DWP ‘sickfluencers’ helping followers win benefits with '100 per cent success rate'

Online Department for Work and Pensions benefits "sickfluencers" are helping followers maximise benefits with "example answers" for depression being shared. It comes as one NHS GP said he speaks to very 'few' people who are genuinely too sick to work.

GB News reports DWP "sickfluencers" are using platforms such as YouTube and TikTok to share advice on securing disability benefits. YouTuber Charlie Anderson's video 'Unlock the secret steps for winning your Pip claims' has garnered 378,000 views in one instance.

In the video, Anderson claims: "I have a 100 per cent success rate at winning Pip claims for people because of understanding the point system and how to communicate it in a manner that then scores the points." She offers templates on her website and premium services costing up to £950 for personal sessions.

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Patricia Ehrmann, who runs the TikTok account Witch Mother, also advises followers to focus on their "absolute worst day." Liz Jones, known as the "Pip angel" to her 67,000 followers, provides PDF guides and template answers for depression claims.

Sarah, a nurse assessor, told Channel 4 : "If at any point someone said that they were suicidal every day, its straight away in that high [category]." A former GP working as an assessor said: "What strikes me about this job is how few people I speak to who are genuinely too sick to work."

The GP added: "Most of the claims are to do with stress or anxiety... But my opinion as a GP does not count in this system. Its all about points, risk and other triggers that they [claimants] seem familiar with before they call."

Chanel Ashley, a nurse assessor, said: "Telling people what to say to get higher points, its wrong. People should tell the truth about their situation." It comes as the government attempts to get two million people back into work through DWP Jobcentre reforms.

Barbie Advocates, a disability rights activist on TikTok, stated: "I have never, and would never, encourage anybody to game the system not least because I strongly believe that the finite funding available should support the millions of people with genuine disabilities."