Timms Review recommends changes to 'dehumanising' PIP assessment process

The co-chairs of the Timms Review have set out their initial recommendations for changes to the personal independence payment (PIP) assessment process.

Disability minister Sir Stephen Timms was commissioned by the Keir Starmer’s government to review PIP last year, after ministers were forced to U-turn on plans for disability benefits cuts.

Any reforms to PIP were paused until the Timms Review, which is being co-produced with disabled people, had reached a conclusion.

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The Timms Review has already laid out findings showing that the PIP assessment process is “stressful and dehumanising”.

It is now setting out initial recommendations that “include proposals for reforming the current PIP system, alongside principles that could underpin more fundamental reform”.

These recommendations are not final and are still subject to further review by disabled people and the organisations which support them.

The Timms Review is expected to conclude in late autumn 2026.

What are the recommendations for PIP changes announced by the Timms Review?

There are several recommendations made by the Timms Review for PIP reforms. These include:

• Reduce unnecessary reviews of PIP for people with lifelong or degenerative conditions.
• Improve processes and communications to reduce anxiety about reviews.
• Improve the ‘How your disability affects you’ form and guidance so that it is easier to complete and captures fluctuating conditions.
• Improve the tone and language of Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) communications to be more respectful and easier to understand.
• Ensure individual needs are consistently met by properly taking into account reasonable adjustments.
• Ensure that people who need help to navigate PIP assessment process can get that help.
• More personalised and joined-up approach to managing the applications of people who need additional support.
• Introduce a framework across the PIP assessment process to govern how decisions are made, appealed, and corrected.
• Learn from mandatory reconsiderations and appeals to improve assessment outcomes – so that the DWP gets it right first time instead of people having to go through the appeals process unnecessarily.
• Improve the use of supporting evidence and strengthen processes for gathering, sharing and considering evidence, to support better decision-making.
• Review the rule which means you stop being paid PIP if you’re in hospital for more than 28 days 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 an assessment method that meets their needs, including face-to-face assessments.
• Increase the availability of accessible digital services across the PIP journey, including developing an online portal.
• Improve data collection around PIP to understand and address inequities for different groups of people.

What do people think about the Timms Review recommendations so far?

Charities have welcomed the recommendations announced so far.

Harriet Edwards, director of influencing at the national disability charity Sense, said: “It is good to see vital measures that disabled people have called for over many years included in the emerging recommendations. Reducing unnecessary and stressful award reviews for people with lifelong or degenerative conditions, introducing an advocacy service so people can communicate why they need support and creating a basic framework for how decisions are made and appealed are fundamental to a fair system.”

Helen Barnard, director of policy and research at Trussell, agreed. She said: “For too long, accessing PIP has been an exhausting and often traumatic experience for disabled people. Too many people face wrong decisions, stressful appeals and months without the support they need. We strongly welcome indications that the Timms Review will recommend changes to get PIP assessments right first time, make better use of medical evidence and reduce unnecessary reviews.”

However, there remain concerns following the government’s proposals to slash PIP last year. There is no guarantee that PIP could not be cut again within these recommendations.

And earlier this year, the health-related element of universal credit was halved for new claimants. 

Edwards said: “If the Timms Review is to truly improve disabled people’s lives, it must make clear that disability welfare benefits need to be protected and improved so people can live with dignity. The review team must be driven by strengthening support – not cutting spending to balance the country’s books at the cost of disabled people’s wellbeing.”

Barnard added that “major questions remain about who will qualify for support and how much people will receive”.

Disabled people already face disproportionate hardship, with around 75% of people referred to food banks live in a household where at least one person is disabled.

“PIP is a vital lifeline that helps disabled people meet the extra costs of disability and live independently – from specialist equipment to additional care – but the reality is that it is also playing a major role in preventing hardship,” Barnard says. “These proposals are moving in the right direction and show real promise, but their success will depend on the detail. Any reforms that weaken support risk pushing more disabled people to food banks.” 

What happens next in the Timms Review?

“These are not our final recommendations,” the review states. “They are a starting point that we now want people to test, challenge and help us to improve.”

It also states that PIP should remain a non-means tested benefit that provides cash contribution towards the extra costs faced by disabled people and people with long-term health conditions.

In the next stage of the review, workshops will be held across the country where people with lived experience of PIP will have an opportunity to shape the recommendations.

These will start on 15 September and conclude on 7 October.

There will also be roundtables held with disabled people’s organisations, charities and experts who will bring their collective expertise.

Do you have a story to tell or opinions to share about this? Get in touch and tell us more. 

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