PIP Disability Assessor

[Fizbo]

Hi has does anyone on here work or worked in the past as a disability assessor?
I am considering applying for a post and would really like to know of personal experience.
My background is nursing in the NHS which I have finally had enough of after 15 years.
I have researched the role online but would prefer to hear the experience of someone that has actually experienced the role as a assessor as opposed to a claimant.
Grateful for any advice.

What has your research told you? How comfortable with lies are you?

Don’t ignore what claimant says often the reports are so full of ridiculous truths on such high scale then anything other than company policy would explain it. Even down to “walks the dog for hour everyday” when claimants had never had a dog never mind can walk.

@CorrBlimeyGG so the reviews of the post on glass door and indeed appear to be 50/50 there are some HCP's who have claimed there reports were constantly changed from their findings, yet others who have said they have been fully supported in the role and that their reports were never falsified? Hence why I would like to know from a real person not just random reviews online. As regards my comfort with lies, of course I will not 'sell my soul' for the sake of money at the risk of ruining a persons life.

I do feel however I am constantly in situations in the hospital where patients are at risk and despite the nurses trying to change things clinical and non clinical managers do not care and continue to let patient care slip to frankly disgusting levels.

My other option is the local Aldi for a job but if I could retain my years of experience as a nurse I would prefer to to that.

What about the claimants you have to tell lies about, manipulate what they say to decline them an income?

www.theguardian.com/society/2019/feb/04/dwp-apologise-for-telling-seriously-ill-man-to-find-a-job

This is what you'd be a part of.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-58284613

I looked into this, went as far as telephone interviews but a friend who was going through the process at the same time found out some worrying information. The partner of one of her colleagues was an AHP assessor who had worked in the role for a few months. Apparently there was a lot of time pressure for completion of reports which I thought sounded fair. But also we heard that during the first year of employment you could be dismissed with no notice if they felt you were too slow/not putting “right” things in reports. When we asked our recruiter he didn’t confirm but didn’t deny so that was enough for us. The nhs has many many faults but you do have that feeling of security.

I'd rather be homeless, hungry and destitute before I took money for systematically taking money away from society's most vulnerable

In a nutshell, I'd rather shit in my hands and clap than work for the DWP

@FlorenceNightshade thank you for your input, for me my time at the NHS is most definitely over. We are being forced to discharge people who are not coping and who always bounce back within days in a worse state then when they left. The pressure is as bad as the first wave of Covid and I can't be part of that cruelty anymore.

Whilst I'm sure there are nurses that don't have the same experience as me I really have had enough. On my last shift 3 patients fell over, one particularly badly. I was told to keep a member of staff in each bay which is fine until you have to leave to get medications from the treatment room or walk someone to the toilet/provide personal care behind a closed curtain, or god forbid let a member of you team take a break that they are not paid for during a 12.5 hour shift. When I escalated the need for more staff prior to the falls I was told ' what do you expect us to do? There are wards with less staff then you today and they are just getting on with it' I have lost count of the amount of clinical incident reports I have submitted in my own time because there is no time to do them on duty and the feedback is always the same useless advice of try to keep someone in the bay at all times.

It seems healthcare irrespective of whether it's in a hospital setting or assessing patients for benefit claims is failing the people it is meant to serve and protect.

I am going to pick up a form from Aldi this afternoon. Thank you all for your views and experiences

@Fizbo are you in a union? If you are please get in touch and tell them what’s been happening. Does your trust have a whistleblower line? If so please use it. If you have any full pay sick leave left then get yourself signed off! That sounds horrific.
By all means leave but make sure the powers that be are aware of why!

@FlorenceNightshade yes I'm with the RCN and have been advised to document everything and keep submitting incident/datix reports.
I wrote my resignation months ago but have been building up to to actually printing it off and submitting it. I have requested an exit interview with HR and have stated clearly the reasons I am leaving. As regards whistleblowing I know someone who tried this and was 'managed out'

There is a real culture of trying to make the nurse feel like they are the one who is just not able to manage their workload effectively. My trust are also in the process of trying to recruit foreign nurses from India. I have heard that regardless of their experience they are starting them all on a newly qualified band 5 wage, this is unfair and I wonder what sort of working conditions they have been mis-sold!

As I am now certain I am leaving I will try not go quietly but I am quite frankly broken and out of fight. I don't have the strength to keep fighting a losing battle.

Out of my qualifying cohort of 25, 3 of us are still practicing. Me at band 5, one at band 7 and another in the community. The others have either retired early, left on health grounds or completely changed career. I was fortunate that after having children I could go back part time but even that is too much now.

I had a really wonderful student recently, possibly the best I have ever mentored. On her last day I told her to really think hard about continuing in nursing and that I was leaving. She plans to emigrate to Australia as soon as able and I am happy for her. What a sad state of affairs when nurses are trying to talk the best of our future practitioners out of the career.

