Yes, a stoma belongs on your PIP form, and the main place for it is Q7, using the toilet and managing incontinence. The PIP2 form says managing incontinence includes using a collecting device such as a stoma bag, and the official assessment guide treats people with a stoma as incontinent for that activity. This page shows one honest way to describe a colostomy, ileostomy or urostomy, with two full sample answers for Q7 and Q5 managing your treatments and what to write for the other ten activities.
A stoma is an opening made in your tummy so waste can leave your body another way. With a colostomy, part of the large bowel is brought out through it; with an ileostomy, it is the end of the small bowel. Poo then goes into a bag stuck on your tummy instead of coming out of your bottom, and the stoma may be temporary or permanent. The NHS says ileostomy output is liquid or soft, like porridge, that you cannot control when it comes out and that both kinds of stoma make it harder to stay hydrated. Problems can include a hernia around the stoma, damaged skin where the bag sticks and a stoma that sinks back in or pushes too far out. A urostomy follows the same form rules, because Q7 covers your bladder as well as your bowel.
For many people a stoma is a relief, and the NHS says many find daily life improves afterwards. If that is you, say so and describe only the difficulties you really have. The DWP's PIP2 information booklet puts it plainly: PIP is assessed on how your condition affects you, not the condition itself. For a stoma, that usually means a few recurring problems:
The most useful fact for a stoma claim is that the form already names it. Q7 says managing incontinence includes using a collecting device such as a catheter or stoma bag, and cleaning yourself afterwards. The DWP's PIP assessment guide says claimants with a stoma are considered incontinent for this activity, lists a stoma bag as an aid and gives needing help to change a stoma bag as an example of needing another person's help. Under the regulations, assistance means physical help from another person; being talked through a task does not count as assistance.
Then comes reliability. You only count as able to do an activity if you can do it safely, to an acceptable standard, repeatedly and in a reasonable time, meaning no more than twice as long as someone without your condition would normally take. A bag change that only holds on the third attempt or a leak at three in the morning you cannot deal with alone is a reliability problem. A difficulty counts if it affects you on more than half of the days, so describe your typical week, good days and bad, rather than your best day.
This table shows where each problem belongs, so the bag care itself stays at Q7.
| What the stoma or its care involves | PIP2 questions it usually affects | What to write |
|---|---|---|
| Emptying and changing the bag, cleaning the skin around the stoma | Q7 Using the toilet and managing incontinence | How often, how long it takes, what goes wrong and who helps. |
| Leaks, especially at night | Q7, and Q6 Washing and bathing if the extra washes are hard | How often the bag leaks, what a full change involves and whether you manage alone. |
| A hernia, or a stoma that sinks in or pushes out | Q7, and Q8 Dressing and undressing if bending is affected | Whether you can see and reach the stoma and who fits the next bag. |
| High output, dehydration and tablets that come out whole | Q5 Managing your treatments | The warning signs you watch for, who notices them and any change to how you take medicines. |
| Worry about leaks, if you have a diagnosed mental health condition | Q11 Mixing with other people, Q13 Planning and following a journey | Real examples of avoiding people or journeys and the help you need. |
What to cover for each one. Your paid form writes the full answers for you.
Describe whether tiredness, pain or dizziness from dehydration stops you standing long enough to cook a simple meal, and whether you could do it again later that day. Mention any time after surgery when you were told not to lift heavy pans. If you can cook safely on most days, say so.
This question is about the act of eating and drinking, not what you eat, so avoiding foods that could block your stoma does not count here. What can count is feeding through a tube or a line with a pump; if that is you, describe the feed and who sets it up or helps. Otherwise, leave this one alone.
The form asks whether you can wash safely and how long it takes, so describe the extra washes after a leak and whether you manage them alone, especially at night. Mention if a hernia, recent surgery or pain makes bending or getting into the bath hard, any shower seat or grab rail you use and any help you need.
This question looks at whether you can physically put clothes on and take them off, not how often you change after a leak. What can count is a hernia, pain or a healing wound that stops you bending to your feet, so you need help or a sock aid. If dressing is fine for you, leave this one alone.
A stoma does not affect speech or hearing, so for most people this one is best left alone. Only answer yes if exhaustion or dizziness from dehydration genuinely leaves you unable to follow what is said on most days, so things have to be repeated or written down.
