Guidance

Chapter 4: Quality

Updated 5 June 2023

This guidance was withdrawn on 18 August 2023

This publication was withdrawn on 18 August 2023.

This publication is no longer in use. Read the Access to Work holistic assessments provider guidance for contracts effective on or after 5 June 2023.

Quality

4.01. We are keen to ensure that the quality of Access to Work provision is second to none and consider this to be a shared responsibility.

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. We expect you to:

• focus strongly on speed and accuracy
• demonstrate a sound understanding of the breadth of disability issues which may be experienced by Access to Work customers and the appropriate support options available to address the customer’s workplace barriers to meet the customer’s minimum needs
• give advice and guidance on technical and ergonomic issues as deemed appropriate by DWP
• build strong links with key partner organisations

4.03. The Needs Assessment Report Annex B is required to enable Access to Work Advisers to determine the best possible solution for the customer.

4.04. It is important that the report is of good quality and the Access to Work team will define whether reports are ‘to the specified standard’, based on the criteria in the following paragraph. (Please note: this is not an exhaustive list but is also detailed in the Access to Work Holistic Assessments Specification at paragraph 7.4 and Annex D.

4.05. A report may be deemed not to meet the specified standard (and therefore rejected) if, for example:

• there are insufficient quotations or no quotations have been provided
• there is no sole supplier stencil
• 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 10 half days, taking the cost up to £1500, we therefore would require three quotations 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)
• quotations are not on a separate page;
• value for money is not considered (i.e. many cheaper quotations 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
• recommending Human support without Access to Work Advisers’ consent
• recommending Human support without exploring other options
• there is no full justification for the support 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 preference and has not considered the minimum requirements (For example, this is sometimes evident in reported conversations with Advisers which focus on what the customer ‘prefers’ or ‘wants’
• there is missing information as per the referral standards (i.e. 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 assessment report, such as travel to work considerations)
• it contains personal/confidential information reported to the Assessor that the customer did not want disclosing 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 report
• a bundle price is provided for equipment and does not break down the exact, individual costs within that bundle.

4.06. If the report has been rejected, you will be notified by e-mail. Whenever possible, this will be within 5 working days of the receipt of the report.

4.07. If the Access to Work team decides that a report is not to the specified standard, you will be notified of the reason and you will be required to review and resubmit the report using secure encrypted email within 1 working day of its return.

4.08. If you are concerned about reports that have been returned for rework, you should refer to your DWP SPOC, the Access to Work Contract Liaison Point, within the Access to Work Team. In the absence of the SPOC you can contact the Contract Support Officer to determine the appropriate action to take.

4.09. The Access to Work team will monitor the quality of assessment reports and the number returned to each provider as unacceptable on a monthly basis.

4.10. This information will be discussed formally as part of regular performance reviews led by your Performance Manager. When appropriate, remedial measures, including a Performance Improvement Plan, will be agreed to address areas requiring improvement.

4.11. Access to Work 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.

4.12. In a small number of cases, the Access to Work Adviser may request an additional Needs Assessment Report from you 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 employing organisation may also be helping the customer to identify types of support they require and offering to provide that support.

4.13. 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.

Assessors

4.14. Assessors should be suitability qualified and experienced to enable them to recommend the correct solutions. If, following investigation, you are found to be responsible for making incorrect recommendations; you will be liable for any additional costs. This would include an additional face to face or virtual Holistic Assessment, if necessary.

4.15. You should ensure all Holistic Assessors meet the standards set out in your contract and that they continually update their skills in line with professional requirements to ensure they have the necessary experience required to deliver the contract.

4.16. All changes in personnel and/or organisational structures/responsibilities should be notified in advance to your Performance Manager and Commercial Contract Manager. It is your responsibility to ensure that all replacement personnel are of at least equivalent experience/skills to the former post holder, in line with your contract.

4.17. If an assessor’s reports are consistently considered to be not to the specified standard or if the Access to Work team have concerns regarding the service provided, (including but not limited to the number of complaints received), your Performance Manager will work with you to implement a Performance Improvement Plan.

4.18. If improvement to the required level is not achieved in line with the Performance Improvement Plan, the assessor will be removed from the list of approved personnel. The Access to Work Contract Manager will make the final decision in this instance.

Providers can now find annexes A-E of the holistic assessments provider guidance on Jaggaer.