Ministers are being questioned about why the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), which frequently laments that too many elderly and disabled people are unemployed, is employing a stringent screening procedure to weed out prospective hires with health issues.
After a job applicant receives a provisional offer, DWP uses a private sector employment health screening service to provide a thorough account of their medical history.
The job offer may be withdrawn if the candidate does not meet the health qualifying rate and does not receive enough points.
The service, which is offered by People Asset Management (PAM) Ltd., uses PAM’s Fit4Jobs questionnaire to ask seven pages of questions about the applicant’s health.
Inquiries include whether the candidate has any issues with their stomach, kidneys, or skin; whether they take medication; whether they have ever undergone surgery; whether they have ever suffered from any mental health conditions; and even whether they have ever broken a bone.
Along with asking a series of questions about Covid, the applicant’s use of alcohol, cigarettes, and illicit drugs, their diet, and their level of exercise, it also probes allergies, immune conditions, and whether the applicant has ever been off work for more than two weeks due to a health or medical reason.
PAM, which Optima Health is taking over, then employs an algorithm to convert the responses into a score. In order to reach the health qualifying rate, candidates must receive more than 80% of the maximum score.
PAM then determines whether the applicant is qualified for the position.
According to the company, the questionnaire can assist employers in determining “[a]ny risks that could prevent an employee from undertaking their new role” and any modifications that may be necessary if they are hired.
A DWP work coach gave a copy of the questionnaire to Disability News Service, stating that they found its use concerning and troubling because the scoring system appears to reject candidates on the basis of health, disability, and age.
They stated that in order to meet the health qualifying rate, candidates would have to respond no to the majority of the questions.
Additionally, they claimed that DWP ministers constant calls for more people with health conditions to look for work were hypocritical given that the department uses a service that keeps many of them from doing so.
“Many people I know would have had to tick the box about high blood pressure, heart conditions, pain as a result of carrying out repetitive tasks, etc., and would most likely have failed to achieve the health qualifying rate,” they stated.
“Because of the effects of time and a working life on the human body I have a very strong feeling from the questions and scoring system that older people might struggle to get the required 80% Health Qualifying Rate.”
“This is to qualify for an office job at the DWP, not a job as a fighter pilot,” they continued.
Too many people with health issues are economically inactive, according to ministers, and they ought to be working.
“Too often, people with health conditions are signed off sick without the support they need to stay in or return to work and that does not help anyone,” stated Pat McFadden, the secretary of work and pensions, in January.
“We’re committed to reforming the welfare system we inherited, which for too long has written off millions as too sick to work,” he declared in December.
At a time when ministers insisted that they wanted more older and disabled people in the workforce, DWP did not refute this week that the pre-employment questionnaire was used to screen out some people with health conditions from jobs with the department.
People Asset Management Ltd. PAM has been DWP’s occupational health provider for the Fit4Jobs health assessment since 2018; the current contract is scheduled to expire in June 2027.
It stated that the contracts delivery would not be impacted by Optima Health’s planned acquisition of PAM.
“We are committed to ensuring disabled people and those with long-term health conditions get the right support at work,” a DWP representative stated.
“Successful external candidates complete the Fit4Jobs questionnaire, a standard pre-employment health declaration, to ensure that any workplace adjustments are in place from day one.“
