A Programmer’s Thoughts On PIPAT Software

Hello. I’m not sure if this subject has come up before, but I feel it is worthy of attention. I have recently been investigating the software, called PIPAT that ATOS PIP assessors use to create their assessment reports.

I used to be a programmer and software tester, and I wanted to know how this software worked. Someone had managed to get a copy of the user guide from the DWP, released under FOI.

I have been going through the PIP assessment process myself, which is now heading for Tribunal, and I couldn’t reconcile in my mind how my disabilities were ignored when it came to awarding me points (I got zero). I know I am not alone here by any means. This software makes it all too easy for the assessor.

I discovered that the software is written so that whatever the assessor writes in the first part of the report, such as history, and anything the claimant tells the assessor, there is nothing whatsoever in the second part, the choosing of descriptors, that is connected to the first part. This means nothing is built into the programming to make sure the assessor uses ALL the evidence that was (hopefully) collected, or was provided elsewhere, and then can subsequently make the right descriptor choice.

The assessor can basically say anything they like. Nothing in the software forces them carry out the assessment fairly.

At best, this is very poor program design, sloppily written. A piece of programming that is not integrated in any way, has NO checks and balances to make sure the business process it is supposed to support works as it should, that is, the PIP assessment itself, is in my view unforgivable. I’m inclined to think it is deliberate.

It was apparently developed by IBM, at a cost of £50,000,000 to £75,000,000 PER YEAR, for what is basically little more than a glorified Word document!

Think how many peoples’ disallowed PIP payments THAT would pay for. I think it’s a scandal and I intend to write to the DWP and ask for an explanation.