We know that work is good for health and wellbeing, so we want everyone to get work and get on in work, whoever they are and wherever they live. Disabled people and people with health conditions are a diverse group so access to the right work and health support, in the right place, at the right time, is key. This Government is committed to giving disabled people and people with health conditions, including people living in Somerset, the confidence that working will not trigger a reassessment and a potential loss of benefits.

We have a range of specialist initiatives to support individuals to stay in work and get back into work. These include support from Work Coaches and Disability Employment Advisers in Jobcentres, Access to Work grants and Connect to Work, as well as initiatives joining up health and employment support around the individual through Employment Advisors in NHS Talking Therapies, and WorkWell.

Through the Health Transformation Programme, we are creating a more joined-up health and employment journey for customers. This includes exploring how people claiming Personal Independence Payment (PIP) can be supported to access a range of services that improve wellbeing, independence and, where appropriate, support them to move closer to or remain in work.

As part of this, we are testing a voluntary support offer for some PIP-only customers. PIP Case Managers can refer eligible customers to a virtual hub (telephone only at present), where support is tailored to their circumstances and focused on addressing barriers to wellbeing and independence. This may include signposting to services such as the National Careers Service, and Citizens Advice, and relevant national and local support services, depending on their circumstances. The support offer is currently being tested in a limited number of areas while we learn what works best for customers.

In Jobcentres around 1,000 (full time equivalent) Pathways to Work Advisers, provide personalised one-to-one support to disabled customers and people with health conditions to help them identify and overcome obstacles which may stop them from moving towards or into work or to access employment and wider skills support, and our employment programmes.

The Timms Review, the first ever full review of PIP, seeks to ensure we have a system that supports disabled people to achieve better health, higher living standards and greater independence, including through employment.

The Review, which is considering how the assessment could ensure people access the right support at the right level, will publish its final recommendations in the autumn.

Through the Health Transformation Programme, we are expanding digital services for Personal Independence Payment customers. Over 90% of those making new PIP applications can now submit their health information online after starting their claim by phone. This is benefitting customers by removing postage times and increasing accessibility. We are continuing to extend this option to all customers and, by the end of the Programme, customers will be able to view application progress and report a change of circumstances online, reducing their need to call the enquiry line.

The Review's steering group recognise no single method of engagement and evidence-gathering will allow them to hear every voice. That is why the group has adopted a mix of approaches combining lived experience, expert insight, existing research, new quantitative data and workshops across the UK to gather evidence. This engagement included those with lived experience of autism. The findings from this engagement are being used to build a strong evidence base to inform policy analysis and the Review's recommendations.

In the next phase of the Review, Shaping Recommendation Workshops will be held and will bring together disabled people and those with long-term health conditions from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences to help shape, test and refine the Review's emerging recommendations.

Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessments are functional assessments designed to consider how a person’s health conditions or impairments affect their ability to carry out daily living and mobility activities. They do not require health professionals (HPs) to diagnose conditions or recommend treatment.

All assessment suppliers are required to ensure that HPs have appropriate training and knowledge of the clinical aspects and likely functional effects of a wide range of health conditions and impairments, including Autism and learning disabilities. All HPs undertaking assessments on behalf of the department must be registered practitioners and receive comprehensive training in disability analysis, including how to assess the impact of health conditions on day-to-day activities, alongside awareness training covering a range of conditions, symptoms and disabilities.

From 9 September 2024 the educational material for all Health Assessment Advisory Service HPs has been provided by DWP. As part of our review, we identified best practice in the NHS and have implemented the Oliver McGowan training as part of the mandatory training requirements for every HP. This training is recognised to be of significant value to HPs in ensuring they have the skills and knowledge to provide safe, informed, and compassionate assessments to claimants with autism and learning disabilities.

In addition, HPs have access to a wide range of Core Training and Guidance Materials (CTGM). These resources offer detailed clinical and functional information, including the potential risks and limitations of a range of conditions, including autism and learning disabilities, to support HPs in delivering informed assessments. Following the transfer of responsibilities to DWP all training and guidance materials are undergoing a comprehensive review and update. A newly established team is leading this work, ensuring that all materials are aligned with national best practice standards. To support this, independent clinical experts are being engaged to provide external quality assurance, helping to ensure the accuracy, relevance, and consistency of the content.

