Discrediting experiences: outcomes of eligibility assessments for claimants with psychiatric compared with non-psychiatric conditions transferring to personal independence payments in England

Katie Pybus; Kate E Pickett; Stephanie L Prady; Charlie Lloyd; Richard Wilkinson

doi:10.1192/bjo.2019.3

Discrediting experiences: outcomes of eligibility assessments for claimants with psychiatric compared with non-psychiatric conditions transferring to personal independence payments in England

BJPsych Open. 2019 Mar;5(2):e19. doi: 10.1192/bjo.2019.3.

Authors

Katie Pybus¹, Kate E Pickett², Stephanie L Prady³, Charlie Lloyd⁴, Richard Wilkinson⁵

Affiliations

¹ Research Fellow,Department of Health Sciences,University of York,UK.
² Professor of Epidemiology,Department of Health Sciences,University of York,UK.
³ Senior Research Fellow,Department of Health Sciences,University of York,UK.
⁴ Reader in Social Policy and Criminal Justice,Department of Social Policy and Social Work,University of York,UK.
⁵ Professor Emeritus,University of Nottingham Medical School; Honorary Professor, University College London; andHonorary Professor,Department of Health Sciences,University of York,UK.

Abstract

Background: Recent qualitative research suggests that changes to the way eligibility for welfare payments is determined in the UK may be detrimental to claimants with mental illnesses. No large-scale analysis has been undertaken to date.AimsTo examine differences between claimants with psychiatric conditions compared with non-psychiatric conditions in the number of claims disallowed following a personal independence payment (PIP) eligibility assessment for existing disability living allowance (DLA) claimants.

Method: Administrative data on DLA claimants with psychiatric conditions transferring to PIP between 2013 and 2016 was compared with claimants with non-psychiatric conditions to explore differences in the number of claims disallowed following an eligibility assessment.

Results: Claimants with a mental illness were 2.40 (95% CI 2.36-2.44) times more likely to have their existing DLA entitlement removed following a PIP eligibility assessment than claimants with musculoskeletal conditions, neurological conditions and diabetes.

Conclusions: PIP eligibility assessment outcomes show marked differences by health condition, raising questions as to whether the process is equitable.Declaration of interestNone.

Keywords: Service users; eligibility assessment; parity of esteem; personal independence payments; welfare reform.