Independent Assessment Service - Delivered by Atos

Working for Independent Assessment Services (IAS) is perfect for ambitious Health Professionals who want to switch to a dynamic and flexible career that’s built around them.

You can put your expertise and training to good use in a new and objective way, to make sure that people you meet are treated professionally and with respect, resulting in a fair and accurate assessment. You will also benefit from great training and a better work/life balance.

View our Disability Assessor jobs

What service does IAS provide?

IAS are responsible for carrying out consultations for Personal Independence Payment (PIP), as well as Employment Support Allowance (ESA) and a wide range of benefits in Northern Ireland, benefits devised to support people with a long term health condition or disability.

PIP replaced Disability Living allowance as a brand new benefit for people between the ages of 16 and 64 from 1 March 2013. It’s designed to provide financial support to people with a health condition or disability which impacts on their day-to-day lives.

ESA offers financial support to those with a health condition or disability who are unable to work.

As a Disability Assessor you will look at how a person’s health conditions or disabilities impact on their daily life and their ability to live independently, rather than assessing the conditions themselves or providing diagnostic care.

Where does IAS operate?

IAS operates in two geographical areas of the UK delivering Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessments. One area covers Scotland, the North West, the North East and Yorkshire and Humber, and the other is made up of London, the East of England, the South East and the South West.

IAS also assesses Employment Support Allowance (ESA) cases and a range of other benefits throughout Northern Ireland against criteria set by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) on behalf of the Northern Ireland Department for Communities.

Who do IAS work with?

To help deliver assessments for PIP in the UK, IAS work with supply chain partners, from NHS Trusts to private organisations, operating out of nearly 200 Consultation Centres.

IAS have around 1500 Disability Assessors whose job it is to assess claimant cases and provide assessments that form part of a report that lets DWP reach a final decision on an individual’s claim.

To deliver assessments in Northern Ireland, IAS have 11 Consultation Centres and over 60 Health Professionals. 

Who can work for IAS?

The IAS teams come from a variety of backgrounds, including nurses (RGN, RMN and RNLD), physiotherapists, occupational therapists and paramedics (excluding Northern Ireland). IAS ask that you are registered with your relevant medical body and have at least two years post-qualification practical experience.

When you join IAS, you’ll be given detailed training in how to carry out health and disability assessments. IAS invest in extensive training programmes for both Health Professionals and support teams, focusing on placing the claimant experience firmly at the heart of the service.

How do assessments work?

In terms of the assessment process, the role of Independent Assessment Services is very specific.

The process starts and finishes with the DWP, who provide IAS with cases. It’s IAS’s job to open a case and carry out an initial evaluation to decide which type of assessment is best for the claimant. They will then arrange the consultation, write up a report, and send it to DWP.

The DWP will make a decision by looking at the claim and its supporting evidence. The IAS assessment report is only one part of this supporting evidence.