After your medical assessment

The report of your medical assessment will be sent to a decision maker at the Employment and Support Allowance Centre who will decide whether you are entitled to Employment and Support Allowance.

The report

After your medical assessment, the approved healthcare professional's report is sent to the person at the Employment and Support Allowance Centre who is responsible for making a decision on your claim.

The decision maker will consider the report along with all the other information provided for your claim and decide whether you are entitled to Employment and Support Allowance. If you are entitled, they will also decide whether you should be placed in the Work Related Activity Group or the Support Group. You will receive a letter stating their decision.

Confidentiality

All the medical information relating to your claim, including the report from the medical assessment, is confidential and will not be released to anyone outside the Employment and Support Allowance Centre.

You can ask to be sent a copy of the medical assessment report at any time. It will be sent to you by post.

Sometimes the approved healthcare professional may want to send some information about your medical assessment to your doctor. In that case, Medical Support Services, who organise medical assessments on behalf of Employment and Support Allowance, will write to you and ask whether you agree to them giving your doctor the information.

If you're not happy with the medical assessment

If you're not happy with the way the medical assessment was carried out, you can complain to Medical Support Services. The complaints procedure is explained in the letter you received about your medical assessment.

You can also complain to the approved healthcare professional at the time of the assessment. If they cannot resolve the problem, they will give you a brochure explaining the formal complaints procedure.