DWP research report 770: Understanding the experiences of PDCS customers engaged with the formal complaints process is available by clicking here.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) website Pension, Disability and Carers serivce (PDCS) section, click here.

Below is a summary by www.rightsnet.org.uk followed by the DWP press release.

Majority of claimants have difficulty with PDCS complaints process

New DWP research report also says that main difficulty was in getting to speak to the right person

30 August, 2011

The majority of claimants taking part in a survey on the Pension, Disability and Carers Service (PDCS) complaints procedure said that they experienced difficulty with the process.

The DWP research report, 'Understanding the experiences of PDCS customers engaged with the formal complaints process', sets out the findings of a survey of 50 claimants who had made a formal complaint to PDCS.

Key findings from the research include -

• the majority of claimant reported some degree of difficulty with the complaints process - principally, this was related to being passed between staff and finding it hard to speak to the correct person, either because they were unavailable, or calls were not returned;
• respondents were frequently unsure who to direct their complaint to, and when their complaint was being dealt with, were often confused as to who exactly was dealing with their complaint;
• an overwhelming theme of claimant experience was frustration over the length of time that dealing with complaints took, and the consequences of this for customers in terms of stress and other practical difficulties; and
• people frequently gave up on the complaints process despite not having their complaint satisfactorily resolved and this reflected a strong sense that they did not think it would achieve anything and continuing with a complaint would cost too much time, effort and stress in relation to the likely outcome;

The report goes on to make a number of recommendations including -

• there should be a focus upon dealing as efficiently and effectively as possible with initial queries and complaints to stop these escalating into more complex and costly to resolve complaints;
• to improve the quality of dealing with complaints requires an approach that considers the overall claimant experience in a holistic manner, whereby responses to different causes of complaints are pursued in a co-ordinated and integrated way;
• greater clarity is needed over exactly who particular complaints should be directed to in order for these to be resolved to the satisfaction of claimants;
• the advantage of having one clear contact point for complaints was identified by a number of claimants;
• given individual cases are complex and require the involvement of different offices there is a need for better information sharing between staff and offices;
• while there is the potential for the greater use of electronic means of communications, this needs to be pursued within a clear understanding that many claimants still do not either have access to, or appear to feel comfortable with, dealing with complaints electronically.

Press release below from Department for Work & Pensions website

31 August 2011 – Publication of DWP research report 770: Understanding the experiences of PDCS customers engaged with the formal complaints process

The Department for Work and Pensions is publishing a report today on how Pension Disability and Carers Service (PDCS) customers engage with its complaints process. PDCS administers benefits previously administered by The Pensions Service (TPS) and the Disability and Carers Service (DCS) Agencies.

The research is an in-depth review of customers’ experiences of the PDCS complaints process and represents a direct response to findings in the NAO Report published in July 2008 entitled “DWP – Handling Customer Complaints.” This report recommended that DWP “should seek to gain a better understanding of customers’ complaints through learning from their experiences and satisfaction with the complaints handling process.” The research is to be used to address identified barriers and challenges.

The key findings include:

• Some customers felt that making a complaint was relatively straightforward though others reported some degree of difficulty
• A major frustration was being passed between staff and not getting to speak to the correct person
• Respondents were frequently unsure who to direct their complaint to
• Customers were frustrated and stressed at the time it took to resolve a complaint
• Staff attitude was rarely singled out as the major source of complaint but instead attracted a mixture of positive and negative comments
• Customer experience of the complaints handling process is closely bound up with the outcome of the process
• Customers frequently gave up on the complaints process despite not having their complaint satisfactorily resolved

Notes to Editors:

1. The DWP research report, ‘Understanding the experiences of PDCS customers engaged with the formal complaints process’ is available at
   http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd5/rports2011-2012/rrep770.pdf
2. The report authors are Stephen Syrett, David Etherington, Ignatius Ekanem and Pamela Macaulay

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