So much has been happening lately, with the General Election, the announcement of benefit cuts, especially the alignment of the ESA WRAG on JSA, and the shameful abstention of Labour on the Welfare Reform Bill, that it has been difficult to keep track of what is happening with Maximus, and more specifically how claimants are being dealt with, within the system.
This is not about the WCA which we all know is flawed, and the newspapers, including the Daily Mail, have reported almost daily further failures of the WCA to assess correctly claimants’ability to work. Behind each of these failures, there is a human tragedy.
But we at DPAC have been receiving more and more evidence about how dysfunctional the system is.
- Firstly, there has been evidence that claimants were asked to attend a Work Capability Assessment without first filling in an ESA50, or that a much older (up to 3 years old) ESA50 was being used, and that this has had consequences on the WCA outcome as shown in this article: https://dpac.uk.net/2015/07/response-to-maximus-esa50-and-the-wcas-impact-on-claimants/
- It seems, from anecdoctal evidence, that the use of an old ESA50 form (among other things) leads to a large number of appointments being cancelled, sometimes on the day, while claimants are waiting to be seen by a Maximus assessor. The appointments take longer than anticipated, because claimants have developed other conditions since their last ESA50, as was explicitly stated by a Maximus receptionist.
- Finally, what we are hearing is reminiscent of the worst excesses of the Atos period: HCPs just ticking boxes, selective information finding its way into reports, statements on activities the claimant can do which were never discussed or observed, leading to an over-optimistic and unrealistic assessment of a claimant’s capacity for work. Maybe, that was to be expected. Maximus is using former Atos staff, and the culture is unlikely to have changed.
So here we are giving you very useful information to make a complaint with Maximus. All our thanks to Ephemerid @ephemerid213 on Twitter and her informative articles on this website: https://thegrimsqueakerreturns.wordpress.com/2015/07/22/limping-labour-and-the-lack-of-leadership-lament/ She is unfortunately very experienced (5 WCAs), but also very knowledgeable in these matters and she forwarded us this information.
- In the first instance, phone 0800 288 8777 Mon-Fri 8am to 8pm or Sat 9 to 5 – and if you can’t afford (or don’t want) to hang on, a Customer Service Manager MUST call you back Mon-Fri 9 to 5.
- Email is not much use, but it’s worth a try – customer-relations@chdauk.co.uk and as the website does not clarify what the complaints procedure actually is, demand a copy of it by email or letter. They must have a proper complaints procedure.
- If your complaint is about Customer Experience, you should send your letters – of complaint – to Sue Marsh, Head of Customer Experience, Health Assessment Advisory Service, Room 4E04, Quarry House, Leeds LS2 7UA.It is interesting to note that neither the website nor the postal address mentions the name Maximus. It is particularly interesting that no formal complaints procedure is mentioned anywhere.Obviously, if you don’t know how to complain or who to complain to, there’s only one thing to be done.
Complain to the District Manager of DWP for your area – and here they all are……
gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/442311/jcp-district-managers-july-2015.pdf
What we are also doing is a claimant survey in order to gather evidence on claimants’ experience of Maximus in a more structured way. You will find the survey here: https://dpac.uk.net/2015/07/have-you-had-a-wca-since-1st-march-this-year-if-so-please-fill-in-our-survey/
I work for Maximus. They TUPE’d the same staff from Maximus. It’s all a con. We are treat like slaves to treat people claiming like a factory product. The bonuses and payments to the management are obscene. The staff are all of with mental health problems. But don’t pin this on one political party. They’re all exactly the same. 12 hrs I’ve been here and they’re all the same. They say one thing and do another. It was never Atos. It was the government who stringently made them do what they wanted then blamed them for the backlash. Here’s the main man for the uk. This is an evil money driven company.