DWP Call Wait Times Exceed 753 Years in 2023/24, Report Reveals
- Over 40 million calls were made to the Department for Work and Pensions in the year 2023/24, resulting in a drastic wait time.
- The National Audit Office reported that over six million of these calls were abandoned by frustrated callers.
- Such lengthy wait times reflect systemic issues within governmental departments impacting public services.
A recent report by the National Audit Office (NAO) has highlighted alarming call wait times for the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), revealing that individuals collectively spent over 753 years waiting for their calls to be answered in the 2023/24 period. This staggering figure is based on more than 40 million calls made to the department, with over six million of these calls abandoned by frustrated callers. The DWP plays a crucial role in the lives of over 20 million people in the UK, disbursing £268.5 billion in benefits and pensions during the same period. However, the report indicates significant inefficiencies, particularly in the processing of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claims, where only 52% were completed within the target of 75 working days. In contrast, the processing of new state pension claims fared better, with 96% completed within the expected 10 working days. The NAO also noted a rise in the number of benefit claimants, increasing from 20.3 million in May 2019 to 22.7 million by May 2023. The report criticized the DWP for its "limited transparency about service standards," which likely contributes to the high volume of calls for updates. It estimated that approximately 31.6 million minutes of phone calls could have been avoided, accounting for around 43% of the total call time in the previous year. In response to these findings, the DWP acknowledged the need for improvement and emphasized its ongoing modernization program aimed at enhancing customer service, particularly for PIP applications and the introduction of a new online application service.