Guidance

Chapter 4: Standards

Updated 17 December 2024

Standards

4.01. DWP is keen to ensure that the quality of Access to Work provision provided by the Supplier is exemplary.

4.02. You are responsible for ensuring that Customers and their Employers have access to suitable and high-quality support in a way that provides a good service and an excellent Customer experience. For Access to Work to offer the most effective support possible to Customers, a number of key features are integral to delivery. In providing the Service the Supplier is required to:

• focus strongly on speed and accuracy
• demonstrate a sound understanding of the breadth of disability issues which may be experienced by the Customer and the appropriate support options available to address the Customer’s workplace barriers to meet each Customer’s minimum needs
• provide advice and guidance on technical and ergonomic issues

4.03. The Holistic Assessment Report (see Annex B and Annex C of this guidance) shall be in the format specified below and be fit for purpose:

• legible and in plain language
• checked for grammar, spelling and punctuation
• well-presented and of good quality
• in point 12 Arial font (unless alternative requirements are needed due to the Customer’s disability)
• logically sequenced, clear, informative and complete
• fully detailed and consistent (please note it will be seen by the Customer and/or their Employer)
• not prescriptive but provides recommendations based on evidence (terminology used should demonstrate an emphasis on independence and choice)
• each recommended solution is detailed to ensure best value for DWP that meets the Customer need (all recommendations and quotes should be ordered from cheapest to most expensive)

4.04. The Holistic Assessment Report templates (see Annex B and Annex C of this guidance) shall be completed and used to enable an Access to Work Case Manager to determine the best possible solution for the Customer in question.

4.05. It is important that the Holistic Assessment Report is of good quality in accordance with the standards specified in this guidance and Annex 4 of your Specification. The Access to Work Case Manager will define whether Holistic Assessment Reports are to the ‘specified standard’, based on the criteria below.

4.06. A Holistic Assessment Report may be deemed not to the standard specified in this guidance and therefore rejected if one or more of the following applies:

• there are insufficient quotations, or no quotations have been provided
• there is no sole supplier stencil (if appropriate) completed. Sole supplier stencil is included within the Holistic Assessment Reports (see Annex B and Annex C of this guidance)
• three quotations are not provided for items over £500
• for training quotations – if a quotation is provided per training session instead of for the complete package to avoid providing three quotations (e.g., half day support costs £150 but the Customer needs ten (10) half days, taking the cost up to £1,500, we therefore would require three quotes as the item cost is over £500)
• quotations provided are not for exact costs. All costs should be calculated and quoted accurately
• quotations do not include VAT/delivery costs (for VAT calculations, any part of a penny should be rounded up to the nearest whole penny)
• quotes are not on a separate page
• it is apparent that value for money has not been considered (i.e. many cheaper quotations are available)
• in regard to chairs, if the quotations are for different specifications
• compatibility checks are not done before recommending equipment/software
• incorrect information is reported
• there are spelling and/or grammatical errors that have a material impact on the report
• the recommendation for support is not available in the Customer’s area
• where human support is recommended but there is no indication of support required in hours, and/or there is no full justification for why that human support is recommended
• there is no explanation of how recommendations will overcome the Customer’s difficulties
• it is evident that the Assessor has been influenced by Customer or their representee’s preference and has not considered the minimum requirements (e.g., this is sometimes evident in reported conversations with Access to Work Case Managers which focus on what the Customer ‘prefers’ or ‘wants’)
• there is missing information as per the referral standards (e.g., progression planning, employer section) in the report
• there is missing information regarding the Customer’s condition/ support required (for example, if an element of support is discussed with the Assessor but has not been included in the Holistic Assessment Report, such as travel to work considerations)
• it contains personal/confidential information reported to the Assessor that the Customer did not want to be disclosed on the report (Assessors should ensure that they advise the Customer that they will report anything they tell them unless otherwise stated)
• the report indicates that the Employer is not sympathetic or making reasonable adjustments when this is not the case (i.e.: reporting that time off is needed for appointments, breaks required etc.)
• the report is too prescriptive in telling the Employer what they should be doing instead of suggesting under reasonable adjustments
• there is no evidence that a holistic approach has been taken
• the barriers are not fully explained
• the report is too prescriptive in advising what Access to Work will or will not pay for
• no job analysis is contained in the Holistic Assessment Report
• a bundle price is provided for equipment and does not break down the exact, individual costs within that bundle
• the Holistic Assessment Report otherwise does not comply with the requirements for a Holistic Assessment Report set out in this Guidance and Annex 4 of your specification

4.07. If the Holistic Assessment Report has been rejected, the Supplier will be notified by e-mail within five (5) Working Days of the receipt of the Holistic Assessment Report.

4.08. If DWP decides that a Holistic Assessment Report is not to the standard specified in this Guidance and Annex 4 of your Specification. You will be notified of the reason and will be required to review and resubmit the report within one (1) Working Day of its return.

4.09. If you are concerned about a Holistic Assessment Report that has been returned for Rework, you should refer to the AtW Operations Service Delivery Business Support Team atwprovider.contractcorrespondence@dwp.gov.uk to determine the appropriate action to take.

4.10. The Access to Work Operations Service Delivery Business Support Team will monitor the quality of Holistic Assessment Reports and the number returned to the Supplier as unacceptable on a monthly basis.

4.11. This information will be discussed formally as part of regular performance reviews led by the AtW Performance Manager.

4.12. Customers and their Employers will be advised that they have a period of two weeks from receipt of the report in which to respond to the report and raise any concerns.

4.13. In a small number of cases, the Access to Work Case Manager may reject a Holistic Assessment Report for Rework and request an additional Holistic Assessment Report from the Supplier if they have concerns about the recommendations included in the existing report. This situation could arise when, for example, a Customer’s representative/interpreter assists them with the Access to Work application process and this person or their Employer may also be helping the Customer to identify types of support they require and offering to provide that support.

4.14. If recommendations are made for building adaptations (over and above those which are required by law) to enable access to premises, you will specify quantities and suggest specialist suppliers for the Employer to contact, to investigate the feasibility of removing the barriers, but you will not recommend specific works or contractors to carry out the works.