1 December 2011
Dr James Bolton, Deputy Chief Medical Adviser, Department for Work & Pensions, held a meeting today to gather initial feedback on the second draft of the PIP assessment criteria.
The meeting was attended by representatives from key charities including the MS Society, Papworth Trust, RNIB, NDCS, Citizens Advice and Action for M.E. (by telephone).
Dr Bolton opened the meeting by saying that:
- The first draft of the assessment criteria had been published earlier this year and the DWP followed this with widespread consultation and testing. The new revised version has now been published.
- The next step will be to publish further information on the impact of the new PIP, and then to run a formal consultation on the proposals early next year.
- The DWP would interested to consider case studies which illustrate how the criteria might be applied to individual disabled people.
Representatives in attendance made the following points:
- It is very difficult to comment on the criteria without being given the intended thresholds of eligibility, which need to be determined as soon as possible.
- Consideration of issues relating to fluctuating conditions, such as sustainability, reliability, repeatability and exhaustion should be included in the descriptors.
- Case studies examined should include people with more complex conditions which change over time.
To share your views on the new criteria, or to be a case study, please contact Action for M.E.'s Policy Officer
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