The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has begun trialling a new assessment system for Personal Independence Payments (PIP), which could see case managers rather than health professionals making decisions on claimants' eligibility. The current system involves medics conducting assessments and awarding points, with successful claimants receiving up to £194.60 per week.
Under the new system, DWP case managers will determine the number of points awarded to disabled people, based on assessments carried out by nurses, physiotherapists, and other healthcare professionals. A trial involving 150,000 claimants has already started, and the system could be extended to assess eligibility for the health-related element of Universal Credit.
Disability campaigners have expressed concerns that the changes will lead to inaccurate decisions. A DWP whistleblower told Disability Rights UK: “Removing health professionals from the decision-making process will strip out essential medical nuance, leading to poorer quality, less accurate, and less fair outcomes. Many vulnerable claimants will face wrong decisions, increased stress, financial hardship, and unnecessary appeals.”
Fazilet Hadi, Disability Rights UK’s head of policy, added: “Stopping health professionals from making recommendations on the basis of their assessment and requiring them to solely pass information to DWP case managers to make the determination, is a recipe for disaster, which will result in thousands of poorly informed and inaccurate decisions.” She emphasised the personal nature of PIP claims and the importance of assessors understanding individual needs.
A DWP spokesperson defended the trial, stating: “Case managers already make all final PIP decisions - that has not changed. This small-scale trial is about re-balancing roles so that assessors focus on what they do best, freeing up capacity by reducing duplication, and empowering case managers to apply their own judgement based on all the evidence.”
The DWP also announced that all new PIP award reviews will be set at a minimum of three years, increasing to five years at the next review if the claimant remains entitled. This change, which does not apply to claimants aged 24 and under, will extend the time between reviews for most claimants.
