MAXIMUS Health and Human Services Ltd has been awarded the contract to undertake health-related assessments, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has announced.
The contract will cover a number of assessments including the Work Capability Assessment (WCA), which is currently carried out by Atos. In March this year the government announced that it had reached a settlement with Atos to exit its WCA contract early.
The new contract is part of a concerted drive to ensure that people who need an assessment get the best possible service. Since 2010 there have been four independent reviews of the WCA and the government has implemented the majority of the recommendations.
A key part of this drive will see MAXIMUS take on a significant number of additional healthcare professionals to undertake assessments.
Minister for Disabled People Mark Harper, said:
“We are committed to supporting those people who can get back into work and break the cycle of benefit dependency. Where people can’t work, we are clear that we should support them to live independent lives.
“Our determination not to write off benefit claimants, but instead seek to move more people into work, has been a key factor in this government’s success in helping people into work.”
