Which interventions most improve the completeness, source, and timeliness of medical evidence for functional assessments, and how do they affect decision accuracy, appeal rates, and journey times?

Background

Supporting disabled people and people with long-term health conditions is central to DWP’s role in promoting work, financial security, independence and wellbeing, while ensuring appropriate support for those who cannot work. This group of questions covers the relationship between disability, health, employment, benefit receipt, additional costs, independent living, caring responsibilities and wider public services. DWP is interested in research that improves understanding of barriers to inclusion, how experiences differ across groups, and how support needs vary by condition, circumstances and interaction with other systems such as health, education, housing, local government and the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector. Evidence is also needed on Access to Work and other employment support, training, functional assessment processes, medical evidence, safeguarding, reasonable adjustments, and support for carers. External research can help DWP assess outcomes from a whole-system perspective and develop evidence that better reflects disabled people’s experiences and support needs.