11/09/2026
Yesterday, Timms published a document with “emerging recommendations” regarding the review of the personal independence payment. https://zurl.co/nEIgG
The recommendations, outlined in the Annex, are:
• Reduce unnecessary award reviews for people with lifelong or degenerative conditions and improve processes and communications to reduce anxiety about award reviews.
• Improve the PIP2 form and guidance to ensure it is easier to complete and better captures fluctuating conditions.
• Improve the tone and language of Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) communications to be more respectful and easier to understand.
• Improve the identification, implementation and monitoring of reasonable adjustments to ensure individual needs are consistently met.
• Ensure that people who need help to navigate the PIP process can access advocacy services.
• Introduce a more personalised and joined-up approach to managing the applications of people who need additional support, to reform the DWP process for managing people’s PIP claims, enabling individuals with the highest support needs to access tailored support. This could include designated support teams to provide continuity.
• Introduce a framework across the PIP assessment process to govern how decisions are made, appealed, and corrected to improve the quality, consistency and transparency of assessments.
• Strengthen feedback mechanisms to apply learning from Mandatory Reconsiderations (MRs) and appeals across the PIP process to improve consistency in decision-making and accountability for assessors
• Review how supporting evidence is used and strengthen processes for gathering, sharing and considering relevant evidence.
• Review the 28-day hospitalisation rule to reduce stress and ensure that people receive the support they need.
• Improve how PIP assesses and accounts for fluctuating conditions.
• Ensure that people have access to the right assessment method to meet their needs, including increased capacity for face-to-face assessments.
• Increase the availability of accessible digital services across the PIP journey to streamline the process and improve accessibility, including the development of an online portal.
• Improve data collection and reporting on people applying for PIP, to understand and address inequities in the experience and outcomes for different groups of people
It is heartening that the report aligns with several points made in the Institute's response to the Timms Review of Personal Independence Payment: Call for Evidence https://zurl.co/VO6l4 , such as our call for a nationally funded advocacy/support strategy, our recommendation for genuine choice of assessment method, and our stance on there being no reassessment for highest-rate claimants with conditions not expected to improve.