is this what IDS means by simplifying the benefits system?

Another venture into the surreal world of the DWP…
Seen a client with mental health issues today. She is heavily reliant on her 7 years old daughter for support and has little understanding of what is going on but has kept paperwork and some notes. She was assessed on migration from IS for sickness to ESA and failed LCWA. Informed on 20/11 but did not understand letter and did nothing until IS not paid on 18 December. Rang her Jobcentre+ and said what should I do? Jobcentre+ advised her to put in a new claim for ESA and wrote out to her with copy of application form. Told her to send sicknotes with claim form. Client sends in claim form and sicknotes. DWP returns sicknotes by post saying it cannot accept them.
Client contacts jobcentre again and asks, what should I do? Jobcentre says bring sicknotes in to us. Client takes sicknotes to jobcentre. Jobcentre texts client saying that it has her sicknotes but she has no ESA claim so she needs to ring the new claims number and make a new claim for ESA. Says it will keep her sicknotes for 7 days and then return them to her. Client rings new claims number, told that she cannot make new claim for ESA.
Client goes to local advice agency which tells her to contact a particular DWP dept to hand in her sicknotes. Client cannot find this dept so contacts jobcentre+ who tells her that this dept does not exist.
Client gives up trying and relies on food parcels and candles to get by.
Client stumbles across me and relates sorry tale. I ring DWP and after speaking to different people finally get told that MR request was made by client before Xmas and MR letter was sent 29/1/14. Client denies receiving MR letter. I ask for copy of MR letter to be sent out so that client can appeal. DWP says DM will ring back and to ask them.
DM rings back and says she has located sicknotes and received notification of her appeal 15/1/14 (i.e. 2 weeks before it says it issued MR letter) and it will pay backdated ESA to client this afternoon then onwards to Tribunal.
Client is delighted. I am thoroughly confused.