The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has begun trialling a new system for assessing Personal Independence Payments (PIP), moving decision-making away from health professionals to DWP case managers. Under the current system, medics assess claimants and award points that determine eligibility for up to £194.60 per week. The new model will see nurses, physiotherapists, and other assessors pass information to DWP case managers, who will then decide the points.
A trial involving 150,000 claimants has started, and the DWP may extend the approach to assessments for the health-related element of Universal Credit. However, disability campaigners have raised concerns, warning that removing health professionals from the decision-making process could lead to inaccurate outcomes. 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.”
Fazilet Hadi, head of policy at Disability Rights UK, described the change as “a recipe for disaster,” arguing that thousands of claimants could face wrong decisions, increased stress, and unnecessary appeals. She emphasised that PIP claims are deeply personal, and the current system at least allows assessors who speak directly with claimants to make recommendations based on 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.”
Additionally, the DWP announced that PIP award reviews for new claims will be set at a minimum of three years, rising to five years at the next review if the claimant remains entitled. This change, which does not apply to claimants aged 24 and under, is intended to increase the time between reviews for most cases.
