Health professionals evaluating disability benefits are leaving en masse, with a DWP report revealing 40% of new hires quit during training due to feeling ‘despised’ and ‘de-skilled’
Health professionals tasked with assessing people for disability benefits are leaving the field in droves due to feeling ‘despised’ and ‘de-skilled’, according to research from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).
A recently-released report from the department shows that over half (52 per cent) of its health assessors left within a single year, while 40 per cent of new recruits left their roles during the three-month training period.
The research, which looked at assessors for both Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and the health-related element of Universal Credit, was carried out in Spring 2022, with findings based on 2021 data.
Both assessments have faced sustained criticism from disability campaigners as difficult and unreliable processes. Surveys by disability charity Sense show that over half (51 per cent) of disabled individuals with complex needs report feeling humiliated during their PIP assessment.
An additional 45 per cent said the experience made their symptoms worse. Assessors are required to be qualified healthcare professionals, reports the Mirror.
One told researchers: “We all got in healthcare for altruistic reasons and that maybe isn’t the case in this job… you’re a cog in the machine doing bureaucratic work.”
Many do not pursue the position until there is “no other option but to leave the NHS “, the report finds, but then feel that they have shifted from a role in which they are “respected” to one where they are “despised”.
The report stated: “In fact the HDAs may see themselves as transitioning from a role where they are high respected to one where they are despised (or at the very least, stigmatised).”
The report revealed: “An average of 4.3% of assessors left the occupation each month throughout 2021; in annual terms, this is equivalent to an attrition rate of 52%. Approximately, 40% of new recruits also leave during the training period.
“Due to these levels of attrition, very high recruitment levels are required to maintain the workforce required to meet assessment targets (for instance, between 2,000 and 3,000 FTE assessors per year, which is approximately 60% to 90% the size of the HDA (Health Disability Assessor) workforce at the time of writing).”
A senior DWP stakeholder commented: “I think we do find that people predominantly find this role very, very tough and they’ve got to be a certain kind of robust person.”
Healthcare Professionals (HCPs) working with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) in the UK undertake a crucial, non-clinical role in assessing how health conditions or disabilities impact a claimant’s everyday life, principally to support benefit entitlement decisions.
On the matter of training, the DWP stated: “However, there is an acknowledgement that a high proportion of HCPs do not make it through the training process or, where they do, do not stay in post very long. The qualitative research suggests that there is an expectation that most HDAs (Disability Assessors) will leave their role within just 2 to 3 years.”
Regarding candidates from HealthCare Professionals, one recruiter explained: “You see two brackets of [HCPs] who apply: ones in busy hospital environments who are totally burnt out and the other bracket is the ones who want to work from home…the second one is about more flexibility – it’s all about work/life balance.”
Many also return to healthcare because: “Some leave because, you know, their heart, actually they realise their heart belongs back in whatever they were doing before.”
During a PIP assessment, an assessor will allocate claimants points based on how limited their ability is to carry out daily living activities, which determines the level of their final benefit.
The assessment for the health-related element of Universal Credit is called the ‘work capability assessment’, where the examiner is instead determining the applicant’s ability to undertake employment or work-related activities (such as interviews and training). A DWP contract manager describes the challenges numerous assessors face as former healthcare professionals, explaining: “The idea that they would want to be on a treadmill of collecting details but not intervening is alien to a significant proportion of the health sector.”
A DWP spokesperson said: “We commissioned this research to better understand the challenges facing the health assessment workforce and have been acting on its findings since it was conducted. We’ve worked closely with our assessment providers to improve recruitment, training and working conditions, and the full-time equivalent health assessor workforce has grown since this research was carried out.
“We’re committed to ensuring assessments are carried out by skilled professionals who are properly supported in their roles, and we continue to work on improvements as part of our wider transformation of health assessment services.”