Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will take steps to ensure that PIP assessments prioritise reports from specialists relevant in the field that the individual has a disability from.

The Personal Independent Payment (PIP) assessment is a functional assessment, which focuses on how an individual’s health condition or disability affects their ability to carry out a range of daily living and mobility activities.

Health Care Professionals must review and consider all further evidence to inform their advice to the DWP Case Manager. The PIP assessment does not require prioritisation of supplementary information provided by specialists as all evidence must be interpreted and evaluated using medical reasoning, considering the circumstances of the case and the expected impact on the claimant’s daily living and/or mobility.

All Health Professionals (HPs) receive comprehensive training in disability analysis, including how to assess the impact of medical conditions on people’s day-to-day activities, as well as awareness training in a range of conditions, symptoms and disabilities.

HPs have access to a wide range of Core Training and Guidance Material (CTGM). These resources offer detailed clinical and functional information, including the potential risks and limitations of a range of conditions to support HPs in delivering informed assessments. All core training and guidance materials are quality assured to ensure their accuracy from both a clinical and policy perspective.