Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what specific, accredited training is provided to departmental case managers operating the Personal Independence Payment Transform Decision Making pilot to help them identify (1) masking, (2) verbal compliance, and (3) executive dysfunction, within written functional assessment reports for claimants with learning disabilities; and how they audit the accuracy of case managers' descriptor selections for cognitive impairments compared to physical impairments.

Transformed decision making aims to rebalance the decision making process by refocusing Healthcare Professionals on providing clear, factual evidence, while reinforcing the role of DWP Case Managers to make the final decision using all available evidence.

Healthcare Professionals will focus on assessing and recording clear, factual evidence about the functional impacts of a customer’s health condition or disability. They will no longer provide views on descriptor selection or award length.

All Personal Independence Payment (PIP) case managers receive non-accredited mandatory learning, enabling them to support customers with a broad range of health, disability and additional needs. Masking, verbal compliance and executive dysfunction are not explicitly referenced. However, the learning equips case managers to determine appropriate actions, avoid making assumptions, and explain the reasonable adjustments, support and signposting options DWP can offer for a broad range of additional needs.

The Quality Assurance process deployed by colleagues to check decision accuracy is consistent with the approach already used by PIP case managers.

We are testing the transformed decision making approach at small scale and will evaluate the impacts as the trial progresses.