As a health professional, you'll become an integral part of a multidisciplinary team, contributing to delivering a service that has a positive impact on the lives of millions.
Becoming a Functional Assessor
As a Registered Pharmacist, you’ll naturally transfer your empathy, curiosity, observation, and communication skills into this role. Additionally, you will have:
- Minimum 12 months' experience post professional registration as a Pharmacist.
- GPhC registered with no restrictions to practice and a proven record of relevant Continual Professional Development (CPD) and revalidation.
- Good IT and Microsoft Office skills including solid typing proficiency.
What you'll do
Harness your clinical skills and experience to support people with health conditions and disabilities.
You’ll meet claimants with disabilities or health conditions in a non-clinical environment, either on the phone, face-to-face or online, to carry out functional health assessments to ascertain how their disability or condition affects their day-to-day life.
You’ll use your clinical expertise to produce a factual assessment report which will help the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) determine whether that person is eligible for benefits. You’ll show empathy and compassion at all times and use your active listening and note-taking skills to help you produce right-first-time reports on a consistent basis.
As a Pharmacist, you’ll be assessing claimants that have applied for Personal Independence Payment (PIP).
PIP is a benefit for people with a long-term health condition or impairment, whether physical, sensory, mental, cognitive, intellectual, or any combination of these. It is paid to make a contribution to the extra costs that disabled people may face, to help them lead full, active and independent lives.
A day in the life of a Functional Assessor
A typical day could include using your established clinical skills to review relevant claimant information to prepare for functional assessments, undertaking consultations to gather key evidence from the claimant or their representatives, and critically analysing evidence to create factually accurate written reports to support DWP’s decision-making. You’ll support claimants throughout the assessment process, ensuring they have a safe and comfortable experience.
The reality
In the role, you will produce functional assessment reports which may be complex in nature due to dealing with claimants with multiple conditions such as mental and physical. You may need to liaise with GPs, or other medical professionals who are involved in providing care for the individuals you are assessing, to ensure reports are fair, accurate, and produced to a high professional standard.
So although you will have the chance to learn about health conditions, you will not be:
- Making a medical diagnosis or undertaking invasive medical procedures.
- Offering any medical advice or guidance to claimants.
- Making the final decision on whether a claimant is eligible for benefits – we inform the decision makers.
A supportive and inclusive team environment that values work-life balance
Flexible ways of working
Part-time, work from home, centre-based or hybrid options
Life-friendly work patterns
Monday - Friday, with no irregular shift patterns or unsociable hours
A rewarding career that fits around you and your family
The rewards
Harness your clinical skills and experience to support people with health conditions and disabilities.
We’ll provide compensation for your professional subscription fees and support your revalidation. We’ll also cover the annual fees to maintain your registration.
A competitive salary with increments in year one
A performance-based bonus structure (upon successful approval)
Up to 6% employer matched pension contribution
Leisure, retail and hospitality discounts
Colleague Forum - A structured forum where all colleagues, clinical and non-clinical, can come together regularly to discuss the emotional and social aspects of working in healthcare. This can help you feel more supported, with the time and space to reflect on your role.
Room to Talk counselling
A range of benefits to support the health and wellbeing of you and your family, such as our Employee Assistance Programme, Health Plans and much more
Fully funded and support CPD
1:1 Clinical coaching with a dedicated coach and communities of practice
We’re committed to professional and personal development, with a wide range of training and coaching opportunities to help you grow throughout your career with us
We champion development and internal promotion to help people build a rewarding career at Serco
At Serco, we see people first and foremost for their performance and potential. We’re committed to building a diverse and inclusive organisation that supports the needs of all. We strongly encourage applications from a diverse candidate pool, and will make reasonable adjustments from interview through to employment for candidates who need them.
We’re proud to be a Disability Confident Leader employer and holder of the Gold Inclusive Employer Standard. Applicants with disabilities who meet the minimum criteria for the job will be given the opportunity to demonstrate their suitability at an interview.
We have a variety of colleague networks you can join too - another way you’ll be able to connect with like-minded people across the business.
Find out more
Our Process
