I’m a PIP assessor, happy to advise if I can

[Impr90]

Hello all,

If you’ve got any questions you think I might be able to help with, please let me know

All the best for the New Year

If the OP is genuine then it’s another example of how misunderstood the system is - because if the OP believes that she makes the awards and the DM’s simply sign them off then that’s a huge issue as it’s simply not correct.

Its complicated enough for claimants to navigate the system, let alone if they’re dealing with assessors who don’t actually understand what happens with their reports

Did not claim to work for the DWP get your facts right. I am not stating where I worked - just saw a lot of frauds which is what is is haemorrhaging money from the system.

No PIP Assessor could be expected to be an expert on every single disability/ chronic condition ,and it's not based on diagnosis,it's based on how that condition impacts a peeson ,so if à person can prove their condition / disability prevents them from being independent in the activities of daily living they should be awarded ( not saying this is always straightforward)

I had exactly the same

Do you realise that the decision makers aren’t even clinicians?

Pip fraud is basically non existent due to the amount of medical evidence needed

but we have seen time and time again - tribunals etc - that there has been egregious [insert preferred synonym for lying] on the part of assessors that it is beyond belief that there is no reason for this.

No matter how many people - thank goodness - have a "good" experience, the ones that don't are truly truly awful.

I'd like to see a complete overhaul, starting with "this assessment is being recorded, we strongly suggest you agree as it will help in any future correspondence, but you can disagree and no recording will be made". Starting with the premise that people don't generally apply for PIP if they don't think they need it. But generally, not [insert preferred synonym for lying] about what happened even when there was a witness would be a good start.

OP - I'm sorry about what happened to your friend. The lack of care and protection for healthcare workers is shocking.

Yes. Which is a massive issue.

Have you accepted yet that they do not, as you stated, simply “sign off” your decisions?

Or are you still maintaining that falsehood?

They should know enough to assess people

I was asked what one of my conditions was. I was then told it wasn't that disabling and I don't need the therapy that my consultant referred me for

sorry, had understood from your super informed inside info that you did.

Why don't you drop it now. We can all read the reports.

They definitely should.

the first time my daughter had an assessment for her narcolepsy the assessor googled it while we were in the room. They were a physio and absolutely fascinated as they’d never heard of it. Was utterly bizarre.

I agree.they should read the reports on how it affects you and wether thst makes you eligible or not, the eligibility criteria we could argue is too narrow but as it stands that's whst assessors have to use if they haven't or you feel they have made a mistake appeal.

I'd just like to say that the process we went through with my DH's application was honest and thorough and the assessor was understanding. I worry when people claim that ALL assessors are liars - this is such a sweeping accusation that just isn't true. We didn't get any help with DH's application and it was approved without an appeal.

OP, we are told to inform the DWP of any update to DH's medical condition. However, after a lifetime of illness, his condition changes weekly. Just last year he had six hospital admissions. Do we really have to inform the DWP of all of these admissions and any worsening symptoms?

Happy to - you continued after I asked you to do the same. 😅

It is down to the claimant to explain the impact their condition has on them with enough clarity that the assessor can fully understand it, backed up with reports from their professionals.
As a physio, I understood this when I completed my own pip application and interview, which is maybe why I was sucessful at first attempt - I understood what they were looking for.

I do think there should be an easier way applications could be reviewed at draft stage and feedback given on the way they are written and a 2nd attempt permitted rather than going through whole process and having to start again.
I have read applications whilst completing references and sometimes gone back to the family to say they need to add much more detail with broad guidance on this, whilst trying to be careful that I'm not telling them what to write, as it needs to be their words and experience. It's a fine line, but there is definitely a skill in writing the application which makes it easier for some than others to have a sucessful claim. And that's a fault with the process rather than the claimant or the assessor.

Yes but they should understand and be able to interpret functionality
A friend had RP and was told despite being registered severely sight impaired she couldn't be eligible for PIP as she wasn't actually blind as her acuities were too good.
her registration is based on almost non existent visual fields with a tiny window of vision that means she can read the vision chart albeit slowly.
all of the form was about the functional impact of this field constriction
the assessor ignored all of this and just looked at the recorded acuities and dismissed her claim on the basis she could see better than she claimed.
Mercifully she had some support to challenge this but it nearly broke he

To reiterate: Why on earth would anyone want to do a job that injects so much misery and fear into the lives of anyone with a medical condition?

Maybe to raise the standard and try to be fair and objective ? Assessors can only work within the system, they can’t change what has been legislated for. All they can do is ensure that they are accurate, objective and honest.

What I find amusing is the amount of criticism of OP for actually being an assessor. How do you think disability benefit awards could otherwise be decided - someone has to do it.

What were your hopes for starting this thread @Impr90 ? I don’t mean this to sound confrontational, I am genuinely curious as you (and we all) know this is an emotive topic which was likely to generate a lot of heated responses. I understand you’ve said you’ve got a lot on with your family currently and are struggling to respond, yet you still decided to start this thread.

Generally with AMA’s the OP wants to clarify any misinformation or provide insights or clarity into their topic. Is this the case for you too?

Would like to say that although my assessments were stressful, and the wait excruciating my expperience was good. The assessors involved were both polite and even sympathetic to my circumstances.

people have to do their jobs and some jobs are easier and seem more acceptable to the public.

thankk you Op.

Exactly! It has been suggested that those completing the assessment should be specific health professionals to improve accuracy, and at the sane time that no health professionals should do this role as its against their ethics. So who exactly should do it?

Firstly the systemic processes need to change, in order for health professionals to feel confident that they can work in an ethically sound way within the system. It is understandable, and frustrating, to villainise assessors when really it is the DWP assessment process at fault. Working in a stigmatised, pressured and stressful system is bound to take its toll on any health professional - it’s not hard to believe that moral injury and compassion fatigue affect PIP assessors. Which in turn then effects claimants experiences of the assessor. I was curious about how the DWP mitigates against this and protects the wellbeing of assessors but the OP hasn’t answered my questions.

drop it. I was trying to help you with your "deleted" post. But ho hum.

I’d highly doubt they’ll do anything about the wellbeing of assessors who will work for private companies that the assessments are outsourced to.

Hopefully as part of the overhaul, assessments will not continue to be outsourced to private companies.

Incidentally, these private companies still have a duty of care to the healthcare professionals they employ.

but for a complete lay-person like me who has zero point of contact with any of this, how am i to understand "assesor helped me walk along to the bathroom" (after a seizure) "then put on the form that i am mobile" when it was clearly not true? Why can't a medical professional who is presumed to be a truthful and honest person, help the person write on the form that because of x disability/symptoms they cannot walk more than 10 feet unaided, and that even those 10 feet take 5 minutes and cause pain that needs x hours to recuperate.

where is the contradiction in medical ethics in that? I don't understand the issue (clearly i don't) but when the next elections come around i want to vote for a party that may implement some real positive changes to our systems so i would like to understand the process.

Harping on at OP for doing a job that is considered one of the shitty ones isn't helpful. We must assume that she has best intentions of doing her job properly, i think.