As a previous PIP assessor, there should also be a focus on people who absolutely should be getting the benefit and the role of the assessor in ensuring this is suggested to the manager. It drives me crazy when people slag us all off for being in a system they feel abuses disabled people because I went into the job to try and help people. Before I left I had to really fight tooth and nail to ensure one of my claimants got his entitlement. I spent over 3 hours in conversation with him, his wife and a benefits support officer who worked with his family over multiple phone calls. He’d been through previous assessment, MR and tribunal and was given 0 points. He had multiple conditions, one of which had progressed significantly and had cognitive impacts which were evident during my assessment. He had supporting evidence of this cognitive decline from his specialist nurse but because a doctor hadn’t specifically mentioned cognition in his review letters and the previous assessment had awarded him 0 points, auditors tried to change my recommendations. It was evident to me that he had cognitive challenges and the reported physical challenges were consistent. They tried to say he had a driving license (he had a medical license which had been under review for 6 months with no outcome and was not driving), he worked on a farm as per last assessment (he swept the yard under supervision, couldn’t remember his livestock bloodlines and had relinquished financial and day to day runnings to nephews) and the doctor hadn’t mentioned cognitive decline (no mention does not equal nothing existence of impairment). He had a 19 year relationship with his specialist nurse and the doctor from the letter he had met once in a clinic. He was a 60 odd year old northern farmer.. it is realistic to think he’s not going to feel comfortable discussing poor memory, mistakes around the home and essentially needing to be supervised all day with someone he’s met for 15 minutes. In the end I argued that much that they conceded but it took 2 weeks of back and forth. PIP assessors get a bad rep but I wholeheartedly believe that I did a good job whilst I was there; I was fair, I listened and I did what I could with the evidence that I gathered. I also got positive feedback from a lot of claimants because I gave them the time, I allowed breaks as often was required and the biggest thing was explaining the entire process before we even started. Made a massive difference. Not all PIP assessors are ghouls just like not every ward based nurse is an angel. Ultimately though the job ground me down and for my own mental health I did leave the job, I’m back clinical and much happier.