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<p>The Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessment was developed in an iterative, transparent and consultative manner, in collaboration with a wide range of experts and through comprehensive public consultation between 2010-2011, prior to PIP being enacted in 2013. The findings of this consultation informed the development of the assessment criteria set out in regulations.</p><p> </p><p>All health professionals are required to assess individuals in line with the statutory requirements, including: whether an individual can complete each of the 12 activities; the manner in which they can do it; whether they can complete each activity “safely, to an acceptable standard, repeatedly and in a reasonable time period”.</p><p> </p><p>When choosing the descriptor, the health professional should also consider an individual’s ability over a 12-month period, ensuring that fluctuations are taken into account. For each activity, if a descriptor applies on more than 50 per cent of the days in the 12-month period, that descriptor should be chosen. In general, health professionals should record function over an average year for conditions that fluctuate over months, per week for conditions that fluctuate by the day, and by the day for conditions that vary over a day.</p><p> </p><p>Many of the changes set out in <em>Transforming Support: The Health and Disability White Paper</em> aim to improve our assessment of fluctuating conditions, such as the way we use medical evidence, and developing the capability of our assessors. We will also explore options for introducing a new way of gathering evidence of fluctuation in a person’s condition before their assessment.</p> |