Employment and Support Allowance: Customer and Staff experiences of the face-to-face Work Capability Assessment and Work-Focused Health-Related Assessment

This report presents findings from qualitative research on the Work Capability Assessment (WCA) and Work-Focused Health-Related Assessment (WFHRA). The research was carried out in spring/summer 2010 and included Employment and Support Allowance customers, Jobcentre Plus and Pathways to Work Provider Personal Advisers, and Atos Healthcare staff working on these assessments.

The research explored customer and staff experiences and views of attending or conducting a face-to-face WCA and WFHRA, in particular whether they were being delivered as intended and possible improvements, whether the WCA and WFHRA seemed to influence customer views of work, and how the report of the WFHRA was being used in Work-Focused Interviews.