provided by ATOS/DWP to claimants who have requested 'Mandatory Reconsideration' that would reveal as much.

Yours sincerely,

Keith Alexander Mallen

Keith Alexander Mallen

Dear DWP Health Services Correspondence,

In respect of,

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/s...

I note that your auto-responder has failed to auto-respond.

"Please assume that I, as a John DOA, attend an ESA assessment as implemented by ATOS whereby the 'Medical Professional' hits the 'submit' button without modifying the 'electronic copy' of the 'form' they are expected to fill out and provide a copy of the results."

Thanks

Yours sincerely,

Keith Alexander Mallen

Keith Alexander Mallen

Dear DWP Health Services Correspondence,

Moved to Version 2 at,

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/s...

Thanks for your indifference.

Yours sincerely,

Keith Alexander Mallen

DWP Health Services Correspondence, Department for Work and Pensions

1 Attachment

Dear Mr Mallen,
 
Please see our response to your recent Freedom of Information request.
 
Yours sincerely
 
DWP Health Services Correspondence Team
 
 

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Keith Alexander Mallen

Dear DWP Health Services Correspondence,

Thank you for your most recent reply which, once again, has come in under the 20 day limit for an FOI request, well done. I do hope that I will not have to move onto Version 3) in order to regain your attention in respect of this response via the...

Department for Work and Pensions.

I note that you state,

"To put the format of this and the previous response into context I should explain a little about
the Freedom of Information Act. The Act provides people with a right of access to recorded
information held by public authorities such as DWP (Section 84 of the Act refers). A request
can be made in question form but DWP does not have to answer if this would mean creating
new information."

I assume you mean "(Section 84 of the Act 'applies')" presumably in reference to,

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000...

I do like to be educated. Perhaps you can direct me to the part that states, words to the effect, that,

"A request can be made in question form but DWP (any other entity) does not have to answer if this would mean creating new information."

Having downloaded the linked .pdf file I am unable to find the relevant 'clause'. Perhaps the information is out of date and you have access to something more recent. Assuming you do then please provide a copy.

Otherwise I note that you also state,

"I note that in the response to your original request you were advised that Employment and
Support Allowance assessment reports are mainly completed electronically by Healthcare
Professionals (HCPs) and that the questions built into the Logic Integrated Medical
Assessment (LiMA) programme are the same as those in the clerical form ESA 85
Employment and Support Allowance Medical Report Form. You were therefore provided with
a link to a copy of the Medical Report Form ESA 85."

Indeed,

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/sy...

I note that Appendix 2) makes reference to 'Maximus' and would assume that these are 'the people' who have taken your 'original request' and implemented 'Lima', presumably in consultation with yourselves. Apparently Lima takes a 'best guess', for "cut and paste" suggestions, based on...?

You state,

"In addition to the original response, I can further advise that the LiMA system simply provides
the relevant blank sections of the ESA 85 report. It will tailor the available assisted text control
phrases based on conditions entered at the start of the case and will provide phrases that are
relevant in order to assist collecting information on the claimant’s condition history. This is
simply an attempt to minimise typing and provides HCPs with the phrases that they are most
likely to require. This system is not pre-populated prior to the assessment and places no
constraints on the HCP as to what information is recorded or how."

Assuming that is the case in as much as some/full consultation was involved, and I would be slightly disturbed if it was not full, then, given you are supposedly not in a position to "create new information", please provide a complete copy of the current/final specification document as agreed between the parties involved including any relevant communications during its generation, not solely restricted to 'Maximus', concerned.

I am, presumably reliably, informed by one of your ESA Decision Makers, after Mandatory Reconsideration, that...

"In order to carry out assessments, a Healthcare Professional has to complete a recognised and specifically designed training course and also be approved by the Chief Medical Advisor to the Department for Work and Pensions."

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

"That’s not the only discrepancy. The report talks of “lower back pain” – nothing about the legs or feet. It claims he can stay in one place for an hour – no mention of John’s need to move every 10-15 minutes. Other details that John and Jones remember coming up – the hours it takes him just to stretch out in the morning; his habit of falling over; the fact his pain is constant – are simply missing. Jones says in puzzlement: “The report looks like it was just cut and paste.”

**“The report looks like it was just cut and paste."**

Again you state,

"This system is *not* pre-populated prior to the assessment and places no constraints on the HCP as to what information is recorded or how."

However 'Your Man' states

"In order to carry out assessments, a Healthcare Professional has to complete a recognised and specifically designed training course and also be approved by the Chief Medical Advisor to the Department for Work and Pensions."

So, in terms of 'passing the buck' or 'ticking the box'...

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/sy...
https://www.gov.uk/government/people/bil...
https://uk.linkedin.com/in/bill-gunnyeon...
http://www.theworkfoundation.com/Aboutus...
http://www.disabilitynewsservice.com/con...

Silly Me. Perhaps it is,

https://www.gov.uk/government/world-loca...

or

https://www.gov.uk/government/people/sal...

May one ask who is 'The New Idiot On The Block' and which box they have to tick in respect of 'Training For Lima, TFL, their qualifications for doing so and the sanctions that might be applied in the event that some 'Lazy Person Between Chair and Keyboard' cannot be Tossed and just accepts 'Lima Item Six' and destroys someone else's life?

Ooops... Bugger, 10 minutes to the next one.. Lima Says.. Err... Click..

No doubt you encourage it and I would like to hear your opinion in respect of the 'possibility' but otherwise I do like to be educated.

Have we hit your time/cost/vexatious limit yet?

Yours sincerely,

Keith Alexander Mallen

DWP Health Services Correspondence, Department for Work and Pensions

1 Attachment

Dear Mr Mallen,
 
Please see our response to your recent Freedom of Information request.
 
Yours sincerely
 
DWP Health Services Correspondence Team
 
 

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