Career Opportunities: Functional Assessor (295903)

Here at Serco, we deliver health assessments that help determine eligibility for benefits on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

Our extensive experience supporting complex case management services across the globe and experience of working with the DWP enables us to impact a better future for all. Service users are treated with care and respect, and our colleagues thrive in a supportive culture. 

Fancy doing something different with your clinical skills? Join Serco as a Functional Assessor and help deliver a vital service that supports millions of people with health conditions and disabilities.

What is a Functional Assessor?

A Functional Assessor is either a qualified Nurse, Paramedic, Occupational Therapist, Physiotherapist or Pharmacist who conducts unbiased, comprehensive health assessments for the Health Assessment Advisory Service (HAAS) which arranges and conducts assessments for the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

What is HAAS?

HAAS is a new service that will bring together existing assessment services for people with disabilities and health conditions under a single provider in each region of the UK. This will make accessing assessments for benefits simpler for the people who need it. 

Our team will be providing assessments for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claimants or Work Capability Assessments (WCAs) for individuals claiming Universal Credit (UC) or Employment and Support Allowance (ESA).

What will I be doing?

As a Functional Assessor, you’ll speak with claimants in a non-clinical environment, either on the phone, face-to-face or online, to carry out functional health assessments to help DWP understand how their disability or condition affects their day-to-day life. With empathy and compassion, you’ll use your active listening and note-taking skills to produce accurate reports.

You’ll help claimants get fair outcomes, by carrying out functional assessments, consulting with treating healthcare professionals and others who are involved in providing care for the individuals you’re assessing, and ensuring final reports are accurate and produced to a high standard. These will be used by DWP decision makers to determine the outcome of claims.

What do I need?

• One year's post-registration experience as a Nurse, Occupational Therapist, Physiotherapist, Paramedic or Pharmacist
• Fully registered with a relevant UK regulatory body (NMC, HCPC or other), without restriction or conditions and with a valid PIN 
• Excellent observational and communication skills
• Good overall IT skills with the ability to work quickly and produce reports in a timely manner

Why chose Serco?

You may have seen many different versions of the Functional Assessor role advertised across the UK and wonder why this is and who to apply for. There are multiple providers on the DWP HAAS contract - if you have the qualifications and experience, you can work for any of us, no matter where you live, so it’s important you choose the right organisation for you.

Serco can of course offer very competitive salaries and benefits; however we feel our employees deserve more than just compensation. Our commitment to you is:

• A place you can make a difference: Positively impact millions of lives, through working empathetically with claimants and delivering work you can be proud of.
• A place you can count on: Industry-leading training from Day 1, ‘internal-only’ career advancement opportunities, one-to-one support, and continued mentorship to help you keep hitting your goals.
• A place for you: Here you’ll be part of a community, with a wide range of employee networks, flexible benefits and the opportunity to have your say. We invite and listen to all our employees’ feedback, so we can continue to provide a supportive and welcoming place to work for everyone. We partner with leading organisations who provide resources and expertise so we can continuously improve and evolve our approach to colleagues’ inclusion and experience.

What are the perks?

• Starting salary range from £37,500 - £45,500 depending on location and specialty
• £1000 salary uplift after your first 6 months and a further £1000 salary uplift after 12 months
• Work-life balance: Serco offers 9am – 5pm contracts with no nights, weekends of shifts required. We offer full and part time contracts
• Up to 10% quality and performance bonus once you’re a Approved Functional Assessor
• Opportunities for hybrid or remote working
• 25 days annual leave, plus bank holiday and the option to purchase up to five additional days
• Brilliant internal progression opportunities
• Up to 6% contributory pension scheme
• Discounts across around 1,000 retailers, from food and clothing to days out, entertainment and travel
• Serco ShareSave scheme
• Health and wellbeing benefits including: 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme, BUPA Anytime Helpline, wellbeing app, Simplyhealth cash plans to claim back money towards healthcare costs, and 30% off at Serco-managed leisure centres
• A paid volunteering day each year

Is Serco new to this sector?

Serco has experience of delivering a similar contract internationally and of working with DWP. We’re a 50,000-strong global organisation that specialises in partnering with governments to provide public services across a wide range of sectors.

Thanks to our extensive experience working with government, we know the most important thing to get right is our people. We’re committed to providing the best possible service to DWP and our claimants, as well as making Serco the provider of choice for functional assessment services. That’s why we’re keen to recruit the very best talent this industry has to offer, along with new people from other sectors with fresh ideas too.

Life as a Functional Assessor isn’t for everyone! / Realities of the role

At Serco, it’s important to us that we’re honest and transparent with all current and future employees. Although many people love working in this sector, it isn’t for everyone. This role may not be for you if…

• You want to keep treating patients: Although the role of a Functional Assessor requires you to see a variety of conditions, there is no treatment involved, and some clinicians may miss the hands-on healthcare element of their previous roles.
• You don’t want to retrain: In most cases, the clinicians we hire have never worked in this type of role before, so we take you through a comprehensive training programme to become an approved Functional Assessor. During the training, you will still be on your learning curve, so we audit every report to ensure they meet the specified standard and claimants receive the best possible service. This position is well-suited to those who are happy to receive constructive feedback and are keen to keep learning.
• You dislike writing reports: All clinicians are competent assessors, however reports need to be completed to a high standard too. This is a skill that can be learned, however if you’re not used to - or dislike - writing detailed reports, this role may not be the best fit for you.

Remember, there’s new skills to learn from the outset, but our team are dedicated to training and supporting you, to ensure you’re happy and competent in your role. What’s more, our recruitment team have a wealth of experience working on this contract, including former Functional Assessors, so – if you’d like know more - they are happy to share their personal insights, too.

Recruitment process

This is a brand new, five-year contract. We have opportunities available now, or if you’re interested in joining us in the future, you can register your interest here or reach out to our recruitment team: haasrecruitment@serco.com

#haasfunctionalassessor

About Serco
At Serco, not only is the nature of the work we do important, everyone has an important role to play, from caring for vulnerable people to managing complex public services.  We are a team of 50,000 people responsible for delivering essential public services around the world in areas including defence, transport, justice, immigration, healthcare and citizen services. We are innovators, committed to redesigning and improving public services for the benefit of everyone.

By joining Serco you will have unlimited access to our Global Employee Networks – SercoInspire (Gender), SercoEmbrace (Multicultural), SercoUnlimited (Disability) and In@Serco (LGBT & Networks). Serco Employee Networks, led by colleagues who are passionate about diversity, inclusion and belonging. 

Apply
Please click on the apply button to complete your application. Occasionally we receive a large volume of applications for our roles and when that happens we sometimes bring the closing date forward, so please apply promptly to avoid disappointment. 

At Serco, we see people first and foremost for their performance and potential. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive organisation that supports the needs of all. As such we will make reasonable adjustments at interview through to employment for our candidates and strongly encourage applications from a diverse candidate pool. We are open to discussions around flexibility and flexible working. We operate a hybrid work structure in many of our business areas. We are proudly Disability Confident Leader employers and holder of the Gold Inclusive Employer Standard. Disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the job will be given the opportunity to demonstrate their abilities at an interview.  For help with your application please contact 0345 010 4000.

At Serco we support fair access to employment for those with unspent criminal convictions through the ‘Ban the Box’ pledge (some may be exempt due to the nature of the role and the security clearance required). Please contact our recruitment team directly on 0345 010 4000 to discuss.