Functional Assessor - Direct Hiring in Bristol

Fancy doing something different with your clinical skills? We are looking for Nurses, Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists, Paramedics or Pharmacists to join Serco as a Functional Assessor and help deliver a vital service that supports millions of people with health conditions and disabilities.

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).

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).

Responsibilities

• 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.
• Use active listening and note‐taking skills to produce accurate reports.
• Help claimants get fair outcomes by carrying out functional assessments, consulting with treating healthcare professionals and others involved in providing care for the individuals you’re assessing, and ensuring final reports are accurate and produced to a high standard.
• Assist in determining the outcome of claims by providing reports used by DWP decision makers.

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.

Training & Support

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 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 to 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

Qualifications

• 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.

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.

Disability Confident

A Disability Confident employer will generally offer an interview to any applicant that declares they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job as defined by the employer. It is important to note that in certain recruitment situations such as high‐volume, seasonal and high‐peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non‐disabled people.

Our Commitment

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.

Benefits

• Starting salary range from £37,500‐£45,500 depending on location and specialty.
• £1,000 salary uplift after your first 6 months and a further £1,000 salary uplift after 12 months.
• Work‐life balance: 9 am‐5 pm contracts with no nights, weekends or shifts required.
• Up to 10% quality and performance bonus once you’re an Approved Functional Assessor.
• Hybrid position with a minimum of 2 days per week working at one of our consultation centres.
• 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.

Serco Experience

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!

This role may not be for you if you’re not comfortable with the lack of treatment, you dislike writing detailed reports, or you’re not ready to undergo comprehensive training and ongoing audits.