This question is about understanding written information, so a stoma does not usually reach it. If you read and understand your letters without help, leave this one alone. Only answer yes if another condition or a medicine genuinely stops you taking in what you read.
Worry about leaks, smells or noise in company is common, but this question counts that distress when it comes from a mental health condition such as diagnosed anxiety or depression. If that is you, name the diagnosis, say how often you pull out of seeing people and whether you need someone with you.
A stoma does not affect budgeting or paying bills, so for most people this one is best left alone. Only answer yes if another condition, or exhaustion so heavy that you cannot follow a bill, means someone else has to check your money decisions.
Fear of a leak or of not reaching a toilet can stop people going out, but the rules count this distress when it is linked to a mental health condition. If a doctor has diagnosed anxiety, describe how often you cannot set off and whether someone has to encourage you or come with you. Knowing where the toilets are is not enough on its own.
A stoma does not usually limit how far you can walk, so be honest if that is true for you. What can count is pain from a hernia, weakness after surgery or dizziness from dehydration that makes you stop, so give the distance you can manage safely and repeatedly. Staying near a toilet does not belong here.
The tips above are general pointers. Your paid form gives you a full, ready-to-copy answer for all 12 activities, written from your exact conditions, medication, aids and bad days, not a general example. This is a worked example for a stoma; yours is written for you. £99.99 one-off.
Yes, for Q7. The PIP2 form says managing incontinence includes using a collecting device such as a catheter or stoma bag, and the DWP's PIP assessment guide says claimants with a stoma are considered incontinent for this activity. The stoma does not score on its own: what matters is how you manage it and what help you need on most days.
Yes. The assessment guide lists a stoma bag among the aids for this activity, alongside incontinence pads and a raised toilet seat, so name it even if you change it yourself. Needing another person to physically help you change the bag scores higher, and the guide gives that as its own example. Say who helps, what they do and how many days a week.
Mostly at Q7, because cleaning yourself after a leak and fitting a new bag are part of managing incontinence. Say how often the bag leaks, when it happens, what a full change involves, how long it takes and whether anyone helps, especially at night. If the extra washes are hard to manage safely, mention them at Q6 too.
Emptying and changing the bag belongs at Q7. Q5 covers monitoring your health and taking medication, for example watching for the signs of dehydration or a blockage your stoma nurse told you about, or taking medicines in a different form after tablets came out whole in your bag. If someone helps you with that, describe it at Q5.
Describe how it affects you now and what your team expects. The NHS says recovery usually takes around 6 to 8 weeks, with no heavy lifting for 3 months after an ileostomy. The PIP2 booklet asks about difficulties you have had for at least 3 months that are expected to continue for at least a further 9 months, so if a reversal is planned, say so and give dates if you have them.
Yes. The form asks how your health conditions or disabilities affect you, so describe the stoma and the condition behind it together under each activity. Tiredness, pain and low mood can matter as much as the bag. Our Crohn's and colitis example and cancer example show how to describe those parts.
It can, but only in the right place. Q11 and Q13 look at psychological distress, which the assessment guide ties to an enduring mental health condition or an intellectual or cognitive impairment. If a diagnosed condition such as anxiety means the fear of leaks stops you seeing people or going out, describe it with real examples and name the diagnosis. Without that link, it is more honest to leave those questions alone.
These cards show one honest way a person with an ileostomy might describe a hard week. They are here to learn from, not to copy word for word: your own answers should describe your stoma, your output, your leaks and the help you actually get. A week with a colostomy or a urostomy may look quite different, so say what really happens. If you would rather not write them yourself, the PIP2 form filler writes all 12 answers from what you tell us, ready for you to check and copy.
A stoma does not usually affect talking, reading or managing money, so it is honest to put a cross in the No box for those unless there is a genuine link for you. The suggested descriptor on each card is only there to show which difficulty the answer points at; never write a descriptor letter or a point number on your real form.
The DWP always makes the final decision, but describing your typical week accurately, bad nights included, gives your form the strongest chance of being understood. When you have a draft, the free PIP answer checker shows what an assessor may find missing.
An example shows the shape of a good answer. FillMyPIP writes answers from your own conditions, medication, aids and bad days. See one activity of your own form written free at www.fillmypip.co.uk.
Guidance only, not legal or medical advice. Not affiliated with the DWP. Karol Slusarczyk t/a Benefits Expert, ICO registered (ICO:00014179042).
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