The target-driven system to decide disabled people’s personal independence payments (PIP) is leaving staff “overwhelmed” and in tears, whistleblowers have revealed.
One ex-assessor claimed that there was pressure to reduce the number of PIP awards, which can be worth up to £800 a month.
Disabled benefits claimants are anxiously awaiting the prospect of reforms, as the Government considers a “radically different” system.
Former PIP assessors backed the idea of overhauling the “rushed and superficial” system. However, politicians from the major parties do not understand the kind of changes that are needed, they told The i Paper.
Work and Pension Secretary Pat McFadden recently told MPs that the PIP review, led by his colleague Stephen Timms, could see spending on the disability benefit reduced.
The Labour minister has suggested the current PIP system is struggling to keep pace with a surge in diagnoses of conditions that barely registered when it was set up over a decade ago.
Reform UK and the Conservatives want a dramatically cut-back PIP system, promising to axe eligibility for many with mental health issues and neurodivergent conditions like ADHD and autism.
‘Government doesn’t know how to fix system’
Those who have worked on the front line of benefits claims think eligibility for certain conditions is a distraction. The focus of reform should be on creating an assessment system that is more humane and accurate, they argued.
Currently, PIP claimants who score eight points in questions about how well they can carry out everyday activities and get around receive the lower rate of the benefit, with 12 points or more leading to the higher rate.
Former PIP assessor James Merrell, who worked for one of the Department for Work and Pension’s (DWP) contract companies from 2023 to 2024, told The i Paper that he became frustrated by “unrealistic” targets before quitting.
The qualified nurse had to do three assessments a day. There was pressure from managers to minimise points in a bid to restrict the number of PIP awards given, Merrell claimed.
His reports would come back for revision from managers. “The expectation each time was that you had to reduce [points]. The pressure was to reduce [points] or not give an award.”
James Merrell worked on PIP benefit claims and became frustrated by ‘unrealistic’ targets (Photos: PA)More time should be given to gather medical evidence, and there should be less reliance on face-to-face “snapshot” interviews that do not deal with fluctuating conditions very well, he said.
“If you get better decisions first time, then you don’t need to go through appeals and tribunals,” said Merrell, who called the current system “rushed and superficial”.
He added: “When people say the system is broken, I don’t disagree. But what will really change to fix it? I don’t think the Government really know what to do.”
Why people struggle to get the PIP they deserve
Phillipa* was a psychiatric nurse before becoming a PIP assessor. She left in 2025 after nine months having become disillusioned with the job.
She said there was pressure to do three or four assessment reports a day. One senior manager “laughed about how long it was taking me to complete reports”, she said.
There were “frequent tears” among “overwhelmed” new staff who struggled with the demands, Phillipa added.
Disabled people do not always “fit neatly” into the rigid categories that lead to points, so some claimants struggle to get the benefit they are entitled to, said the ex-assessor.
“People inevitably became numbers attached to productivity targets, and I found that deeply uncomfortable.”
Phillipa suggested that a better system would allow assessors to “explore the wider clinical picture”.
Assessors should be able to apply their nursing knowledge with “an appreciation of how complex health conditions can be”, she added. “Human beings don’t fit neatly into boxes.”
Reform’s plan is ‘bonkers’
McFadden recently suggested to MPs on the Work and Pensions Committee that the system was struggling with a rise in claims from people with anxiety, depression and neurodiversity.
However, Timms told The i Paper last month that his review has not so far “looked at changing eligibility on the basis of a diagnosis”.
McFadden also told MPs there was “nothing to stop” the Timms Review from recommending changes that would cut spending on PIP. Spending is forecast to rise from £32.1bn this year to £44.7bn by 2030-31.
The Tories have said they would urgently reassess all “mild” PIP claims, citing anxiety, depression and ADHD in a bid to get more people into work.
Reform has said it would scrap PIP altogether and introduce a new disability benefit for only the most “severe” cases as part of a plan to cut £50bn a year from the welfare bill.
Nigel Farage’s party said all those claiming PIP for “mental health or trivial conditions” would be reassessed, estimating that 2.89 million of 4 million current claimants could see their benefits reduced or withdrawn.
Merrell said it would be “disgusting” to try to restrict PIP for people with a mental health condition, autism or ADHD. “We should not discriminate between conditions. Who has the right to say those conditions don’t matter?”
Reform’s ideas for PIP are “bonkers”, said Merrell. “It’s completely unrealistic to think so many people can have support removed. They seem to be suggesting most people don’t deserve support. The vast majority of claimants and people who consider applying for PIP are struggling and have evidence to show they are impaired by the condition.”
Could PIP be tied to work?
Keir Starmer’s government was forced to ditch plans to squeeze eligibility for PIP last year after a rebellion by Labour MPs. It was part of a plan to cut benefits by £5bn a year, which had to be greatly watered down.
Andy Burnham has said that he is “not squeamish” about the need to reduce the UK’s welfare bill. The PM has ruled out “crude” short-term cuts, suggesting that reduced spending could happen over time by getting more people into work.
Alan Milburn, who is leading a review of the youth unemployment crisis, has suggested he could recommend changing PIP in some way for 18- to 24-year-olds so there greater focus on getting people into employment.
Timms said that changes could “enable PIP to do a better job to support people into employment”. The disability minister’s recommendations are not due until this autumn.
Merrell pointed out that PIP is “not an out-of-work benefit – it’s there to deal with the costs of having a disability”.
“The consequences of having a disability do not disappear when you’re in a job. So it shouldn’t be conditional on work in any way, regardless of age.”
A DWP spokesperson said: “We inherited a system of rising costs and poor outcomes for too many people, as well as a collapse in face-to-face assessments inherited from the previous government which we are rectifying.”
They said recommendations from the Timms and Milburn reviews “will lay the foundation for sustainable reform”.
Reform UK and the Conservatives were contacted for comment.
*Name has been changed to protect anonymity
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