The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has announced that plans to begin “testing matching people’s primary health condition to a specialist assessor” will start later this year. Minister for Disabled People Tom Pursglove MP, said that assessors will “take part in training to specialise in the functional impacts of specific health conditions”.
The move follows the recent publication of the Health and Disability White Paper, which lays out proposed reforms to the benefits system. As part of its shake-up, the DWP has announced plans to end the Work Capability Assessment (WCA) to encourage people who need to claim benefits back into work.
It’s important to keep in mind that these planned changes in the White Paper are proposals and will be debated in Parliament before coming into force in 2026/27. WCAs currently provide decisions on whether a person is fit for work for the purpose of their Employment Support Allowance (ESA) or Universal Credit allowance.
