Asked by: Madeleine Moon (Labour - Bridgend)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has made an assessment of the effectiveness of Scottish Government guidance for registered medical professionals on making clinical judgments about terminal illness; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
It is a matter for the Scottish Government how they assess entitlement for devolved benefits and to decide on appropriate guidance to support that.
Asked by: Madeleine Moon (Labour - Bridgend)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether Scottish Government guidance for registered medical professionals on making clinical judgments about terminal illness was a contributory factor in revised UK guidance notes for the DS1500 form.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
A variety of stakeholders were involved in the development of the revised guidance notes for the DS1500 form. This included specialist clinicians as well as disability charities, representing a broad clinical perspective. This work was a result of our continual improvement activity and engagement with stakeholders.
Asked by: Madeleine Moon (Labour - Bridgend)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many (a) consultants, (b) GPs and (c) specialist nurses were consulted during the process to develop the revised guidance notes for the DS1500 form.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
A variety of stakeholders were involved in the development of the revised guidance notes for the DS1500 form. This included specialist clinicians as well as disability charities, representing a broad clinical perspective. This work was a result of our continual improvement activity and engagement with stakeholders.
Asked by: Madeleine Moon (Labour - Bridgend)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have been called for reassessment for personal independence payments after their three year award under special rules for terminal illness came to an end; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claimants under Special Rules for Terminal Illness do not undergo an Award Review at the end of their three-year award. Claimants can make an advanced new claim towards the end of their existing award and, without a face-to-face assessment, can have their claim fast-tracked.
Asked by: Madeleine Moon (Labour - Bridgend)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the administrative cost is of processing a new application for personal independence payment under normal rules.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Madeleine Moon (Labour - Bridgend)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the cost is to the public purse of processing a new personal independence payment application under special rules for terminal illness.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Madeleine Moon (Labour - Bridgend)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer on 30 April 2019 to Question 245707, Personal Independence Payment: Terminal Illnesses, whether the Assessment Provider discusses a personal independence payment claim made under special rules for terminal illness with the claimant’s GP prior to rejecting as a special rules case for not satisfying the terminally ill definition.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Assessment Providers undertake Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessments under the Special Rules for Terminal Illness (SRTI) provisions in accordance with the department’s PIP Assessment Guide. Medical evidence is required to be able to advise the department on a claim, and this is often provided on form DS1500 along with the claim.
When it appears that the criteria for a SRTI claim is not met, the Assessment Provider will contact the health professional(s) named on the customer’s claim or records to clarify the situation prior to issuing their advice to the department.
Asked by: Madeleine Moon (Labour - Bridgend)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer on 30 April 2019 to Question 245707, Personal Independence Payment: Terminal Illnesses, what criteria is used by Assessment Providers to determine whether a claimant does not satisfy the terminally ill definition.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The criteria used by Personal Independence Payment Assessment Providers dealing with claims under Special Rules for Terminal Illness (SRTI) are set out in legislation and are that the claimant: ‘is suffering from a progressive disease and death in consequence of that disease can reasonably be expected within 6 months’.
Asked by: Madeleine Moon (Labour - Bridgend)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer on 18 March 2019 to Question 230077, Personal Independence Payment, for what reasons 100 claims made under special rules for the terminally ill were disallowed due to non-return of Part 2 within the time limit.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The information requested is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Some claims to Personal Independence Payment made under special rules for terminally ill people can be found not to satisfy the definition of terminal illness. When this occurs the claim is processed under the normal rules, which includes asking the claimant to complete a PIP2 questionnaire. A claim can be disallowed if the claimant fails to return the PIP2 questionnaire under the normal rules process, even though the claimant originally made their claim under special rules for terminally ill people.
Asked by: Madeleine Moon (Labour - Bridgend)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the accessibility of the digital DS1500 service by GPs in the Welsh NHS who do not (a) have NHS smartcards and (b) use NHS.net email addresses.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
User research with clinicians to develop the Report that a patient may live less than 6 months (Digital DS1500) found that using the NHS smartcard authentication into the service was the preferred approach to ensure sensitive patient data was protected. Extending smartcard identity management into Wales would be a decision for NHS Wales and at present there are no active plans to pursue this.