Personal Independence Payments: Written statement - HCWS733Department for Work and Pensions

[Bananas5]

Personal Independence Payments: Written statement - HCWS733

Department for Work and Pensions

Made on: 05 June 2018

Made by: Sarah Newton (Minister of State for Disabled People, Health and Work)

HCWS733

Personal Independence Payments

Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is a modern, personalised benefit that assesses people on needs not conditions. PIP is a fairer benefit than the old DLA system as it takes a much wider look at the way an individual's health condition or disability impacts them on a daily basis.

We are constantly looking at ways to continually to improve the PIP service. In response to Paul Gray's Second Independent Review and the recent Work and Pensions Select Committee Report we outlined numerous further improvements to the PIP service. This included numerous measures to improve the clarity of our communications products and increasing the level of clinical coaching, feedback and support available to each assessor.

A key part of our efforts to improve the assessment process will be making video recording of the PIP assessment a standard part of the process. We will be piloting videoing the assessment with a view to then rolling this out across Great Britain.

We have seen improvements in the overall quality of assessments since 2015 but we recognise there is still more to do to deliver the high quality of service those claiming PIP rightly expect. We will continue to work closely with stakeholder groups and our Assessment Providers to improve the quality of claimant communications, assessments, decision making and the overall claimant experience.

It is vital for claimants that we continue to have a stable service. My Department therefore, intends to explore options to extend the current contracts for approximately two years as this will better allow for a stable transition to any new provision. At the same time we will look to enable more providers to deliver PIP by developing a DWP owned IT system. Throughout this period we will continue to focus on improving the service and the experience of claimants and offering the best value for money for the taxpayer.

We remain committed to understanding how the benefit is working and to continuous improvement in this space. Furthermore we remain committed to working closely with claimants and the organisations who represent them, and will continue to do so.

The measures I have outlined today will improve the claimant experience and we will continue to work with stakeholders to identify and implement further improvements to ensure we are delivering the high quality service claimants rightly expect and deserve.

[Twinkle0411]

Hi there Banana5 will you be posting more when you hear anything further?? Well done for posting this.

[Bananas5 in reply to Twinkle0411]

I post anything relevant and which will help members.

This particular piece may help alleviate many of their worries.

Just see what comes along in the future!!

x

[Twinkle0411 in reply to Bananas5]

Good on you and Thankyou for posting anything that you feel maybe relivent it’s kind of you to do so. I hope that this time this truly will be inforced as having myself having to appeal on pip last year and now again just having the visit again and waiting to hear if I’m still entitled to it even though I was not meant to be seen again until Dec 2018 when the appeal date was until.

I’m petrified as I’m paying bedroom tax also on my spare room in a housing association property and if i loose my pip it’s a struggle now I will then loose my home. The council have now said maybe I should downsize as I tried to in the past but I did not know I had probably no chance of children I’ve had my right ovary removed.

I have to say that in the articles where people have taken there own lives I can see why. I had a breakdown and suffer from depression since my m.e then the diagnosis of fibromyalgia and now this worry it’s awful as if any of us want to feel this way. I just wish hope that something can be done to help us all before any more lives are taken or homes are lost. My relationships have broken down with my boyfriend and certain friends and family who do not understand the condition. I truly feel for you all and let’s please please hope that something changes thanks again for posting bananas5 xxx

[Hidden]

Well I told them my condition was worse I had to go through the whole saga again and they took away my mobility benefit so all that to me is a load of bull But thank you interesting reading

[Al10]

Thanks for posting. Wondering how increasing length of contract to existing failing firms and adding new snouts to feed in the trough helps? It is all baffling unless helping hard working firms make lots of money is the prime objective here. Did I miss the point?

[Bananas5 in reply to Al10]

Don't shoot me I'm the messenger!!!

Maybe assessments being videoed? If it even happens may be the only positive point?

x

[Al10 in reply to Bananas5]

Goodness, no shooting going on here. The very idea! Think I've figured how important it is for we folks to support each other. With ideas, with info, with humour and with copious gentle hugs!

Just an observation on how the DWP operate. Seems the point of assessment is to put unsuspecting folks through the mill one by one. Folks can complain, and appeal but nothing changes for the next guy. There is no class action to force change for all. No need for the DWP to change when they lose at tribunal. The point is that all the messed up stuff is intended. It makes me sad. And mad when I have to deal with all this crazy.

Was reading something like 85% or more of disability is invisible. Figures from USA 1995? And Didn't the USA start with these ATOS assessments? So when assessors assert they see no evidence of pain or fibro etc, they know they wont, because most disability is invisible!! How about that? How to prove it to someone who doesn't want to see? Tribunal seems inevitable. Good job folks are prepared to be brave and fight for their right to survive. But sad sad sad our society has stooped to use such devious and cruel devices against it's weakest.

[Hidden in reply to Al10]

My Atos assessment 5 weeks ago they took away my mobility content This after me being Honest and telling them my conduction hade changed for the worst I sat there after struggling with parking They called me on the way and told me to hurry up There test sent pain through the roof They coned me by asking in minuets how far I could walk Instead if of meters The girl who carried out the assessment may as well of been Mathewsla a snake in the grass

[Al10 in reply to Hidden]

It is all so horrid. They don't care what's true. You can always appeal if you think they got it wrong hey?? Think the upset of appeal and tribunal is all part of the process. Wearing us down. Each person is complaining very similarly but nothing changes in the system. Invisible and fluctuating conditions they can ignore and deny. How many times have I seen comment of no evidence for pain etc.

[Hidden in reply to Al10]

I have appealed

And the texted me 4 days ago I will see what happens Bloody saga a mental torcher

[Al10 in reply to Hidden]

I hear you. It is indeed torture. Hope you get sorted but its a long exhausting process to endure.

[Hidden in reply to Al10]

Thanks I will let every one know what happens

[Hidden in reply to Bananas5]

Bananas5 All you work you do on our behalf is brilliant thank you

[Hidden in reply to Bananas5]

I don’t agree with assessments being videoed this would defiantly go against you I believe

[Mdaisy in reply to Hidden]

I am a little apprehensive about this too, don't know why?! But that's my first reaction without knowing more. I feel that after the assessor writes their information down, a health professional that knows you should be able to read it through and sign if they agree or dispute elements they feel to be inaccurate. Of course, this won't happen as GPs are over stretched as it is but to me this is the sensible thing to do. An assessor cannot get a full view of someone sitting in front of them in that short amount if time. After hearing they write the reports after seeing many people in a day, I'm convinced as so many say reports are inaccurate that they muddle up stories between each person!

I gather you'd have to agree to be filmed, could you decline or would this be part of the requirements to get benefits? Also they wouldn't record the interviews a while back due to money surely videoing would be more expensive! I think they should pay for all assessments to be recorded instead rather than us having to organise and pay for it to be recorded!

Emma

[Hidden in reply to Mdaisy]

Emma I don’t believe at my last assessment they even looked at any of my doctors letters and the didn’t call them as I asked them all Atos are the worse ever now

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Emma I’m not sure f I was filmed I don’t think so as this has on been put as through recommendations I got a tex message yesterday saying they had received my letter of complaint so I’m likely to here something next week My medication Emma yes I do take 600 mg pregablin and 4 lorazepam 1 mg at night around 11 clock but I shouldn’t advise others to do so I think I will go back to the advice of being kind to members tell them about medication but not how to take it Iv got horrible tinutus tonight 😡