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Forum Home  →  Discussion  →  Work capability issues and ESA  →  Thread

Maximus confirmed as WCA provider

Pete C
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Pete at CAB

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Can I be the first to say how much I am looking forward to Maximus taking over, using the same staff and the same software as ATOS did. I am also greatly reassured by the statement from that nice Mr Duncan-Smith that Maximus will provide a ‘high quality’ service.

Is 8.45 on a Friday too early for irony?

Claire Hodgson
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PI Team, BHP Law, Durham

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Pete C - 31 October 2014 08:45 AM

Is 8.45 on a Friday too early for irony?

probably….

:-)

stevenmcavoy
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Welfare rights officer - Enable Scotland

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as we all know the wca is flawed so even on a good day with a great bunch of people doing the assessments its still going to produce inadequate results.

the best we can hope for is a reduction in the type of appeal you see where you wonder what must have went through someones mind to find a client fit for work.

Unfortunately my client group (learning disability) are very vulnerable to poor assessments as their disability is very hard to assess and people with a learning disability are very likely to tell you what they think you want to hear.

im sure we have all been there where the client with a learning disability or mental health problem is telling us how they manage fine while the carer/partner etc sits there with a look telling you all you need to know.

Peter Turville
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Welfare rights worker - Oxford Community Work Agency

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It will be interesting to see if the DWP amend the WCA assessment manual & guidance, HCP training manual etc. or whether the WCA ‘end to end’ process will remain unchanged.

As we all know simply changing the provider won’t improve either the delays and other admin. problems or the quality of assessments or decisions.

In areas where Maximus are also a work programme contractor it will be interesting to see if those staff continue to advise JSA/ESA claimants to challenge WCA decisions made following WCA assessments made by their HCP colleagues!

[ Edited: 31 Oct 2014 at 10:42 am by Peter Turville ]
Ben E Fitz
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Welfare Benefits Caseworker, Manchester CAB Manchester

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I can’t believe that no-one in Parliament has questioned the wisdom of awarding this lucrative contract to a company with such a history of dishonesty! Surely this evidence of careless use of large sums of public money would be manna from heaven to the opposition?

Daphne
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And the Public Accounts Committee said this in regard to awarding contracts -

DWP should challenge inaccurate or exaggerated claims made in bids, so that it can demonstrate it has not relied on them when awarding contracts, and have regard to previous performance on similar work when assessing contractors.

see http://www.rightsnet.org.uk/news/story/implementation-of-pip-nothing-short-of-a-fiasco-says-public-accounts-commit

1964
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Deputy Manager, Reading Community Welfare Rights Unit

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Peter Turville - 31 October 2014 10:39 AM

In areas where Maximus are also a work programme contractor it will be interesting to see if those staff continue to advise JSA/ESA claimants to challenge WCA decisions made following WCA assessments made by their HCP colleagues!

Yes, my thoughts exactly. We receive many referred clients from Maximus advisors currently.

BC Welfare Rights
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The Brunswick Centre, Kirklees & Calderdale

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The Independent says that the former Medical Director of Atos, Professor Michael O’Donnell, who now is Medical Director of Health Management Limited (HML), a subsidiary of Maximus, has removed reference to his previous role at Atos from his career history on LinkedIn:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/senior-atos-executive-finds-new-role-at-the-american-company-taking-over-disability-benefit-9831973.html

Now why would he want to do that?