Sorry for waffling, I really appreciate your support

@Fizbo that is so sad. All of it. The only thing I would advise is don’t hand in your resignation without somewhere to go. Use your sick leave if you have to.
Definitely have an exit interview and go as loudly as you feel able too. And once you’ve handed your notice in give the whistleblowing some more thought, they can’t manage you out if you are already going.
Have you considered nursing home roles? I’m in the middle of the recruitment process for that

I have heard the assessor work is alright if you are fast, and generally there is little pressure to change reports if it is felt you stick to rules. Ultimately that means you have to be happy applying the standards society has set for who gets disability support and not the standards that many wish society would set.

if you are on Facebook there is a group called "mental health nursing". There are quite a lot of threads about what it is like to be a PIP assessor. Most of them are very negative stating how it is a very pressured job with unrealistic targets and also the ethical issues with the job are discussed.

I also looked into it as the salary is good and I was very stressed nursing in the NHS but decided it would probably not be less stress in some ways.

I did finally leave after 15 years and now working as a learning support assistant with students who have additional needs. It was a pay cut and not an easy job but I am so much happier without the stresses of nursing.

[quote Fizbo]@FlorenceNightshade yes I'm with the RCN and have been advised to document everything and keep submitting incident/datix reports.
I wrote my resignation months ago but have been building up to to actually printing it off and submitting it. I have requested an exit interview with HR and have stated clearly the reasons I am leaving. As regards whistleblowing I know someone who tried this and was 'managed out'

There is a real culture of trying to make the nurse feel like they are the one who is just not able to manage their workload effectively. My trust are also in the process of trying to recruit foreign nurses from India. I have heard that regardless of their experience they are starting them all on a newly qualified band 5 wage, this is unfair and I wonder what sort of working conditions they have been mis-sold!

As I am now certain I am leaving I will try not go quietly but I am quite frankly broken and out of fight. I don't have the strength to keep fighting a losing battle.

Out of my qualifying cohort of 25, 3 of us are still practicing. Me at band 5, one at band 7 and another in the community. The others have either retired early, left on health grounds or completely changed career. I was fortunate that after having children I could go back part time but even that is too much now.

I had a really wonderful student recently, possibly the best I have ever mentored. On her last day I told her to really think hard about continuing in nursing and that I was leaving. She plans to emigrate to Australia as soon as able and I am happy for her. What a sad state of affairs when nurses are trying to talk the best of our future practitioners out of the career.

Sorry for waffling, I really appreciate your support [/quote]
I left Nursing after 35 years when the place I worked in became like this, it was so stressful, people falling, no time to give proper care etc.
I no longer have my registration but when I still did, i did consider being a PIP assessor but had a friend do it and she only lasted six months, she hated it. I now work as a benefits adviser and feel I use my Nursing skills to help people complete disability benefit forms, my nursing knowledge comes in handy and I use all my communication skills etc. I have sat in on quite a few PIP assessments in people's homes to support them, these assessors won't let you speak on behalf of the patient. I witnessed one who made an elderly lady with spinal fractures on morphine bend down to see how far she could bend. I was telling the patient she didn't have to do it and the patient was crying in pain but trying to do as she was asked. I would rather be paid half the wages and do what I do now than ever go back to Nursing or do the job of a PIP assessor.

How about working in PALS? Or as a clinical trials coordinator in the trust? There are probably many other hospital roles that might suit. Also look for community roles, in my area there are lots of "social prescribing" or "enablement officer" type roles (some NHS, some county council) which look to be very rewarding.

Hi,

i could of wrote this for myself!! As a matter of interest what did you do?
I too work in MH and have done so for 20 years, both inpatients and community. I am completely exhausted and considering a PIP assessor role. There is no support, more pressure and the most amount of bitching and backbiting. Considering we work in MH the lack of empathy towards colleagues is phenomenal.
i just firefight!
i honestly started nursing to make a difference and support people during a time they need it the most.
i don’t believe i am of any use! Wheres the therapeutic interventions! We have no time whatsoever. If we raise this we are told this is how it is (in a nutshell)
This is now hugely effecting my MH.
If anyone has left a role within the NHS or become a PIP assessor i would love some advice /suggestions on possible job opportunities.

Hi, I'm currently at this point! Did you become a PiP Assessor?

@Sarah28008 im also considering this, did you make the change?

Anyone else left nursing to do this?

It’s shit! They make you change your report due you wording something slightly differently than you meant but won’t let you change what you wrote to explain further what you mean (not sure that makes sense).

It sucks your soul dry. You’ll see loads blagging the system but others that clearly need help that just don’t say the right things in the right way to get the help they need. It’s awful!

Whole families living off PIP claiming to be each other’s carers, changes your perspective slightly I can tell you.

Can I just check. Am in a similar position! Did you try the job ?