Information on Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessment outcomes by primary condition can be found on Stat Xplore. PIP claimants can have more than one condition and this data only indicates the primary condition as determined during the PIP assessment process.

The requested data can be found in the ‘PIP Clearances’ dataset. You can expand the ‘Disability’ filter to narrow to ‘Autistic spectrum disorders’ and ‘Learning disability global’. You can expand the ‘Clearance type detail’ filter to select awarded and disallowed claims.

You can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest user. Guidance on how to use Stat-Xplore is also available here: Personal Independence Payment data on Stat-Xplore: user guide - GOV.UK.

The Timms Review seeks to ensure that PIP is fair and fit for the future. The Review's terms of reference set out a broad scope to ensure that PIP effectively captures the impact of long-term health conditions and disabilities in the modern world.

The Review is being co-produced with disabled people, the organisations that represent them, and other experts. The steering group has shaped a programme of participation that brings together the full range of views and voices, including those with autism and learning disabilities.

The interim report of the Timms Review found that PIP as a benefit is no longer fit for purpose and is failing to keep pace with how disability, health and work have changed over the past decade.

The next phase of the Review is testing and refining recommendations for reform. The Review will report its recommendations to the Secretary of State in autumn.

Personal Independence Payment assessments are not medical consultations and do not require health professionals (HPs) to diagnose conditions or recommend treatment. Instead, they are functional assessments designed to evaluate how an individual’s health conditions or impairments affect their ability to carry out daily living and mobility activities.

All HPs undertaking assessments on behalf of the department must be registered practitioners; they receive comprehensive training in disability analysis, including how to assess the impacts of medical conditions on people’s day-to-day activities, as well as awareness training in a range of conditions, symptoms and disabilities. Assessment suppliers are required to demonstrate that HPs meet all our requirements before they are approved to carry out assessments on behalf of DWP.

HPs have access to a wide range of Core Training and Guidance Material (CTGM), which offers detailed and quality assured clinical and functional information on a range of conditions. There are thousands of unique clinical conditions, most of which have a range of functional effects where disability can vary from nil to profound. It would be impossible to have specific training on all conditions. There are over 23,000 rare diseases alone listed in the Orphanet directory.

As of 9 September 2024, DWP assumed responsibility for the CTGM used within the Health Assessment Advisory Service (HAAS); this information is provided by DWP to the HAAS assessment suppliers. Following the transfer of responsibilities to DWP, all training and guidance materials are currently undergoing a comprehensive review and update. A newly established team is leading this work, ensuring that all materials are aligned with national best practice standards. To support this, independent clinical experts are being engaged to provide external quality assurance, helping to ensure the accuracy, relevance, and consistency of the content.

Information on the number of PIP claimants by constituency and ward is available via Stat-Xplore.

Select the dataset ‘PIP Cases with Entitlement from 2019’. Under the ‘Geography’ folder, expand the ‘Westminster Parliamentary Constituency’ tab to select the desired constituency, or the ‘National – Regional – LA – Ward’ tab to select the desired wards. Then select ‘Retrieve Data’.

You can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest user. Guidance on how to use Stat-Xplore is also available here: Personal Independence Payment data on Stat-Xplore: user guide - GOV.UK.

The information is in the table.

Table 1: Clearance times (weeks) for PIP award reviews

Notes:

• Clearance times refer to the time between a review is registered to when it’s cleared.
• Includes normal rules claims under DWP policy ownership (England, Wales, and abroad).

All claims remain in payment whilst award reviews are in progress and award increases identified during a planned review will be backdated as appropriate. Should customers report a change of circumstance and trigger an unplanned review, their claim will be prioritised alongside new claims.

We are committed to ensuring people can access financial support through Personal BIndependence Payment (PIP) in a timely manner. Reducing customer journey times for PIP claimants is a priority for the Department and we are working constantly to make improvements to our service, which is kept under constant review.

We always aim to make an award review decision as quickly as possible, taking into account the need to assess all available evidence, including that from the claimant. Most award review decisions are now made without the need for an assessment by a Healthcare Professional, where we have sufficient information, which helps to reduce the time taken to process many cases.