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Inquiry into migration from IB to ESA

5 October 2011

The Department's communications to customers

Inquiry into migration from IB to ESA (Adobe Acrobat Document 56kb)

Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) consulted stakeholders at each stage of the process, and the resulting customer journey shows evidence of this. Citizens Advice Bureaux in the trial area handled relatively few enquiries from anxious clients, suggesting that the telephoning of claimants at key stages in the journey was helpful and reassuring.

We do have concerns, however, about claimants who don’t have telephones. Vulnerable people, such as those with mental health problems or learning difficulties, are disproportionately unlikely to have telephones.

We understand from one claimant who doesn’t have a telephone that the letter from DWP gives an 0845 number for customers without a telephone. When the claimant rang it, the person who answered knew nothing about the arrangements of the trial, and offered no further help.

It is important that procedures are put in place to ensure that people who are hard to reach do not miss out on help and support that they are likely to need with the assessment process.

We also have concerns about the communication of the decision, and information on appeals, which we develop below.