Personal Independence Payment: Medical Examinations

(asked on 10th October 2022) - View Source

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has made an assessment of the potential effect of non-medical staff performing assessments of Personal Independence Payment applicants on levels of accurate diagnoses.


Answered by
Claire Coutinho Portrait
Claire Coutinho
Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
This question was answered on 18th October 2022

There are no non-medical staff conducting health assessments for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claimants. Health professionals (HPs) who conduct assessments include doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and paramedics, who we believe have the required skills set for this type of assessment.

It should be noted that the PIP assessment is not a medical assessment requiring the HP to diagnose a condition or its severity and recommend treatment options. Instead, it requires the HP to look at the impact of conditions and impairments on an individuals’ daily life and make a detailed functional assessment. This requires a very different skills set from those involved in the treatment of individuals, with less need for specialist knowledge.

After the assessment has been completed, DWP case managers take a holistic view of a claimant’s functional capability and obtain medical advice where necessary, to underpin their findings. Their decision takes into consideration all available evidence such as the claim form, any additional evidence the claimant has provided (e.g. from a carer), any further evidence that the assessment provider has obtained, and the report from the assessment provider.

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