You may have noticed there was no February newsletter.
That was not because there was nothing to say about Access to Work. Quite the opposite.
I was knocked out by a virus for large parts of January and February. Just a virus, but an unusually bad and long-lasting one. Because I already live with an energy-limiting condition, it essentially reduced my world to sleep. Lots of sleep. Very little else.
I even lost my voice for a while, which, as those of you who know me will appreciate, was genuinely devastating 😂.
I feel like I’m finally back to my baseline level of energy. I do not have anywhere near enough energy at baseline as it is, so honestly, this one really did suck. But I am back.
I’m also looking ahead to a fab conference season. Over the next couple of months, I’ll be travelling around quite a bit. Birmingham in particular, may start to feel like a second home.
On 12 March, I’ll be glued to my screen for the Public Accounts Committee oral evidence session on Access to Work. I’ll come back to that below, but personally, I’m very interested to see how the Department responds under questioning.
In February, I also joined the Business Disability Forum. I’m really looking forward to getting stuck into their Access to Work and Work and Health policy forums, and working alongside others who care about how these systems function in practice.
It’s good to be back in the room.
Quick tips
- Reasonable Adjustments come first
Before applying to Access to Work, make sure Reasonable Adjustments have been discussed and implemented.
Employers have a legal duty under the Equality Act to provide Reasonable Adjustments. Access to Work provides funding or support that is considered beyond what is reasonable for an employer to fund.
In practice, this usually means Access to Work steps in where support is particularly specialist or costly.
If Reasonable Adjustments have not been explored first, this can delay or complicate an Access to Work application.
- Helpline rage rooms
If you are struggling to get through to the Access to Work helpline and experiencing regular cut-offs, you may wish to consider booking a rage room to work out some of that frustration. Smashing things might help.
Alternatively, box breathing for those of you who are more chill.
In all seriousness, this remains an ongoing issue. If you are experiencing it, you are not alone. We have not yet found a way of beating the system on this one.
When you do finally get through, consider making a complaint so that the problem is formally recorded. It is important that they know the issue is continuing.
January – February update
Communication procedures have changed
In early January, Access to Work communication procedures shifted and are now being applied quite consistently.
Key changes include:
- Two-way email communication is now treated as a Reasonable Adjustment only.
- By default, emails from Access to Work are sent from a no-reply address.
- Phone calls are now the primary method of communication between claimants and Case Managers.
- Posting evidence is now the norm rather than emailing documents.
- Reconsideration requests appear to be handled by phone or post rather than email.
If your disability makes it difficult to use the phone or send documents by post, you can request email communication as a Reasonable Adjustment. We do not yet know how strictly this will be applied in practice.
Where email is granted as a Reasonable Adjustment, cases are often managed by the Alternative Format Team, with emails coming from format.pip@dwp.gov.uk.
Given the shift to phone-based communication, we recommend:
- Recording calls where possible, for personal use only.
- If you cannot record, logging who you spoke to, when and what was agreed.
- Requesting advance notice of calls as a Reasonable Adjustment if you need time to arrange support or gather documents.
- Taking photographs or notes of all evidence before posting it.
- Using tracked delivery.
- Including the Access to Work cover letter so paperwork can be scanned and allocated correctly.
- Phoning the helpline once delivery is confirmed, to check documents have been scanned and attached to your case.
If you are submitting a reconsideration by post, remember that documents must be received by DWP within the four-week deadline stated on your award letter.
The complaints process is clearer, but still slow
The complaints process changed in September, but it has taken time for guidance to settle and for helpline staff to understand the new approach.
Our current understanding is:
- Complaints should first be raised with helpline staff, who will try to resolve the issue immediately.
- If not resolved, they complete a complaints referral form.
- If accepted as a complaint, rather than a reconsideration request, it is passed to the DWP Complaints Team.
- There are no clearly stated timeframes for resolution.
Recent complaints we have supported clients with have taken around three months to be actioned.
You can read more detail in the response to my Freedom of Information request, including internal guidance documents:
Read Access to Work Latest Complaints Procedure and Guidance here
Read the AtW Issue Resolution Complaints Internal Instructions here
Read Handling Customer Complaints in business as usual (BAU) here
Read the AtW Issue Resolution FAQs here
National scrutiny is intensifying
On 6 February 2026, the National Audit Office published its investigation into the Access to Work scheme:
Read the report here
Following this, the Public Accounts Committee launched an Inquiry into Access to Work and invited written evidence, with a deadline of 26 February. I submitted evidence just before the deadline and am looking forward to reading the published submissions when they are available.
The Committee will take oral evidence on 12 March. You can watch live or attend in person:
Watch it here
This level of scrutiny matters. It shapes how the Department explains its decisions and may influence future reform.
Simply click the blue text above to read each article.
What’s coming up in March and April
If you’re going to be at any of the events below, drop me a message and we can grab a coffee, or at least take a short leg-stretch between sessions.
March
6 March, 12–1: NeuroRocket Information Session 1: Before You Apply
A free session aimed primarily at neurodivergent individuals, and also useful for employers and supporters
10–11 March: Health and Wellbeing at Work Conference, Birmingham
I’ll be attending, listening and connecting.
Book a ticket here
16 March: Lived Experience Welfare Roundtable, Disability Policy Centre
An in-person roundtable focused on disabled people’s experiences of the welfare system.
Register here
25–26 March: Naidex, Birmingham
I’ll be attending and meeting fellow trustees from Bristol Disability Equality Forum.
Register for Naidex here
27 March, 12–1: NeuroRocket Information Session 3: Using and Managing Your Grant
Focused on what happens after your Access to Work award is in place.
Register here
April
10 April, 12–1: NeuroRocket Information Session 1: Before You Apply
Register here
14–16 April: Leeds Disability Studies Conference
I am genuinely excited about this one. It feels good to step back into academic and research spaces and engage with wider disability scholarship.
Find out more here
Spotlight on…
Everway Read&Write for Work
Everway’s Read&Write for Work is a suite of tools designed to support reading and writing on laptops and mobile devices.
It includes a wide range of features that can support:
- People with visual impairments
- People with hearing impairments
- People with mobility or dexterity issues
- Neurodivergent individuals, including those with dyslexia, Autism and ADHD
I recently had a 1:1 demo with Emma Wood and am in the process of setting up my assessor licence, so I’m feeling newly enthusiastic about exploring its capabilities in more depth.
It is Assistive Technology and frequently funded through Access to Work, although in some larger organisations, it may instead be expected to be funded directly as a Reasonable Adjustment.
If you work on a computer for most of the day and find reading or writing cognitively or physically effortful, it may be worth exploring.
Find out more here
Employer advice sessions – An expert at your fingertips
Alongside supporting disabled individuals, I also offer 30- and 60-minute advice sessions for employers.
These sessions are ideal for:
- Managers
- HR professionals
- DEI leads
- Disability network leads
- They can be booked quickly, paid by card and do not require supplier contracts.
In a focused session, we can cover:
- Access to Work in relation to an individual employee
- How Access to Work intersects with Reasonable Adjustments
- Broader policy and process questions
- How to integrate Access to Work into existing organisational systems
- You get clear, expert advice quickly and easily. An expert at your fingertips.
If you are a disabled employee whose manager or organisation is struggling to understand Access to Work, point them in my direction. Helping them understand the system better will help you secure and manage your funding more effectively.
If you need support beyond a quick call, get in touch, and we can discuss bespoke training or consultancy.
That’s all for now
See you next month,
Alice 😊
P.S. Missed an issue of the newsletter? You can catch up in my newsletter archive.