If you phone reports an error message saying that you are unable to access your camera or microphone, please contact Customer Enquiries on 0800 288 8777 and they will help you resolve the issue.
If your assessment is due to start but you are unable to join your assessment please contact the Customer Enquiries line on 0800 288 8777 as soon as possible.
What is a video assessment?
DWP has approved video assessments for selected customers who may not be able to be assessed by paper-based, telephone or face-to-face assessments. You must attend your assessment. If you do not attend your assessment your benefit may be stopped.
What equipment do I need?
To have a video assessment you will need the following, a:
- smart phone, tablet or laptop with a front facing camera that allows video calling
- good internet connection
- well-lit, quiet and private space so the healthcare professional can see you clearly
If you do not have one or more of the above or you cannot attend your appointment on this day, please contact us on 0800 288 8777.
Getting help and support
Please let us know at least 2 working days before your video assessment if you need a language interpreter or want your video assessment to be with a healthcare professional of the same gender as you. A relative or friend can be present at your video assessment to interpret for you, if they are 16 years old or over.
If you need your video assessment to be with a healthcare professional of the same gender as you, for example on cultural or religious grounds, we will try our best to provide one but this may not always be possible.
You can have someone with you at your video assessment for support. This should be the person who knows you best and understands you and your needs (for example, a relative, support worker or friend). They must be 16 years old or over. They may be able to speak on your behalf and can offer useful support. The assessment will focus on you and the answers you give.
If this person cannot be with you, we can add them to the video call. Make sure you ask them to be ready to join at the time of your appointment. When you join the call we will:
- ask for their email address or mobile telephone number – please have these with you
- send them an email or SMS text to invite them to join
How to prepare for your video assessment
Before your video assessment, please:
- find a quiet, well lit area with good internet connection and no background noise or distractions where you can talk openly about your physical and mental health
- make sure your device is fully charged or plugged in
- access the website 10 minutes before the time of your assessment so you are ready
- think about what will make the video call more comfortable for you, for example having a drink of water available
- think about where you will place your device so the healthcare professional can see you
Please make sure you type in the right website address. After you click the ‘start video call’ button, you will be asked to input your name, date of birth, and a contact phone number. You will NOT be asked to input any other information.
We treat personal information carefully. We may use it for any of our purposes. To learn more about information rights and how we use information, please see our DWP Personal Information Charter at www.gov.uk/dwp/personal-information-charter.
About the video assessment
Your video Work Capability Assessment will:
- help DWP to understand your capability to work with your disability, illness or health condition
- allow DWP make a decision about your ESA claim
- help us find out if you could do some type of work, including work you have not thought about before, and what support you may need to move closer to work
Your assessment will be carried out by a registered and qualified healthcare professional. People such as nurses, doctors, physiotherapists or occupational therapists are healthcare professionals.
What happens during the video assessment
Once you start the video assessment one of our staff will check your identity. To do this you will need to show us your passport or 2 other different types of identification such as a birth certificate, driving licence or a utility bill. Once this has been completed you will then wait to join the video conference with a healthcare professional. They will tell you their name, and begin the assessment.
The healthcare professional will discuss your capability to do daily tasks with your disability, illness or health condition. They will not be diagnosing or treating your disability, illness or health condition. They will note down your answers. The video assessment questions may include how your condition:
- changes throughout the day
- changes from day-to-day
- affects your daily life
- affects your mood and the way you behave, and
- when your disability, illness or health condition started
If you have any new evidence of how your disability, illness or health condition affects your capability to do daily tasks please discuss this with the healthcare professional.
You will be treated with respect throughout the video assessment and the healthcare professional will give you plenty of time to explain how your illness and/or disability affects you.
After the assessment
After your video assessment, the healthcare professional will complete a report using guidelines given to them by DWP. They will give DWP impartial medical advice about your capability to do daily tasks with your disability, illness or health condition. The assessment report will tell DWP about your health conditions and the usual things you do every day.
The healthcare professional may not be able to complete a full report if they need more information that they cannot get from the video assessment. We will write to you and let you know if this happens.
Decisions are made by DWP
If the healthcare professional is able to complete a full report, DWP will decide if you have limited capability for work. The healthcare professional who carries out your video assessment does not make a decision about your claim, payments or credits. The healthcare professional will not know the outcome of your claim. All decisions are made by DWP.
DWP will write and let you know their decision made on your claim. The letter will tell you about your ESA payments and/or National Insurance credits. The letter will tell you who to contact if you have any questions. DWP can explain the decision and tell you what information they used.
Getting a copy of your assessment
You can ask the DWP office handling your claim for a copy of the full report. You can get a copy of the report after you have a decision from DWP about your claim.
If you are not happy with your video assessment
Please contact the Centre for Health and Disability Assessments on 0800 288 8777 if you are not happy with anything that happened during your assessment. Ask to speak to someone about your concern. This will not change your payments or claim ESA and/or National Insurance credits because these are decided by DWP.
Details of the Centre for Health and Disability Assessments Customer Charter can be found at www.chdauk.co.uk/customer-charter
If you are not happy with DWP’s decision
If you do not agree with the decision, you can ask DWP to look at the decision again. You can find out how to do this in your decision letter.
Contact Details
If you have any questions about your video assessment or would like support at your video assessment, please contact the Centre for Health and Disability Assessments on:
Telephone: 0800 288 8777
Lines are open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm. Due to current circumstances these opening times may change.
