We respond to Timms review interim report on PIP

The Timms review, which is examining whether the system around Personal Independent Payment (PIP) is fit for purpose, has published an interim report.

Mark Winstanley, Chief Executive of Rethink Mental Illness, said:

“PIP should be a platform for recovery, not a system that punishes it. As today's interim Timms review highlights, the current system gives with one hand and takes with the other, providing vital support to people living with mental illness while undermining stability through harmful assessments and unfair outcomes. 

"The interim review tallies with what we've found in our own research: that the current scoring system doesn't account for the reality of serious yet fluctuating mental illness, that assessments are stressful and demoralising, and that even people who are severely unwell struggle to get the support they need. The PIP system traps people in a vicious cycle of recovery and relapse, with any signs of progress taken as evidence that support is no longer needed, plunging people into crisis and making it harder for them to work, maintain relationships or take part in everyday life. 

"The problems highlighted will be familiar to many disabled people, and we warmly welcome that this interim report has heard their concerns. We agree that radical reform is needed, and this should focus on building a fairer, more compassionate system, rather than resorting to harsher sanctions and conditionality that will hurt rather than help.”