Face-to-face assessment

This page is about how to fill in the face-to-face assessment section of your form.

For help with how to prepare for your face-to-face assessment itself see Preparing for your ESA medical assessment.

Arranging the assessment

The face-to-face assessment is called a work capability assessment.

The assessment is with someone like a doctor, a nurse or a physiotherapist.

You’re asked to give daytime and mobile phone numbers so that you can be called to arrange the face-to-face assessment. This is at the bottom of page 16 on the form. 

If you don’t use the phone

Don't worry if you can't use the phone or don't like to. You can ask the DWP to:

• call your carer or someone else to arrange the assessment

• write to you rather than call you - you should include the words “in writing please” in the space that asks you for a phone number

If you need an interpreter

If you can’t easily speak or understand English or Welsh, you can have an interpreter with you at the assessment.

Tick the box on the form if you have your own interpreter, for example a family member - they must be at least 16 years old. 

Dates you can’t go to an assessment

Make sure you tell the DWP if there are dates when you definitely can't go to an assessment, for example because of a hospital or doctor’s appointment.

You should list them in the box at the top of page 17.

If you’re taking an interpreter, make sure you check the dates when they’re available too.

Any other help you might need

If you need a British Sign Language or Makaton signer, speech-to-text software or a deaf/blind manual, put this on the form.

You should also say if you might need any other help for the assessment, for example:

• getting to the assessment if you have to travel to an area you don’t know

• going up and down stairs, if your assessment isn’t on the ground floor or there’s no lift

• getting out of a chair in a waiting room

• moving from room to room

Next steps

Other information

Back to Help filling in your ESA form