If you or someone you are caring for is or has recently been admitted to hospital while applying for Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), it is advisable that you inform the Atos Healthcare contact centre or, in some cases, the Department for Work and Pensions.
Please read on for guidance on what to do if you are admitted to hospital while applying for ESA, or have recently been discharged from hospital.
If you or someone you are caring for is in or has recently been admitted into hospital while applying for ESA, please follow the guidance below to ensure that your case is handled correctly.
If you have been sent a questionnaire to fill in (the ESA50), but have not sent it back, then please inform the office in the Department for Work and Pensions that is dealing with your claim of your situation so that they can take appropriate action. Their contact information can be found on any letter they have sent you.
If you or the person you are caring for has sent the questionnaire in, please provide us with information on your hospital stay.
There are various different types of hospital stay and our staff are trained to manage cases in these eventualities according to their nature.
There is no obligation for carers to provide information, however it does help us to process the case in the most appropriate manner. It may be that we would seek extra information from a GP or similar medical representative to gain a better understanding of the circumstances and how it would be best for us to proceed.
Therefore, the following information is most useful if it is known:
• The name of the hospital, the ward and consultant
• The reason for admission and any expected treatment
• How long you expect to be in hospital
• The recuperation period advised by the hospital and any follow up treatment
If you or someone you care for has recently been discharged from hospital, the following information is of use to us to know:
• The reason for you being in hospital and what treatment you received
• How long you were in hospital
• Your advised recuperation period and any follow up treatment
Please contact our Contact Centre staff with the information that you have and they will advise you as to what to do next.
Our Contact Centre can be reached on 0800 2888 777. Lines are open 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday and 9am to 5pm Saturday.
If you have speech or hearing difficulties you can contact us using a textphone on 18001 0800 2888 777.
Please read our blog posts on the Work Capability Assessment in order to find out more about what to expect before, during and after your assessment and how we are working to improve Work Capability Assessments in line with the recommendations made by Professor Harrington.
Jun 26, 2012 13:55 BST Good employers already know it’s important to have a diverse workforce, and that the contribution a person can make isn’t related to their colour, creed, gender, disability, outlook or background. Former national director for health and work, Dame Carol Black, is now calling for people to add something to that list; health and wellbeing.
Mar 06, 2012 18:38 GMT While applying for Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), an individual may take part in a Work Capability Assessment, carried out by Atos Healthcare on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions. Earlier, we blogged about the training that each healthcare professional receives, both before and during their time at Atos Healthcare. Now, we’ll be blogging about how we quality monitor the work
Dec 08, 2011 10:00 GMT As we carry out Work Capability Assessments on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions, we’ve been running a series of blogs that are designed to help you find out more about the assessment process. In this blog post, we’ll be telling you more about the report that Atos Healthcare professionals prepare based on your Work Capability Assessment. Please read on for more
Dec 02, 2011 10:00 GMT Today is International Carers Rights Day – a day that celebrates, supports and draws attention to the many thousands of people who care for friends or family members who are ill or disabled. To mark Carers Rights Day, we thought we would outline the important supporting role carers can play as part of the Work Capability Assessment we carry out on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions...
Nov 21, 2011 10:00 GMT As we carry out Work Capability Assessments on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions, we’ve been running a series of blogs that are designed to help you find out more about the assessment process. So far, we have blogged about what to expect before and during your Work Capability Assessment. And in today’s final instalment, we’ll be blogging about what to expect after your assessment...
Nov 17, 2011 10:00 GMT As we conduct Work Capability Assessments on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions, we’ve been running a series of blogs that are designed to help you find out more about the assessment process. Yesterday we blogged about what to expect before your assessment. Today, we’re blogging about what might be helpful to consider in preparing for your face to face assessment...
Nov 16, 2011 10:00 GMT As we carry out the Work Capability Assessment on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions, over the next few days we’ll be running a series of blogs that will help you find out more about the assessment process and what to expect before, during and after your assessment. Just read on for our first blog and find out more about what to expect before your assessment
Sep 28, 2011 10:00 BST Here is the first in our series of articles answering the most commonly asked questions regarding our work with the DWP. Our first topic is the assessment itself
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