Benefits Agency Medical Services (Hansard, 9 January 1996)

§ Mr. Burt

This is a matter for Peter Mathison, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member.

Letter from Peter Mathison to Mr. Ron Davies, dated 20 December 1995: The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the main components of the training programmes which must be taken by all Benefits Agency Medical Services (BAMS) doctors carrying out the all-work test medical assessments. All Doctors undergo a four day modular training course which can be tailored to meet individual needs. Elements of the course include the technical aspects of Incapacity Benefits, the requirements for the content of the medical report form, selecting and justifying the choice of descriptors which specify the level of a customer's disability in each functional area, and mental health problems. The course also has, and I attach great importance to this, elements on customer service and equal opportunities. All Doctors are required to pass a multiple choice test at the end of the course, the validity of which has been verified with the help of the University of Central Midlands. The Doctors must also successfully complete a supervised examination session. The first three reports they complete alone are also monitored by a more senior Doctor to ensure continuing high quality. In addition to this, all full-time BAMS Doctors have to undergo a two day residential course covering the clinical areas they are likely to encounter such as back pain and psychiatric disorders and those which are likely to cause particular difficulties, such as chronic fatigue states. Many of the sessions in these courses are conducted by internationally recognised experts in their fields. The Benefits Agency Doctors are then responsible for cascading this information to the part-time fee paid Doctors who are also involved in this work. I hope you find this helpful.