Scottish Adult Disability Living Allowance: Guidance for GP and registered medical practitioner supporting information requests

Guidance to help GPs navigate Scottish Adult Disability Living Allowance supporting information requests.

Guidance topics

You’ve been sent a supporting information request via SCI Gateway

You've been asked to complete a supporting information request form because a client for a particular benefit has given your name as a medical professional who can provide information in support of their review.

You should ensure that you or someone at your practice has previously filled out the correct bank details with the Social Security Directorate to claim your fee before you start completing supporting information request forms.

If you've been sent the form in error

If the named individual does not work at your organisation you must inform Social Security Scotland of the error as soon as possible so that the mistake can be rectified quickly.

Receiving a supporting information request on SCI Gateway

Someone from your practice should check SCI Gateway at least once a week for new supporting information request forms.

Sign in to SCI Gateway and check for new messages. This is where you’ll find new supporting information request forms.

If your GP practice has signed up to receive email alerts for supporting information requests, then you’ll be notified by email that a request form is waiting for your attention in SCI Gateway. Otherwise, you’ll need to regularly sign in to SCI Gateway and check for messages.

Filling out a supporting information request form

Unlike regular SCI Gateway forms, the exact questions asked could vary between forms.

Once you have logged into SCI Gateway, do this:

1. Look for new messages.
2. If there’s a new message link titled ‘SSD Request’, click on it to open.
3. Click on the client’s name to open a popup window with the opening information.
4. Click the reply button to open a new popup.
5. Fill out the form.

The following fields will always appear on the form:

• ‘Info’
• ‘Claimant’
• ‘Supporting Information’
• ‘Harmful Information’
• ‘Completing this form’
• ‘Contact us’
• ‘Attestation’ (contains checkbox for claiming fee, confirmation of accuracy and name of person completing form)

Submitting a completed supporting information request form

To submit a completed supporting information request form, do this:

1. Select ‘Send’ to validate the form and send the reply. If the form has not been completed correctly an error will be displayed and the form will not be sent. If there are no errors then you’ll be prompted to confirm that you wish to send the form.
2. Select ‘OK’ to confirm and send the reply.
3. Select ‘Cancel’ to return to the form.

Replies may be saved as draft messages and returned to later.

Timeline

Social Security Scotland asks that you complete and submit the supporting information request form within 28 days of your organisation receiving it.

Failure to do this could result in delays to the client receiving payment or differences to the level of award they receive. This is because Social Security Scotland may not have the full range of information available to make a decision.

If there’s no one available to fill out the supporting information request

Professionals from the same organisation can provide supporting information, even if they have not been directly involved in that individual’s treatment or care.

They must have both:

• access to records on the individual
• the professional knowledge needed to understand these records, for example another GP/Registered Medical Professional

If the named registered medical practitioner is unavailable and no-one else in the organisation can supply the requested information, you should contact Social Security Scotland as soon as possible on: 0800 182 2222

Lines are open Monday to Friday from 8am to 6pm.