The Timms Review is a chance to rethink PIP. Here's what we hope it does.

The Timms Review of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) has published its interim report, giving the latest indication yet of where the Review may be heading. In this blog, Julia Bacci Aggio reflects on the reports interim findings and how PIP needs to change to support those who most need it. 

The Timms Review is examining whether PIP is fair, effective and fit for the future. For many people living with mental illness, PIP provides vital support with the extra costs and challenges that can come with daily life. The Review is an important opportunity to listen to people’s experiences, understand where the system is falling short, and help shape a social security system that better reflects the realities of living with a mental illness.  

It has been a real step forward for the government commit to co-production with disabled people and the organisations that represent them from the outset. Genuine co-production means that the experiences, priorities, and expertise shared by people with lived experience shape the outcome and are recognisable in the final recommendations.  

We welcome many of the early findings, which strongly resonate with what we’ve been campaigning on for several years. It is particularly encouraging to see recognition of the life-changing role PIP plays in supporting financial security, participation and independence, alongside the challenges many people face with assessments that do not fully capture the impact of fluctuating and invisible conditions like mental illness.   

The Review provides a rare opportunity to radically overhaul an outdated system which falls short of the safety net it is supposed to provide. Our recent work, Rethinking PIP, outlines proposals the government could adopt to ensure the system works as it should for everyone who needs it. 

A system that supports recovery, not one that punishes it 

As the Review enters its next phase, here is what I hope it delivers.

PIP exists to help people meet the extra costs associated with living with a long-term health condition or disability. For many people living with mental illness, it is a vital source of financial security that helps cover additional everyday costs and makes independent living possible. 

It is not an out-of-work benefit, nor is it intended to compensate for being unable to work. It provides support that enables people to participate in society, maintain their wellbeing and, where possible, take steps towards recovery – regardless of their employment status. 

For many people, PIP creates opportunities and provides choices. It can help people attend appointments, access support, stay connected with others and manage daily life. That is why any reform must protect the core purpose of PIP and avoid replacing it with measures that reduce people's flexibility, independence or choice. 

However, our report Rethinking PIP found that the current system can unintentionally create what many people described as a "recovery trap". 

People told us they feared that taking positive steps such as volunteering, studying, engaging in therapy or trying part-time work, could be interpreted as evidence that they no longer needed support. Yet recovery from mental illness is rarely straightforward. Progress is often uneven, with periods of improvement alongside setbacks and fluctuations. 

A good period does not mean someone's disability-related costs disappear, and it doesn't mean their need for support has ended. 

As a result, some people feel forced to weigh up opportunities for recovery against the risk of losing the financial support that helps make recovery possible in the first place. 

We need a system that recognises this reality and supports people to engage in meaningful activity without fear and that understands recovery looks different for everyone. For some, that may include paid work. For others, it may not. The goal should be supporting people to live well, not judging them against a fixed idea of progress. 

“PIP has made a positive difference in a lot of ways… I don't have a driving license because of my bipolar disorder, so this allows me more transport security.”  

— Nina, Expert by Experience 

At the same time, many people tell us that while PIP is essential, the process of accessing it can be deeply distressing. 

What meaningful reform should look like 

Through our report, our Experts by Experience told us that reform should focus on making the system more supportive, more responsive and more understanding of the realities of living with fluctuating mental health conditions. This means a system that: